Things That Change When You Have a Baby

• Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
• I've never been a dangerous person, but I've done a few things; one in particular is cliff jumping. Just last week I went boating and had so much anxiety on the boat because I kept thinking about how awful it would be if there was an accident and I left my baby mother-less. I have turned into an extremely cautious, worry-wart.

• You respect and love your parents in an entirely new way.
• I cannot thank my parents enough for everything they've done for me. They had to go through so much with me while I was growing up, what a difficult child I was! It scares me to think that Val might put me through some of what I put my parents through. All I can do is pray that she is smarter and better than I was as a kid and teenager. I love her to death and want nothing but for her to be happy and know how wonderful and beautiful she is. And I never want her to doubt all of the love that I have for her.

• Your baby's pain feels a million times worse than your own.
• When my baby is crying and I can tell something is wrong, it makes me so sad. I hate not being able to help her sometimes, and not knowing exactly what she needs all the time is SO hard. 

• Your heart breaks much more easily.
• Her little frown, when she's trying to hold back her crying and is about to break down, kills me. It is the saddest little cry and it truly does break my heart!

• You think of someone else 756,349,887 times a day.
• I last thought of myself before my baby, uh, never. She is now all I think about, and her needs are always put before my own.

• You're all of a sudden a morning person.
• You have to be a morning person when you have a newborn. She wakes up between six and seven every morning and stays awake for at least an hour. I never in a million years thought I'd be a morning person, but I really don't have a choice anymore!

• Bodily functions are no longer repulsive.
• They're actually cute, and make me happy! Bodily functions mean she's releasing her gas and she feels good! 

• Everyday is a surprise!
• Yes, it is! You never know when you're going to get pooped on, have a good day with no fussing, or have your patience tested. Sometimes you don't even have a chance to get ready for the day or leave the house. It's just how life goes now.

• You'd rather spend your extra money on a new outfit for baby, not new shoes for you.
• So many times have I wanted to buy a new purse or outfit, and then decide to buy diapers, formula, or new pajamas because your baby has outgrown theirs.

• You give parents with a screaming child the "I know how you feel" look, instead of the "please quiet your kid" look.
• I feel for those parents with the screaming babies because now I've been there, I've been there several times. I know how embarrassing it is to be sitting in a restaurant or in church and have a screaming baby. I also know how annoying those "shut your baby up" looks are. Grumpy old man with missing teeth in Sizzler, I saw the looks you were giving me and I did not appreciate them!

• You take the time for one more hug or kiss, even if it means you'll be late.
• Anything to let my little one remember how much her mommy loves her!

• Taking a shower is now a luxury.
• And sometimes it doesn't happen very often. Good thing I don't go anywhere right now. Not quite sure what's going to happen once I go back to work. . .

• All of a sudden you want to make the world a better place.
• My child is going to grow up in this world! I have to do everything I can to keep the little good that's left stay in the world!

• You can't read the news as much as you used to because the stories about children breaks your heart.
• I used to love the news. . .

• Nothing is just yours anymore, you now share EVERYTHING.
• Literally, everything. My side of the bed, my time, my money, it's not just mine anymore. And once she gets older, I'll be sharing my food, my drinks, my clothes, my car, etc. I only lose more as times goes on!

• You want to take better care of yourself for your child.
• All of a sudden I find myself wanting to eat better, be out in the sun, and exercise more. I want to get into healthy habits now before my baby is big enough to copy me. Then when she's older, I'll be able to help her develop healthy habits also.

**Now I have to admit before I end this blog. . .I didn't come up with the list of things that change. I found them on a website. It was actually a list of 50 things, I really just picked out the ones that apply to me. The expansion on each bullet point though, is indeed, my own words.**