A Deeper Life: What I've learned in my month as a mommy

I've been a mom for a month.

What?!

My baby girl is a month old.

Stop it right now, little girl! Stop it right now, time! This beautiful time in my life is flying, and I've loved it so much :)

In my month of being a mommy, I've learned a heap of a lot of good stuff. Really good, life-changing, beneficial stuff.

1. Being a mommy is a 24 hour job.

I'm not sure why, but that has been the most surprising part for me. For whatever reason, I don't think I realized that I'd need to be "on call" and ready to serve and love on my baby at all hours and seconds of the day. No breaks. No time off. No lunch break. I'm a full time mommy. That means 24 hours. And I love it.

Thankfully, I get to be a stay at home mommy and raise my sweet girl. Jamie is a very hard worker and because of his selflessness, I get to stay at home with Lucy.

Best dad ever:

Sweetest baby with her sweet hands in the air at all times:

He holds his sweet Lucy whenever he gets a chance:

2. Being a mommy has taught me how to be selfless.
I don't think I've ever been a really selfish or greedy person, but being a mommy doesn't allow me to be selfish at all. This little lady comes first in my life, and that means everything that I need is secondary. Meals have been skipped. Showers have been missed. Teeth haven't been brushed. Deodorant doesn't get put on. (How sexy do I sound right now?) Laundry doesn't get done. Meals don't get cooked. Bathrooms don't get cleaned. I don't go out to dinner or hang out with friends or go to the gym or go shopping whenever I want anymore. Lucy comes first.

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:4

Uncle Kirby meets his niece for the first time:

Miss Natalie loving on Lucy:

I love my sweet angel:

3. Lucy's survival is based on her mommy.
This one can kind of backpack off of #2, but it hit me one day that Lucy can only survive by me--her mommy. I HAVE to be selfless, because if I'm not, then Lucy won't thrive. I am strictly breastfeeding, and that is how she receives nourishment in her tiny, but growing body. I give her emotional love and physical love, and that is how she grows to be a healthy girl every day.

My precious family of four:

4. A mommy's love is fierce.
My love for Lucy was the fastest, most fierce and ferocious love I've ever felt in my life. It was also horrifying, because I knew that this little life was in my hands. I love this little girl so strongly and cannot imagine life without her. She's such a light in my life. I don't think you can experience a love quite like this until you're a parent.

Miss Natalie loving on Lucy:

Kiki and her first grandbaby:

Lots of love there:

5. This mommy will NEVER make fun of those "Baby on Board" stickers ever again!
Yes, you've seen them. The big yellow stickers on the back of many parents' cars, warning other drivers that they have precious cargo in their vehicle. I used to make fun of those stickers, but now I want to put 20 of them on my back window! In fact, I want to fashion a giant sticker and put it on my whole car that says, "BACK UP OFF MY BUMPER, OR I WILL CUT YOU!!!" Back to #4--the love I have for my child is fierce. And I WILL get all ghetto on you if you hurt my baby. Let that be a lesson.

Me and my Lucy girl:

Love this little lady:

6. I've learned to appreciate every single moment--both with Jamie and Lucy.
Being a mama is exhausting, no doubt. But I refuse to take my time with her for granted. I GET to get up with her several times in the night, and I am sleepy and exhausted and worn out beyond belief on some nights, but I will never get that time back with her. I'm only going to nurse her for a few short months, and then she'll start eating food, and she won't need what my body produces for her anymore. I'll never really know when the last time will be that I nurse her. I'll never know when the last time will be that I rock her to sleep. Those are sweet and tender moments that I never want to wish away.

Also, my time with Jamie is that much more precious. Anytime that we get to just hang out on the couch together without Lucy, we treasure it. We love to crawl in bed together with just us (and Leia) every night. I don't ever want to take that time with him for granted. Every night when we get in bed, we talk about the day and pray together. We pray for our family and friends and for each other. That time is so precious to me. Now more than ever.

My baby turned one month last week, and this is us at her doctor's appointment:

She was 9.4 pounds and 21.5 inches long. My baby is growing all too fast!!!

But everything was perfect with her. She got an A+!!

I love those little booties :)

Mommy and baby at the doctor's office:

Next month, she gets shots :( Lord help me...

7. Being a mommy makes me even more sensitive and compassionate.
Every story in the news about a missing child or the death of a loved one or a fatal car accident makes me hug my little one that much harder. I can't read a heart breaking story anymore without thinking, "that could have been my baby". I wish I could be a mama to all the babies without mommies, feed the hungry, and save the lost...but for now, I'll just continue to hug my sweet Lucy girl.

We just introduced a bottle to Lucy last week:

...which means my yabos gets a little break during the day. I'm still breastfeeding, but doing one bottle a day. It seems to work, but she won't take the bottle until I sing to her. Truth be told, I ran out of songs yesterday and sang the Swiffer song because I had just heard that commercial. It worked. She ate.

8. Being a mommy is hard work. Really hard work.
Duh.

This is where I live most of my day:

On the couch. Feeding her. Loving on her. Playing with her. Talking to her. Just living the dream with my little Lucy. And Leia.

This is also my new normal:

I wear Lucy when I walk Leia because it is far too much work to walk Leia AND push a stroller.

Being a mommy is hard work, but it's the best job out there! I love what I do!

9. I have found a new beauty in my body after being a mommy.
Stretched skin, mushy tummy, flubbery bum, dimply thighs, lack of make up, hair in a ponytail, vomit all over me, granny panties, nursing bras and all....nothing has made me more confident and comfortable in my body than how I feel after having a baby. I have new wounds and memories on my skin and am strangely confident with my new mommy body. Jamie loves my new body too. And that's what matters.

Lucy girl in her elephant bathrobe after taking a bath:

Could you absolutely die looking at her little footies? So presh!

Leia loves our rocking chair. She thinks it's her's to snuggle on when I'm rocking Lucy:

Another new normal:

Putting Lucy in her bouncer when I take showers. 2-minute-no-time-to-shave-my-legs-showers. Lovely. No privacy when you're a mama!

10. Being a mommy has strengthened my faith in our Creator.
Nothing is more miraculous than growing a baby in your tummy, pushing it out of your body and then looking into their eyes, knowing that the Lord was faithful in allowing you to take care of His perfect creation. I'm still amazed every single day when I hold Lucy, just thinking about how great our God is. I mean, how miraculous is it that every single week of pregnancy is pivotal in the growth and development of a baby?! And now, I get to hold and love on my sweet miracle every day. Lucy and every other baby out there is a living reminder that God is still creating living, breathing miracles every day.

Best buds: