Missing Out? Nah...

My sweet baby has added a lot to my life, but he has also taken a little bit away. I’m sure that is natural with any Mom or Dad. Being a parent has changed my life and taught me so much about myself that I didn’t even realize I needed to learn. Some days, I feel like I’m “just” a stay at home Mom and kinda miss my away from home job. I miss the structure, the schedule, the interaction with other adults and honestly, some days, I just miss getting “dressed up”.  But then I stop and think about what I would be missing out on here at home and I know that I would miss that WAY MORE than structure, schedule, other adults or any dress up day.

Being a Mom has its challenges, but I have to believe that being a 24/7 Mom is a bigger challenge. Colton is getting to the stage where he takes everything out on Mommy. I read an article that said babies tend to be more fussy with Mommy because Mommy is the “comfort zone” and they know that no matter how they act, Mommy is still going to care for their needs. I get that. It doesn’t make it any easier to deal with on a day to day basis, but I do totally get it.

Colton is a very expressive and curious child and is busy all day long. Considering he doesn’t really sleep more than 4 hours at a time, I’m not sure how he keeps going. He must have an Energizer battery somewhere that I don’t know about. I have to say that this past week has been a really good sleeping week. Until last night, he slept all night once this week and the rest of the nights, he woke only 1 time per night (which is great for him)!  I would have to say if there is one thing that Colton has "taken away" and that has been the most life changing, it is sleep.

I heard on Fox & Friends that new research says that new research says that new parents are getting an average of jut 5.1 hours of sleep per night in the first year of their child's life. I consider the parents that get that much sleep to be lucky because I was averaging about 3 for the first 4/5 months of Colton’s life! That research also suggested that a new parent loses an average of 2.9 hours of sleep per night.  So, parents are losing out on more than six weeks worth of sleep in a single year of caring for a new baby. Nighttime feedings, crying and waking up with worry were the top three reasons noted for losing out on sleep. Insomnia and stacking up chores were also common problems that contributed to lack of sleep. I have to say that these days insomnia is the #1 reason why I’m not sleeping. There are a few nights that even when Colton is sound asleep, I’m wide awake. I know that I have a lot of my mind with the new house and other adventures I’m trying to pursue, so I can’t totally blame the little man for ALL my sleep deprivation (just most of it)!

I have learned to be more patient and open minded. Colton is learning to feed himself and he wants to do it all himself. If he could manage to get the spoon from the food to his mouth without spilling it, I would be out of a job at feeding time. I love that he is exploring and has the want to learn to feed himself. There are days that I have more patience than others. Some days, Colton will try to shove a puff snack in his mouth at the same time I’m trying to get him to finish eating his dinner. He gets so frustrated if I don’t stop feeding him long enough for him to do part of the eating by himself. Even though this process is MUCH SLOWER than I would like sometimes, it’s so important for me to just slow down and let him grow and learn.

Life as a Mom is hard work. It’s way harder than I ever thought it would be. It’s emotionally and physically demanding. It’s not a job where you can clock out and go home – you are home! There are no lunch breaks and bathroom breaks, there are no paid vacations or sick days and there is no overtime pay. The only reward is the precious grin and those sweet eyes looking at me with so much love that it makes my heart melt. So when I really think about missing a job and feel like I’m “missing out”, I think again and I realize that I have the best job in the world right here!