The Best Mom

I wish you could have seen the mom I was before I had kids.  I had it all figured out.  I knew how my pregnancy and delivery would pan out and I effectively had all of the first year planned.

I knew our sleeping arrangements.  My child would definitely be sleeping in her own bed, through the night, and would likely be taking two naps a day.  In her crib.

I knew I would feed my child natural, nutritious food after we finished our breastfeeding run of one year.

My child would never be the one throwing a fit/imitating the distressed teradactyl in Target.

There would not be any television watching until my baby was at least two.

I'm telling you, I knew it all. 

I never understood the stories of kids falling off of the bed, splashing their hands in inappropriate places, or getting into definite no-nos.  Weren't there parents around to watch the every move of these kids?

But the truth?  The truth is that I don't have it all figured out and I never will have it all figured out.  I certainly did not have things figured out prior to bearing the title of momma, and I will never claim to.

However.

I have discovered what works best for our family and that it isn't a universal set of things to follow for all families.  I have a finicky eater, a co-sleeper, a milk-a-holic at 16 months, a child that whines, and a record of falls and hands found in the toilet.  I am not the perfect mom that I once envisioned.  I try my best, I make mistakes, and we learn new things ever day.  The most important thing to me is how much love there is in our little family.We have fallen into a daily routine, or daily chaos depending on the day, that works for us and I'm proud of that.

And boy was I ever slapped right across the face with reality the moment I became a mom.  Not only did I not know everything there ever was to know about being a perfect mom, but I also had no clue the love that I would have for my child.