I Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident

As a new mother, I hold these truths to be self-evident:

--There is nothing beautiful about the labor process. Amazing and overwhelming, yes. Beautiful, no.

--Real world time is now irrelevant. My life is lived largely in weeks (as in, my baby is 2.5 weeks old), followed by hours (as in, my baby eats every three hours) and I have no concept of day/night anymore. When I was pregnant, it was acceptable to eat a cheeseburger for a breakfast because of cravings. Now, it is acceptable because I survive on increments of two hours of sleep and the concept of "dinnertime" is abstract.

--There is much thought and worry about poop. I lay in bed thinking, "when was the last time my kid pooped?" and worry if it hasn't been recently.

--Contrary to popular belief, newborn babies are not lumps. Every day I see Little Man change and progress. It brings me so much joy to watch him develop, but it brings me sadness, too. He won't be a baby for long, and I am trying to enjoy every minute.

--There is a clear definition between "now" and "then". Things that stressed me out before Little Man don't seem as important now. Or maybe I'm just not letting them get to me like they did before. Why spend energy on drama caused by other people when I could spend that energy cooing at the cutest baby ever?

--Things take waaaay longer. Take writing this blog entry, for example. 3+ hours. Type a few lines, have a snuggle. Another few lines, make a bottle. A few more lines--oh yeah, better feed myself and my husband.

--There is nothing better than holding a sleeping baby. Because 8 pounds of warm, sweet-smelling, wrapped-up baby is the best thing in the world. And because he's finally....finally...ASLEEP.