Barrett Teaches Mommy...

Barrett will turn 4 months next week- a fact that I'm still reeling over, though I suppose every month that goes by still amazes me. In these past few months, I have learned a few things from my tiny boss that I think are worth recording.

*It is shocking how little sleep I can go on when it comes to one brown-eyed boy. And more than that...I'm usually excited to be awake and see my son! I have always been a girl who likes her sleep and could go to bed when the sun went down. 10pm felt late to me. Last week I went to bed at 12am, got up to feed Barrett at 1am, and then got up for the day with him at 5am. My how times have changed.

*It is not the baby poop that grosses me out. It is the baby GAS. I am dumbfounded by the stench that my little guy can produce. His diaper can be as clean as a whistle, but when I open the back a smell not unlike a rotten egg sizzling in hell comes rushing out. Needless to say, he makes his daddy proud.

*Plans? What are plans? Barrett has taught his "check-list mother" that some things just have to wait...or be forgotten. I still use my planner to keep some semblance of my week, but many days have seen to-do lists go untouched while Barrett decided to be held all day or forgo any naps. My life is much more rich when filled with random cuddles or a walk through the park instead of sticking to the book.

*I would trade any night on the town to hear my baby laugh. My life of freedom before Barrett seems so very small compared to the days I spend now as I watch the little person I created grow and explore the world around him. I will tirelessly make funny faces and sounds to get some sort of giggle out of my baby Bear. If I had dignity before, it has long since left the building!

*I admit that it's true what they say-once the baby comes along, your dogs become just dogs. Poor Maggie & Tex. Their cushy life of mornings in our bed, trips out to the lake, and wrestling time on the floor is a thing of the past.

*I can take the same picture of Barrett fifty times and still squeal in delight over each one. And you'd better look with me as if each were better than the last. After all, my baby is the cutest thing anyone has laid eyes on in the history of the world. Period.

*I am the mommy I was always terrified of becoming. I'm obsessed with my kid, I will resist food and sleep to cuddle him, I will tell you repeatedly about his latest developments, and my Facebook pictures are mostly close-ups of a baby. I am that mom. And I absolutely love and devour every minute.