things that surprised me about motherhood

I could write a 10 part series on pregnancy, labor, and motherhood (in fact - it's my favorite subject); but today I just jotted down a few of the things that stand out to me after being on this train for over a year now. Here are some of the things that surprised me about motherhood:

- you are stared at, oogled, and approached WAY more as a pregnant woman than as a mom with a cute baby. I still don't get this. The most random people would come up to me (especially at Target) and comment on or ask about my ever-enlarging stomach. People would stare as if they didn't understand procreation. Seriously, are there people out there that have never seen a pregnant woman? I fully expected the masses to come stare into my stroller once Beau was here (because obviously he's the cutest thing ever and everyone thinks so) but I've only had a handful of comments since he's been born. 

- your hair falls out. I had heard this and I thought it was just one of those things that only happens to some women and not me. A couple of months post-partum with no significant hair loss and I was all, "I got this". Cue the massive amounts of hair falling out at 3 months post-partum on the dot. And I mean massive. If I run my hand through my hair, I finish with a fistful of hair. I clean out my brushes on a daily basis and come up with a small animal-sized amount of hair. It's a running joke about where Mark finds my hair throughout his day. I'm starting to notice how thin my hair looks at the front and it's downright scary. I'm hoping this ends, and soon!

my face is in denial that I just lost 2 pounds of hair in the shower...

- your energy level is depleted. Just when I thought I was healing well and adjusting to life, I would go to Target for an hour and be downright exhausted at the end. I surprised myself at how stinkin' tired I would get doing ordinary things (like a grocery run) all the way up to 2 months after Beau was born. I'm still not 100% but I'm leaps and bounds past where I was. 

- everyone is different when it comes to pregnancy and labor. I feel like most women hate the first trimester the most but for me the third trimester was by far the worst. Some women have morning sickness, some get their punishment through indigestion. Some women labor in one hour, some take 24 or more. When my nurses were prepping me for 'practice' pushing, they told me that the average time a mother pushes is between 1-3 hours. I laughed to myself and thought it wouldn't take near that since my sister had both of her children within 30 minutes of pushing. The joke was on me, I realized, after the two hour mark of pushing...

the third trimester: when clothes attack

- the frequency of which you talk about poop increases tenfold. Poop is an everyday talking point and I'm always caught off guard with how normal it feels to bring it up in regular conversation. 

- you are surprised with how not a big deal spit up, poop, drool, pee, and snot is anymore. I used to hate being near my sister and her kids when they spit up because the smell just lingered and it was the grossest thing EVER. These days, I don't hesitate to put my hand out to catch fresh spit up or change a diaper as soon as it's soiled. It's weird. Don't get me wrong - it's still totally gross - it just isn't that big of a deal when it is your kid. 

- they grow SO fast. Everyone says it but it's TRUE, people. I can barely remember Beau when he was any smaller, much less the measly 9lbs 7oz he was when he was born. He is rocketing through clothes and shoes and swaddles and everything else. He is only four months old, but to me he seems so much older and bigger and different than he was when he was born. I'm prematurely mourning my baby growing up when technically, he's still a baby. Once they smile around the one month mark, the rest of it moves at lightning speed. Cherish it, mamas.