Life's Changes...

Several weeks ago, Parents.com asked their Facebook fans about the ways their lives changed when they had their baby. I've always meant to post a blog about it, too, even though I've answered their question as well but I never really had the time to do so. 

Today, they finally posted those responses on their website called, "Readers Reveal: Surprising Ways Life Changes When You Become a Parent." I would like to echo some of their responses here and my own insights:

* A New Respect for Mom - it is true. When I became a mother, I have always wondered about how my mother (and my mother-in-law) did certain things that I took for granted as a kid. For example, I am not a big fan of going out for long hours with a baby. I sometimes wondered how my parents took us out as a whole family (of 7 kids) on Saturdays? We didn't have our own car so that's even harder, I guess?

* You See the Big Picture - I am both living in the present and for the future. Everything that my husband and I do right now as a couple has always been for our family both in the present time and in the future but it was magnified when we both became parents. The things that we do are for our small family no matter what those are - the things we teach them, the money we save for them, the relationship we build with them, and many more - they are all for the present time and also for the future.

* Baby Makes Your Day - I am a stay-home mom and even though I always see our son, it still ALWAYS makes my day whenever I see him laugh, smile, play, be silly, etc. I know it makes his dad's day even much better whenever he comes home from work. Sometimes I am having a tough time, and our son's little touch on my face with his round eyes right in front of mine (especially whenever he smiles his big smile) were enough to cheer me up.

* A New Timeline - this one I am not a big fan of. To be honest, this is one of the things I am not looking forward to when we have baby #2. I just don't like going out with a baby, or preparing to go somewhere and worrying about how I still have to do this or that before you can head out the door. With our first son, I didn't like how I was always worried that he would "starve to death" whenever we were out and about because he would NEVER take a bottle from me (or his daddy) and he wouldn't nurse with a nursing cover either unless we are hiding inside the car, the public restroom, or our bedroom. I always had to estimate what time we had to be out of the door and the time we have to get back before the world (at least my world) will come to an end. But you gotta do what you gotta do most of the time. I'm sure I will have another "timeline" once our baby is born.

* Personal Time - this entry from the website made me laugh. Anyway, it is true though. For the longest time, I couldn't go to the bathroom on my own without our little one following me around. It's gotten better now, though. Also, yes, I missed a lot of showers. I never thought that it's true - SHOWER is not a luxury mothers can have. If they ever have the time to shower, it needs to be really fast (unless they have somebody else watching their kiddos for them). I even stopped reading books for myself now, and was switched to reading Dr. Seuss or Thomas the Tank Engine.

* A New Perspective - one of my favorites. As an adult, there are many things I take for granted in life. Our little buddy is a good "reminder" for me to appreciate the simple things in life that I mostly take for granted. There was one afternoon when C saw a colony of ants "walking" on our wall. They were really tiny. Yet he saw them and was in ultimate AWE of them. He spent more than half an hour just watching them crawl and trying to get them to crawl on his arms (which he ended up smashing by accident). It was the cutest thing.

* Healthier Diet - yes, from the day we found out that I'm pregnant with our first, we became more conscious about what we eat. Sometimes I would sneak some ice cream here and there but most of the time, I obey my husband's "eat whole wheat bread instead of white" mindset. Now that our little one is a toddler, we still try to give him healthy meals and snacks. When I was single, I ate whatever I wanted to eat. Hahaha!

* Your Spouse is More Important - life changes when you have a baby, even your marriage. Whether it turns towards the bad side or the good side, it's up to the couple. My husband has always been more important to me even before we had our children. I always rely on him, as well. I love seeing him develop both as a husband first and then a father everyday.

* No Sleep, No Problem - I was really amazed how possible it can really be. For the first 2 months when our first child was born (I know I'm lucky), I was the one with the most "awake" hours than anybody else in our little family. But I was amazed how I could still go through the day no matter how much lack of sleep I had.

* Movie Makeover - besides what they said on the website that you watch the same movie "50 times a day," I would add that our Netflix queue (or whatever movie we watch) is filled up with animated cartoons. If we weren't watching anything from Netflix (say going out to the theaters), we always picked the one that was "child appropriate" even though we wanted to watch something else.

* Who's Looking After Mom - one of my least favorite is getting sick and there's nobody to take care of me but I still have to take care of our son, do chores, etc. I still had to get up no matter how badly I wanted to stay in bed.

* All About Baby - it sums it all. It's not just about me anymore. I don't care about myself anymore. Of course, my husband still comes first. But after him, it's all about our baby - our children. Everything I do everyday is for all of them... no matter how tired I was, or how bad my day is going. When I'm tired (especially now that I am 39 weeks pregnant), I push myself to keep moving, to try to keep playing and spending time with our little one, and preparing for our second baby. I watch everything I do and say, and at least try to do my best to be a good example to them (though I still have A LOT of room for improvement). It's amazing how much love parents can have for their children. I love them so much, it is overflowing inside me. It always makes me realize how wonderful it is to know that if I could love a child this much, our Heavenly Father loves us so much more - and it is such a good feeling to know that His love is more perfect than what I have.