Today marks the day I’ve been a mommy for 3 years. Three! Whole! Years!

I plan to write a whole post about Lewis, but after this crazy week, I don’t have it in me at the moment. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, I’d like to share some things I have learned in my time as a mother. I’ve been compiling the list for a while, and I’m sure as the years continue to pass, it will only get longer.

These little people of ours, we are supposed to be teaching them, but boy do they have a lot to teach us, too!

Without further ado, the list!

1. At the end of the day, all that matters is that everyone has full bellies and beating hearts. If they do, it was a good day.
2. Parenting doesn’t get easier, you get more confident – you have gotten through hard things before, so you know you can get through this, too.
3. They will sleep eventually
4. Everything seems harder/scarier before you do it, and you’ll usually end up wondering what you were so worried about.
5. Sometimes your attitude will be worse than your kids’.
6. Ask for help before you burn out. It’s a lot easier to prevent a burn out than to recover from one.
7. You know your child better than anybody. Trust your instincts, but be patient with yourself in the beginning – It takes time to get to know your baby.
8. If you are worrying whether you’re a good mom or not, it probably means you are.
9. Everyone rides the Struggle Bus, they just buy their tickets using different currencies.
10. Fair doesn’t always mean equal.
11. You can do a lot more on a lot less sleep than you think.
12. You can put the baby down.
13. Take the infant/children CPR/choking class. You will need it.
14. Enjoying every moment is impossible. It’s something old grandmas made up because they forgot what it’s really like. (But those beautiful moments? Those will power you through a lot. Cherish those moments!)
15. No matter what the day held, you will miss your babies when they go to bed.

I have treasured these last three years as a mommy. I have grown and changed and learned through all the challenges and joys – and wow, were there a lot of both!

I feel lucky – Lucky to have gotten the two kids I got, lucky to get to be their mom, and, well… just lucky all around.

Happy birthday, Lewis!