Lessons Learned

My maternity leave officially ends in four days and I'm reflecting upon all that I have learned these last three months. It's amazing to think that I was pregnant only 12 weeks ago and didn't know much about babies. Since Tommy was born I learned the following:

• How to nurse a newborn and stick with it in spite of many times that I wanted to give up because I was exhausted or sore
• How to tie a Moby Wrap on in a matter of seconds and calm my baby down in minutes by wearing him close to my heart
• How to cut the smallest of fingernails 
• How to bathe a newborn in spite of the fact that he was screaming through it for almost two months
• How to soothe a baby to sleep
• How to build up a frozen breast milk supply albeit a small supply 
• I've learned about the various vaccines and have made decisions to delay or decline certain ones
• How to successfully deal with a stubborn diaper rash
• How to operate on less than five hours of sleep some nights
• How to care for a sick baby while fighting a cold myself

Some days were harder than others and I feel like a different person in these short 12 weeks. I'm extremely grateful for my baby boy and all the blessings that have come with him such as loving grandparents and the renewed closeness of friends and family. As I go back to work I will continue to learn about the wonders of motherhood and I hope I never take it for granted or complain.

To my close friends and family - Thank you all for your love and support these last few months. I couldn't have done it without you. I look forward to seeing my boy grow up and I hope that he will know each one of you in a very special way.