Parenting: The good the bad and the ugly

The good would be about 90% of it. Some of the good being how beautiful she is to look at of course. The adorable "jukey" sneeze she does after sneezing twice. When we stare in each others eyes. When she falls asleep when Im breastfeeding her. The cuddling when we sleep at night. Watching her gain weight, grow and get chunky :) Her smiles in her sleep. EVERY adorable expression she makes. The overwhelming feeling that i was created to assist God in bringing this beautiful being into the world... Its just wow. So being that she is two weeks old that pretty much sums up our good parts of our day right now because her development is so limited right now.

The bad is when she cries, but not just any cries, her screaming cry. It BREAKS my heart. When its not your kid its just plain annoying and you can simply walk away. When its your child YOU are the one who has to fix it and when you cant fix it right away it just makes you feel bad which is not a good feeling as a parent. More of the bad is the sleep deprivation. Its difficult being the best parent you can be in the night when you are just so darn tired and grumpy. More of the bad is the constant worry, however I am learning to let go and let God. In the beginning I kept waking up to check her breathing which isn't something you should feel you have to do. Now that I co-sleep with her I feel safe that she is next to me and can hear her soft breathing throughout the night. So in the end screaming cries+feeling like you failed+sleep deprivation+worry=Just needing to be mature. Thats really all it is. You need to put your big girl AND big boy pants (dad) on because at the end of the day, literally it is only 8% of the parenting experience. In MY opinion of course.

The ugly well that would be those adorable diapers :) lol. She even pooped (sprayed) all over my hand. I literally had to catch the spray in my hand so it wouldn't get on the floor lol. Also breastfeeding started out ugly for us. Were talking the biggest beating to your poor, already sensitive from pregnancy, nipples you could imagine!! Ouch is all I can say but were good now and its one of my favorite things about parenting now. The fact I can provide all the nourishment she needs and that it is the best she can get just leaves me at peace.

So to sum it up; the day consists of 90% good, 8% bad and 2% ugly. Again all my opinion as I am blessed with a healthy happy baby for the most part. You just really have to be ready for this, and although I think nobody is really ready until it happens to you; I do recommend living as much life as possible before you have kids. I know I'm only 23 but I do feel I have lived a lot of life. I completed the basics with graduating high school and went to college and completed my field of study that I chose at that time in my life. Ive traveled to Thailand, Jamaica and visited fun places here in the US. I married the love of my life, and high school sweetheart. I have partied, a little too hard at times ;). Had the most awesome 21st birthday (week) a girl could have. Ive wine tasted in wine country. Left our home town and moved to a new county. Managed an awesome little coffee shop. Worked in a world famous gorgeous sycamore springs spa. This is to name a few things in my past, some im proud of some not so much..lol. None of it compares to this year though... Becoming pregnant for the second time, getting closer to God and then giving birth to my daughter!! Everything i have done has led up to this.

Some of my friends have had children very young and have done an awesome job. I myself can't say with certainty that if i hadn't gotten some good life experience behind me that I would have been able to truly settle down and enjoy this time. But people make it work and adjust everyday at any age. I guess what I'm trying to say to those of you who don't have children yet, get to a place in life that you are really ready for this amazing responsibility. Get your selfish wants, needs and experiences done and behind you. Go nuts with whatever!! I feel this will allow you to become the selfless parent we are destined to be. Lets face it, when they come into the world it is ALL about them and no more "me" :)

And us parents need to remember, its not over, It's the beginning!! We have to put some things on hold while they are so small but they will get to an age where we need to expose them with TONS of memories and experiences. Therefore more traveling down the line and getting back into hobbies and sports to name a few. I'm so excited for our future and cant wait to see what God has for us :)!!!