Daily Life

I have said this before and I will say it again...
When the baby comes your life is going to change forever!  This isn't a bad thing.  I can't help but think of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" when the Grinch's heart "grew three sizes that day".  This is truly what parenthood feels like.  In fact I remember posting on Facebook just two days after bringing my baby home "I didn't think my heart could grow this big".  I posted this during the first of three regular nightly feedings, sleep deprived and exhausted.  Regardless of how difficult it can be to get yourself out of bed in the middle of the night, you get to awaken to that sweet little being that you brought into this world and there is nothing better than that face.
With that said, I want to discuss some of the difficulties that come along with a baby in your day to day life.  Some of this I have already covered in previous posts, but I want to talk about it again and hopefully offer some advice to help make things run a little more smoothly.
Before I dive into the issues I want to stress the importance of taking everything day by day.  There will be many trials and miraculous events every day and if you can't learn to breath through them you're going to have a very difficult time.  I had worked in child care for 5 years and at a charter school for 3 years before I had my daughter.  My experience in child care was with infants and toddlers and I knew every trick in the book for soothing a fussy baby, putting babies to sleep, helping babies learn etc.  But, my daughter didn't like any of it.  It wasn't until a very dear friend of mine told me that her daughter was the same way and she just had to let go of everything she had ever known about babies and focus on her baby, that I realized maybe I was just putting too much pressure on myself. 
That brings me to my next point, priorities.  Just as you think you have it all figured out your little one is going to throw you a curve ball.  Instead of doing all those things you thought you were going to have time to do that day you find yourself trying to calm a crying baby that suddenly doesn't like to be swaddled and bounced anymore.  So prioritize your daily tasks.  Obviously, the baby takes first priority, but if you're like me, it's difficult to relax when the house is a disaster.  So I made cleaning my third priority and my personal hygiene my second priority (let's face it, no one likes a stinky mother).  If the house was a mess but I hadn't showered in two days and it's noon and I haven't had time to brush my teeth and the baby is happy or sleeping, I would hop in the shower and brush my teeth.  Then, if she was still happy, I would clean.  If I didn't get to it before my husband got home I would ask him if he would prefer to take the baby or pick up the house.  There were some days that didn't have time to shower.  He didn't have a choice on those days, and I don't think he minded me showering so much.
The next thing that needs to be addressed is teamwork.  You and your baby daddy are in this together.  Make time in your day for both yourself and to discuss the day and how you can help each other more the next day.  Remember that it is going to change a lot, so don't afraid to ask for help and to change the plan.  Talk about what needs to be done the next day and give each other tasks.  Don't put too much pressure on yourselves either, and if the list doesn't get done but you have a happy baby on your hands, pat yourself on the back because you're a great parent!  Taking just 10-15 a night to talk about any problems you had that day, what is happening tomorrow and how you can fix it/make it easier really isn't difficult and it will help you breath a little.
To Be Continued...