Being a mom is fun! And hard! And exhausting! It's a full time job. It's a huge life change. Here are 12 things I've learned so far. A million more lessons to come.

A lactation consultant is invaluable. A couple of days in, Ella had like no wet diapers. We paid my midwife/lactation consultant a visit and revised Ella’s tongue-tie and adjusted her latch. Problem solved! She’s now a chunky 13.4 lb doubled chinned little 12-week old :)
H&M sells organic baby clothes. We are trying to keep Ella in organic clothes as often as possible. We love Burt's Bees and Love'd Baby... but H&M sells some more stylish options at pretty affordable prices.
Baby wearing is a lifesaver!!! It allows you to have two useful hands and to even nurse while walking around. Plus Ella loves it. It keeps her warm and happy and is a perfect way to nap. But you can do too much of a good thing. I learned that…
It's okay to lay the baby down. I probably held/wore Ella for 9 weeks straight. Then I listened to Janet Lansbury's podcast, Respectful Parenting. It gave me permission to put Ella down. I learned that putting her down is essential for her development. It allows her to move and examine her environment at her own pace. As much as I love baby wearing, it's also nice to be baby-free for a few minutes each day.
Always pack extra clothes, diapers, and wipes. Yeah yeah I know this is obvious and everyone says this… but I learned the hard way multiple times. Ella seems to save her best blowouts for shopping trips and I’m just learning to be prepared. My next goal is to keep extra clothes for me in the car… because we know that blowout isn’t contained to Ella.
Plan to have no plan for your day. I can’t tell you how much this affects my happiness. On days that I had a to-do list, I was often soooo frustrated at the end of the day because I didn’t get anything done. But days that I had no plans for were the best. El and I had so much fun, I did a mini workout, and I got a lot done.
TV is captivating to everyone, including a newborn. One night I was trying to squeeze in just a 10-minute workout before bed. So my husband held Ella while he watched TV. El is pretty fussy at night and usually “nurses” from about 8 PM until bedtime. So she was super fussy with my husband… and then she wasn’t. I looked to see how my husband calmed her down… and she was staring straight at the TV. My husband moved her so she couldn’t see it and the crying resumed. Out of desperation, I said, “Whatever, just let her watch for 5 more minutes so I can finish my workout!” And she did and I did. I guess this is how it starts.
Cloth diapers suck. It pains me to say that and I’m going to try really hard to use them again. Buuut… I never remember to change her diaper frequently enough, so she’s had diaper rash for basically 12 weeks straight :(
My husband’s tank tops make fantastic nursing shirts. I pair them with a stretchy sports bra (or let’s be real, no bra if I’m at home). Then I pull the armpit hole over my boob, pull up my sports bra, and attach El who is in the baby carrier. Throw a jacket or cardigan on over the baby carrier and then no one will have any idea. We hiked all the way up to Castle Rock in Big Bear like this and no one was the wiser.
Family is amazing! For so many reasons. The meals! The hand-me-downs! The extra set of hands to hold her and faces to entertain her!
Being a mom is hard. It’s lonely, it’s exhausting, it feels unproductive… It was such a huge life change for me. I’ve told people they can keep her, I’ve refused to pick her up, I’ve complained, and I’ve wondered why I had a baby… but…
Being a mom is the best thing ever. It’s amazing! I love watching this beautiful baby that my husband and I created. I love every smile and sound and movement. I love watching her grow and change. I love nursing her and holding her. I love changing her clothes and changing her diapers. I don’t want her to grow so quickly and I can’t wait until she can walk and talk. I am so blessed to be Ella’s mom.

First time using the Pack n Play... While I worked out :)