It only seems like yesterday that we were FINALLY bringing Erin home from the hospital and really starting our life as a family of 3. Erin is 3 in just a couple of months and it’s coming around a lot quicker than I’m happy with. Becoming a parent has definitely been a learning curve and I have learned so much, not just since Erin was born but from the minute I found out I was pregnant.
Newborns are easy
I wish someone had told me that even with the issues I had to start with, the newborn time was really the easiest. Toddlers are something else altogether and as soon as children become mobile, it’s game over. No more peeing on your own, no more eating on your own and definitely no more personal space of any kind.
I spent my maternity leave laid on the couch with Erin while I watch Criminal Minds and I could put her down whenever I wanted to. Now, Erin treats me like a climbing frame, tries to inspect parts of me I wish she wouldn’t when she’s playing doctor and gives me way more sass than she should be able to.
Crying, sleepy newborns were much easier!
Patience
I’m really not the most patient of people. If I want something, or I want to do something, I want to do it there and then and waiting is just not for me. However, experiencing Erin in her terrible two’s stage really tested me and my patience. I’m actually a lot more patient than I thought I was, for the most part.
I definitely had my moments though and I broke down more than once. That was more a few bad days at a time coming one after another and it all building up but I’ve now found ways to cope and keep myself calm. Telling myself over and over again that Erin is a toddler and probably can’t express what she’s feeling so I have to be the one to help her and calm her down when she’s having a meltdown.
Erin is a mini me
I have certain personality traits that I have most definitely passed on to Erin. She has my fiery, stubborn and bossy streak and sometimes that can make her really hard work, especially when she gets something into her head.
No one has to tell me that the way I feel about how Erin is sometimes is probably how my Mum felt about me. Erin might only be 2 but she already has days where I don’t know what to do with her because she’s just so stubborn. I can only imagine what she’s going to be like as a teenager and what me and John have in store.
Mornings are not for me
It’s safe to say that becoming a parent only confirmed that I am not a morning person. I have been very lucky though as for the first 2 years of Erin’s life, I never really had to wake up early at all.
Due to me being so ill after Erin was born and having had 2 surgeries, I was on strict orders to rest when we got home from the hospital. At this point, we had already moved to bottle feeding as I wasn’t able to breastfeed so John took care of ALL of the night feeds and I didn’t get up once. That carried on for as long as Erin was having bottles and John was the absolute best about it. With him working so much in the day he was happy to have any time with Erin and I think their time together in the middle of the night was quite special.
Even with the night feeds, John also always got up early with Erin if that’s when she woke up. We never had to be anywhere earlier than 9am so John always just woke me up about 15 minutes before he went to work. I know how lucky I and even now I only get up at 6:15 on nursery days so I can have a bath in peace.
If I do have to get up early for anything other than nursery I am so grumpy. I am very thankful for John being much more of a morning person than I am.
Obviously, I have learned a lot more since becoming a parent, as I’m sure most of us have. I’d love to know one thing that you have learned; let me know in the comments!