heartburn, hair loss and ear plugs

i don't believe you are ever fully prepared for motherhood. 

no matter how many "what to expect" and "baby on the block" books you 

read, nothing really gives you an understanding of what being a momma 

entails except the experience itself. 

my girlfriends and i often joke about writing a book on the truth of pregnancy, 

labor and motherhood but the reality is there are tons of those books out, and tons

of people willing to share their personal experiences with you before you deliver . . . 

. . . the problem is pregnant women can't hear. 

i'm serious. something happens to our brains. we enter this baby la-la land mode

 and all we think about is our sweet little babe and holding it and feeding it and cooing at it.  

well here are some things i wish i had "heard" from fellow moms, books and magazines. 

the poo poo list:

 -heartburn is from the devil himself. straight from h-e-double-hockey-sticks. 

-you will sweat like a banshee, even when the weather is 10 below zero.

-after you give birth 50% of your luscious pregnancy hair will fall out. straight into the drain.

-breastfeeding is the equivalent of dying 1,000 deaths. {ok not for all, but for me it was.}

-going #2 for the first time after delivering is scarier then delivering. for realz!

-get used to crying. and crying. and crying. 

-you will never truly sleep again. 

-you may have days where you say "can i send her back to the hospital for a couple months?"

{of course you don't really mean that, it's just your raging hormones talking.} 

-get yourself a pair of ear plugs. seriously just do it. 

the uhhhmazingly good list:

-your heart will literally burst with love 1,000 times every day.

-staring at your precious babes tiny toes, nose, and mouth 

will move you to tears {of joy}.

-you will suddenly feel completely complete. 

-every coo, squeak, and sigh will be the best noise you've ever heard.

-spontaneous hugs and kisses never, ever, ever get old. ever.

-you will truly grasp what unconditional love is.

-watching them learn and discover new things will excite you more then it does them.

-you will finally understand and have a deeper love for your own parents. hello!

-every day of heartburn, nausea, vomiting, the contractions, the pushing

and every other struggle you might face, it's all worth it. 100% worth it.

{all photos c/o brightside photography}

i'm so glad i'm a mother to my sweet paisley grace. 

and just so we're clear, the good list majorly out weighs the poo poo list. ; )

anything you mommas would add to those lists?! 

xo