Adjusting

In a sermon that I heard a few years ago, a pastor said that when a couple has a baby their lives shouldn't stop. They should continue with their commitments and not just hole themselves up while adjusting to their growing family. I've thought about this a lot lately, and how it's total poppycock.

I don't mean to complain, but motherhood is exhausting, especially breastfeeding. It's a lovely concept to be the only one who can feed a child, but in the middle of the night while my husband is sound asleep and I have to get up for an hour to feed Lily, it sucks.

I'm not really sure how life's responsibilities could be kept up with a tiny, new person added to the mix, and I'm certainly not equipped to continue on as I did before. My days are spent trying to nap when Lily naps, feeding her a lot, and lulling her to sleep. Occasionally, I fit in a phone call, do a load of laundry, have a meaningful conversation with Adam, or check my Facebook account, but it's rare. It's obvious to me that this pastor (a man, no less) didn't know what he was talking about.

It's not all bad -- it's just an adjustment. Suddenly, I'm mom. And I'm always mom, whether my baby sleeps or not, whether we go out or stay in, whether I have another set of hands in the house or I'm doing it by myself.

But the kid is cute, and it helps to see this every day.