3 Months and Counting....

Welp, we survived! Peyton has had her first official graduation; she is no longer a newborn but rather an infant. Sometimes I wondered if we would make it through the {almost} sleepless nights or if she would survive our {possibly} sub-par parenting skills. But, alas, here we are, 3 months later and everyone is still kicking.

In the past 3 months I think I've learned more about myself as a person than in the last 3 years. Being a mama bear is a real thing. Should anyone dare-decide to criticize or speak poorly of my child, my husband, or my parenting abilities I will eat them alive. Now you might say, "Hey, crazy lady, that's a little over the top," but let me let you... If you spent almost a year of your life creating something that was initiated in love and respect with a co-conspirator and then some Joe-Schmo off the street told you that your masterpiece was really a piece of garbage, you would lose your mind too. {Also, my "masterpiece" is adorable and shares my DNA so I am allowed to get extra cranky}.

I've also learned that everyone has an opinion about how YOU should parent YOUR child. If I've learned anything {which I have, if you read the 2nd paragraph of this post you will remember} from the past 3 months it's that you have to do what works for you, your kid, and your family as a whole. So, hey, if I want to hold my baby while she cries instead of letting her "cry it out" {side note: Although this idea was introduced by Ferber, he never actually used the term "cry it out"} then I'm going to hold/rock/sing/bounce/sway to her all I want {and then I'm probably going to thank God that a) I'm not your kid and b) judge you}.

But, the most important lesson I've learned is to just laugh. If you're too serious you'll die. OK, fine, you probably won't die, but you won't have very much fun living because you'll be crying. A lot. Having a daughter {or child in general} makes you really realize that laughing is the only way to make it through the hard days. Sometimes your kid is going to cry all day and sometimes she's going to throw up on you right after you shower so you have to shower again, only to repeat the process like 3 more times. And you know what? That's cool and it's funny and even though it's been a short period of time, I can already look back and say, those were some good/crazy/memorable moments.

So, Happy 3 months to my little bear, the sweetest girl I know, my heart. Mommy loves you so much, Peyton. I can't wait to watch you grow!