It was pointed out to me that the last couple of my posts have been in the vein of "OHMYGODIAMAMOM!!!!!!!!!!!" Can't argue with that, now can I? Yes, things have been hard lately. Mark is working WAY too much, I'm dealing with my own issues and Lily has two teeth coming in at once. And with the arrival of spring in our land, Lily and I are rubbing our noses and eyes and hoping that our heads don't explode.

Despite all this, life is good. Mark and I have this amazing daughter. We have an amazing marriage. We have an amazing home. Our trouble is that there is too much work, not too little, so at least we're not unemployed. We have this neat dog and kitty and not one, not two, but THREE working vehicles. Our fridge is full (as are our tummies). So you see, all the rest is just inconveniences. What's that old line: If your house is burning down or you have cancer, you have a problem; everything else is just an inconvenience.

So here it is, folks, in no particular order:
10 things I didn't know before I had my daughter:

1. Baby poop smells like hot cheerios.
2. Everything can be called "dadada", the cat, the couch, the remote control; it's all just "dadada."
3. A candle-lit bath with bubbles and soft music is nice, but a bath with a squirming ten-month-old who splashes and yells joyously at her toys is MUCH MUCH better.
4. Car rides are more fun with conversations like this: "Ah!" and then "AH AH!" and then "AH HA!" and so on and so forth until you're both giggling.
5. Babies never move so quickly as when they are headed somewhere they know is off limits or will cause them harm.
6. There is no end to snot. It flows like the river and is as endless as the sea.
7. I can do anything and so can my daughter.
8. Time speeds up as you get older, but MY GOD does it fly when you're rearing a child. Didn't I just give birth yesterday?
9. There is nothing in the world more beautiful than a man snuggled up in an oversized chair with his infant sleeping peacefully in his arms.
10. Just like snot, there is no end to love. It fills my heart, my soul, my being; it spills out from my fingertips and toes; it moves through me with such power and presence that it feels like drowning... you just can't breathe without taking more of it in.

So yes, OHMYGODIAMAMOM!!!!!!!!!!!
And yes, oh my sweet wonderful God, I am so lucky, blessed and honored to be a mom.