20 Weeks Old!

I have switched to celebrating her age by months not weeks, but 20 sounds like a big milestone so I thought I'd commemorate it today by reflecting on a few of the more subtle ways our lives have changed. I guess it's sort of "you know you're a mommy..." type post.

1. When saying your husband's first name sounds funny because 99% of the time you now refer to him as "Daddy"
2. Ditto goes for hearing your own first name. (I am usually referred to as Dr. Kennedy at work and Mommy at home.)
3. When you go to bed at 7:30pm in the hope that maybe that is early enough to get 8 hours of sleep total before 5:45am when it's time to get up for work.
4. When you look in the rearview mirror and feel sad that the car seat is empty even though when the baby is in it she often cries.
5. When you can't recall the last time you pushed a shopping cart with two hands. (Today I was pushing a stroller with one hand and holding two large pizzas in the other hand, LOL).
6. When songs like "Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow" run through your head at various moments in the day.
7. When it feels strange to sit in church without a baby sleeping on your shoulder.
8. When you stop toasting your bagel for breakfast and start eating it cold every morning because toasting a bagel means baby will be screaming while she waits to be nursed.
9. When you refer to yourself in the third person all the time (Mommy).
10. When you get up in the night multiple times no matter what - either to nurse a crying baby or to check on a quietly sleeping one to make sure she's okay.
11. When you check the clock a million times a day to calculate how long baby has slept (for a nap or at night) and when is the next time to try to get her down for the next nap.
12. When you try to accomplish as much as is humanly possible in that precious 45 minutes while she naps.
13. When a smile or laughter or sweet cooing sounds from a baby just make your day.
14. When it becomes hard to go to sleep at night even though you're really tired just because your mind is going a million miles an hour.
15. When you are no longer able to sit down and read a novel because again your mind is going a million miles an hour with all you need to accomplish. (I haven't read a book in 3 months which is sooo rare for me, and I tried to read at Walmart while waiting for my oil change and just found I couldn't do it). I guess it's "Mommy brain" syndrome, LOL!
16. When you are constantly celebrating "firsts" like the first time pushing your daughter in a stroller and are also constantly looking forward to other firsts like the first time she'll taste a certain food.
17. When you take on average about 30 pictures a day (thank goodness for digital cameras!).
18. When you switch to referring to your parents as "Grandma" and "Grandpa" instead of "Mom" and "Dad" and your sisters as "Aunt" etc.
19. When you find yourself making up little songs all the time.
20. When the book you find yourself reading every day features an elephant named "Trumpety Humpety."

Mommy loves you, Nadia! I am sooooooooo grateful to have been a Mommy these past 20 weeks, and I look forward to many more weeks, months, and years as her Mommy in the future!