If I had only known....

Famous last words right? When you are pregnant and then when you are a new mom you get tons of unsolicited advice. Some of it helpful, most of it not so much. Over the course of the last couple days due to Tatum turning one I am guessing, people have asked me if I would do anything different and what did I learn over the last year. I was also asked what my best piece of advice was so I figured since more than just one person might be wondering I would share with everyone.
My best piece of advice came from Amanda Roe. I was talking with her about my issues with Tatum not sleeping through the night. She was telling me that it was ok to let her cry. I wasnt really buying it. I felt too bad letting her cry in her bed all alone. I was sure she would hate me and she would not form a secure attachment with me. Amanda said, She will still love you in the morning, even if you let her cry at night. I cant tell you how many times I repeated that to myself while she was in her room crying. I still use that today. Tatum still isnt sleeping through the night but Amanda was right, on the rare occasion that I do let her cry it out, she still loves me in the morning. Thanks Amanda.
What would I do different? Not a whole lot. I really think part of parenting is making mistakes and learning from them. I would definitely let Josh help more at night. I would definitely not put my next baby to bed in a onesie. I was so afraid of Tatum getting overheated since it was summer and suffering from SIDS that I put the poor kid to bed in a onesie. No wonder she would only sleep on me....she was freezing. Live and learn right?
I have learned some things after becoming a mom though that I know I will take with me down the road. After becoming a mom you learn lots of things and still wonder about even more. You realize the value of sleep. You learn what real exhaustion is. You learn what unconditional love TRULY feels like. You learn who your REAL friends are. You learn to ask for help. You realize that it really does take a village. You still wonder how such a little thing can create so much laundry. You wonder how you manage to function on such small amounts of rest. You have to learn to still be yourself but just a different version of who you were. You learn that relationships take more work than they used to. You learn to eat dinner at 5:00 if you want to enjoy it. You learn that you have to be able to have time to yourself. You learn to let the little things excite you. You learn how important family is. You realize that if anyone ever hurt that baby you could be capable of hurting someone. You learn that you do what is right for you, not for everyone else but for you and your family. Most of all you realize that you now have to be a role model. You now have to be the best version of yourself. It is strange to learn all these things. Its an amazing feeling being a mom. I know I will never have it all figured out but I sure am willing to try to at least get some of it figured out. I will make mistakes and thats ok. I am just hoping that I raise a happy, healthy and loving child. Isnt that all I can really ask for? Anything else is just a bonus.