Baby, oh BABY!

Tip of the Day: Sleep when the baby sleeps. And when she's awake, cherish every moment.



I’ve decided having a book published is a lot like having a baby.

You wait and wait for the little bundle of joy to arrive. Some days, you can hardly stand it, you want to see and hold her so badly. But there’s nothing you can do – when she arrives is totally out of your hands.

Once the baby is finally born, you are in awe of the cute little thing, and you want to show her off to the world. Birth announcements and pictures are sent via mail and the internet to anyone and everyone. "Look! She’s here! Isn’t she beautiful!" Well wishes come from far and wide. And it’s a joyful, joyful time.

A couple of weeks later, the flowers are dead, and the delicious food people brought is gone, replaced with peanut butter plopped on a piece of bread and a can of soup, if you can manage to open the can with one hand.

Reality sets in. Having a baby is hard work. There are sleepless nights. There is constant worrying. And there is the work, day in and day out, to help your baby grow into what you want her to be.

Constant questions swarm your brain - Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? Should I be doing more? What do others do?

Postpartum depression sets in. Once in awhile you look at the baby and think, what have I done? I have no idea what it takes to do this. I can’t do this!

Then, one day, you take the baby out. And someone stops you and says, “That baby is the CUTEST baby ever. Why, look at her smile! You sure did something right with that one.”

Your heart swells with pride. You look at her like you did the first time you saw her. And suddenly, it doesn’t matter that some babies are bigger than her or prettier than her or have their pictures in magazines because they’re so fabulous.

She is here, and she is yours. And it may well be a long road ahead, but in your heart you know, you’ll do the best you can and you promise yourself to remember that’s really all anyone expects you to do.

Yep.

It’s pretty much exactly like that.

~Lisa, Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed