The lives of babies are made up of milestones. The first time they laugh. The first time they sleep through the night. That first dreaded tooth… We celebrate the milestones of our children as a way to measure the way they grow before our eyes. But as my daughter is turning 6 months old this week, I am not only proud of her accomplishments and astonished as she is starting to explore the prospect of crawling; I am counting my own milestones.
Here are a few of my favorite parental milestones:
-The first time SHE slept through the night.
-The first time I slept through the night.
-The first time I said “oh well” because her pacifier fell on the floor.
-The first time I yelled and felt like I was unraveling from the inside out and then realized, I made it. I am a part of this crazy sisterhood called being a mother.
-The first time my baby had a fever and I handled it like a champ.
-The first time I ventured out to Target just to walk around. Those knowing looks from other moms as we silently saluted each other across the aisle with a simple nod. We’ve got this momma’s.
-And the first time I was judged in public by someone because my baby was being bottle fed. Then having that guilt washed away by knowing that my prematurely born baby is thriving despite being a formula fed and that woman doesn’t know my whole story.
Motherhood is hard. I have learned more about myself in these past sleepless 6 months, than in all my other 30 years. Seeing milestones for what they truly are, amazing moments for the parent as much as the child, is vital to parental sanity. So here’s to celebrating that first solid food. Raise your bottles or breast pumps to that first true blow out diaper- you survived! And here’s to all the moms and dads out there, taking a few slow breaths to regain your sanity while your child screams for no known earthly reason whatsoever. You have earned this milestone and you’ll earn so many more. Keep going because baby, you’ve got this.
(Happy half-birthday to my baby, Harper. Keep on screaming. Keep on teething. Keep on giving mommy and daddy milestones to check off. You are the biggest milestone of our lives baby.)
