What I Wish I Would Have Known 3 Years Ago

So Drake is officially 3 days into this 3 year-old gig. 3?!? Really?!? My newborn turned into a baby and then into a toddler and now into a little boy all in the blink of any eye.

Like, seriously I blinked and the curled-up little newborn was replaced by a handsome boy. Anyways, over the last few days I have been reflecting back over the past 3 years and was thinking about all the things I know now that I wish I would have known then.

This is what I came up with-

• This is just a phase Not sleeping through the night? A million tantrums a day? Not liking any food your put on his plate? All phases that will sooner or later come to an end. It can be so hard when you are in the middle of the phases to see the end, but just know there is an end.


• They just need love It is so very easy to think your baby/child needs the latest and greatest toys but I have found some of the best stuff is from a garage sale and they will think anything is fun as long as they are with you. Drake loves when we tell stories and play outside with him and Charlie just likes us to talk to him. All those things are free and best of all create priceless memories.


• They eat when they are hungry I spent way to much time worrying about how much Drake ate. Turns out that kids eat when they are hungry and don't eat when they are not, weird, huh? With Charlie I am not near the slave to the clock like I was with Drake. If he acts hungry I feed him, easy enough!


• Trust your instincts This is seriously the best gift you receive when you become a mother-a heightened sense of when something is wrong. If you think something is not right with your child, it probably isn't. This might sound strange but I swear I just know when my kids are getting sick or if they will be up that night. Instincts are there for a reason. Use them.


• Don't compare This is a hard one. Everyone wants their baby to be the 'best' and it is so hard not to compare your child to other children their age. Know that every child does things on his/her own schedule and that is perfectly OK.


• Vacuuming and laundry can wait


• Don't mourn what has passed but be grateful for what is to come I had such a hard time with Drake growing up. I was always sad that he was no longer a newborn/baby/toddler. I was actually almost sad when he started hitting milestones because that meant he was growing up. I want to slap myself for that now. Each and every stage is its own kind of awesome, so look back with fond memories and be excited of what is to come.

I have found this parenting gig to be 100,000 times easier this time around because I am just so much more relaxed.

I wish I would have known then what I know now...