Everyone encouraged me to enjoy every second with my baby and advised that time would fly by quickly. I unplugged and disconnected from the digital world as much as possible, I enjoyed spending time cuddling with my baby boy, Lucas Emet Pick.  We’ve done so much in the past three months, it’s hard to believe.  Not only did we welcome Lucas into the world, but we packed up & sold our co-op in NY and moved into our new house in NJ and settled in with a newborn.  I can’t believe how quickly three months have passed, my maternity leave has come and gone, and I’m heading back to work in the Big Apple tomorrow.  On the eve of my final day at home, I wanted to reflect upon my three month hiatus and share five thoughts.

1) You’ll be amazed at what your body can do.  I’ve always been someone who needed extra sleep to function, so before Lucas I was anxious about how I would react to the sleep deprivation that comes along with being a new parent.  It’s amazing at how little sleep you need to actually function and how quickly your body adjusts.  In the early stages of feeding Lucas, every few hours I would always hold him tight and get a chill of the excitement that I would be able to sooth my child and give him what he needs.  Even during his early growth spurts he would flash a smile that would make my heart melt. It is all worth it.

2) It’s okay to cry, a LOT! Right after birth, the nurse laid Lucas on me, I couldn’t stop crying.  I was waterworks central the first two weeks, but my hormones adjusted.  I remember our first “long” car ride from Long Island to New Jersey for Lucas’ bris, sitting in the back seat of the car next to his car seat sobbing for no reason.  It was the first time I had to get myself dressed, packed, and get him organized and out for a few days, and it totally wiped me out.  Over time I developed a rhythm, and doing things became much easier, just as my mother said they would.  Sometimes I cry just because, and guess what, It’s okay!

3) You can’t imagine the love you will feel as a parent until you actually become one.  Okay this sounds silly and cliche, but it’s really true.  I didn’t expect to feel a bond with Lucas so quickly, but the second the nurse handed him to me, it made my heart melt into a pile of mommy mush, and to this day, I fall more in love with him every second of every day.

4) Enjoy the Experience. The past three months have been the most exciting three months of my entire life.  I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Lucas and I’ve fallen more in love with my husband seeing him as a father.  We’ve tried to soak up every moment together as a family and I’ve never felt so grateful to be surrounded by so much love.

5) The best advice I would like to give any new parent is to ignore everyones advice.  Every family member and friend seemed to have advice or thoughts that they loved to share, all of which we appreciated. However, there’s no parenting guide that is a one size fits all model.  In the end you have to adapt to what works best for you, and ignore everyone else.