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Permalink Reply by Christina Heafner Allred on June 9, 2012 at 10:18pm

So many things about being a mom surprised me.  I can't believe how much the human body can endure and accomplish on little to no sleep.  I can't believe that I would read Tom Clancy novels aloud to my daughters to put them to sleep (my voice calmed them, so I would read).  I can't believe that I would bribe my children.  I can't believe how fiercely I loved my kids before they were even born.

The biggest shock I have had since becoming a mom, however, is how often people you don't even know will tell you what you are doing wrong as a mom!  I had a man at Wal-Mart tell me that spanking my children was the only way I'd ever get my girls to stop crying all the time!  (I still can't figure out how spanking will prevent crying, but whatever.)  Terribly bad, unsolicited advice-- definitely my biggest surprise!

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Permalink Reply by Sonja Harmon on June 15, 2012 at 12:54pm

To be honest I'm not really too sure what I was expecting. I do know that I expected fully to have all boys! Having a girl never crossed my mind. So I suppose I thought I'd be at baseball games and playing with cars! ha! But I was blessed with a little girl and I couldn't imagine having it any other way. She surprises me every single day with her ability to pick up on things so fast! I also said before I was a mom that I would never think my child could do no wrong. Well I do think that even though I KNOW she can ;)

The biggest thing that shocked me though was the PPD. I've done a few posts about it on my blog. I don't think moms really think about PPD being a possibility for them.

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Permalink Reply by Ginger Jen on June 20, 2012 at 10:59pm

The PPD surprised me as well. I think I thought I'd be able to handle things better but it took almost a year to get on meds that helped and to gain my confidence. The thing everyone told me about was the overwhelming joy that I feel when he smiles at me and gives me a hug. The amount of love is almost indescribable. He's amazing.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Bliss on June 27, 2012 at 7:38am

PPD was no fun at all. I was a mess and didn't know how to ask for help, thought I was horrible as a mom and a person for the feelings I was having. Thankfully I know that's not true now. Now that I'm not having anymore children, that is. :)

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Permalink Reply by Amy Bliss on June 27, 2012 at 7:35am

Well, with the first one I was 19, so everything surprised me. I had no idea what I was doing! :)

With the second, I wasn't expecting the little cleft lip he had... he had surgery to repair it at three months. Never thought I'd have to go through that.

I also never knew exactly how far little boys could pee when you took off their diapers. Wow. And the ability to deal with every single nasty thing that comes out of a baby at both ends... as soon as I gave birth I just did it instead of being squeamish. Is that what you're talking about?

Good question. I think I may head over to my blog and write something about it.

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Permalink Reply by Christina Heafner Allred on June 27, 2012 at 3:32pm

It's so true that everything is a surprise!  No matter how much advice you get, or how much experience you have with babies, or how ready you think you are, it all goes flying out the window when the first baby arrives.  And each one is different from the others!  Thanks for sharing, Amy!

And you're right-- this might warrant a blogpost...hmmm.

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Permalink Reply by Sonja Harmon on June 27, 2012 at 3:47pm

Y'all can check out my post about dealing with PPD! It was such a relief to accept it and move forward to getting better.

http://www.runninginpearls.net/2011/07/dash-of-cray-cray-actually-t...

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Permalink Reply by Tiffany Noth on June 30, 2012 at 8:15am

The fact that I am not that perfect mother I had so often thought I would be.  :-/

I'm more exhausted than I thought I would ever be - and wow, my kids have a mind of their own! ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Susie Homemaker-mom on June 30, 2012 at 1:07pm

What surprised me the most was I was a very young & silly mom. I had my son young and actually he was awesome. I thought 5 years later when I had dd she would be exact same as him... I DID not know any better and learned fast that each kid is different as a baby! 

LOL

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Permalink Reply by Kesha Chisholm on July 3, 2012 at 7:43pm

No one ever told me that once your kid hits toddlerhood that it's all you can do to make sure they survive each day without any bumps, bruises, or obstructed airways - All the while making sure they stay fully clothed, and completely fed. You feel like a maniac by the end of a day with all of the circles they run you in.

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