Every day, at about 1:00pm, I load Lil W and his minkie {blanket} into the car and we go on a drive until he falls asleep for his nap.  Then I carefully remove him from his car seat and bring him inside.  Not following this routine results in no nap until about 5:00pm, which means he doesn’t go to bed until 11:00pm.  I’ve tried cutting out the nap all together, but that only resulted in the world’s most unhappy toddler {and Momma}.
No nap isn’t pretty.
And it certainly isn’t fun.
So while I’m not proud of this routine, Ben and I add this daily drive to our parenting list of what we like to call “Do What Works”. Â And then we tell ourselves “it will be different with the next baby because we’ll know better”…right?
It was on today’s nap drive that I saw an adorable couple taking an afternoon stroll.  They were both dressed in matching track suits strolling with their fingers intertwined.  Her 9 month pregnant belly gave her only the slightest waddle as they continued their brisk walk down the sidewalk and past my car.
It was clear this would be their first child.
And all I could think was: they have no idea how much their lives are about to change.
Sure people will tell them how hard it is to be a parent, and they will even believe them…but they won’t really know until they hear those first cries, and stress out about that first doctors appointment, and put their first diaper on backwards, and stay up all night analyzing the breathing of their new infant. They won’t really know until it happens.
People will tell them that they’ll never sleep again, and they’ll just politely chuckle while thinking to themselves “neh, that will never happen to us, because our child will sleep through the night–we’ve read all the parenting books.”
They’ll think that because they’ve read all the parenting books, they will be prepared for the first fever, the first tooth, the first gas pains, the first flu season, the first sleepless night, the first tantrum.
And then, people will also try to tell them that they could never imagine just how much they will love this baby, just how overwhelming and all-consuming this love will be.  And they’ll think that because of the tears that filled their eyes when they heard their baby’s heart beat for the first time…they’ll think they already know what that love feels like. And they will, but…
Little do they know that was only a taste of their love.
Little do they know that love will take on a whole new meaning.
Little do they know that they can love so much it hurts.
Like actual, physical pain.
And with that kind of love comes worry.
and hope.
and faith.
and compromise.
and sacrifice.
and purpose.
And then, when the birth of their little babe arrives, they’ll tell all their friends:
Why didn’t you ever tell me parenting would be like this?
And there friends will just chuckle and think to themselves…
We did tell you, but you had to see for yourself.
