What I've learned

That the best way to get Moses interested in an old toy is to put it in a bag destined for Goodwill.

That I'm really good at making excuses for not exercising, even though I have plenty of time for it and Moses loves being outside and in the stroller.

That some people are way more dog people than they are baby people. On a walk some people give all the love to Linus and they don't even notice Moses is there. I have learned it, but I will never understand it.

That it takes a lot more effort to keep a house clean when you're home living in it all day.

That, while I love hummus, we can never seem to finish a full container of it. So I've stopped buying it.

That when Moses sniffs it means he sees a flower, growls means lion or a bear, pinches his fingers together means a turtle, points to himself it means ketchup or yogurt, but most often it means he wants a cookie (he made these signs up himself, I have no explination), "deeez" means please, "dede" means baby, "dada" means duck, "nana", "nahnee", "nadee" and sometimes "da-DEEEEE" all mean daddy, and "mama" means he wants something.

That I'm better at learning kids' names than I am at learning their moms' names.

That date night is really important.

That I'm much better at being home alone all day than I thought I'd be (but that doesn't mean I don't want to talk Jeremy's ear off all evening).

That Moses can pleasantly surprise me in situations where I assume the worst will happen.

That I have infinitely more patience for my child than I have for my dog.

That the difference between the end of my day and the end of Jeremy's day is that I'm exhausted from being home all day and he's exhausted from being not home all day.

That childhood is a journey, not a race. (Ok, so I stole that off of a bumpersticker, but it's so true!)

That I will never understand it when a person ignores a baby that just said hi to them.

That even when Moses has a terrible day and doesn't want to be held, doesn't want to play, won't eat his dinner, does the thing I've told him not to do over and over again or is just plain cranky, still, after he's in bed, I think to myself "Aw, he's the best. I love him."

That I love the library.

That encouragement and positive reinforcement can go a long way with a kid.

That just because something worked for one mom doesn't mean it's going to work for me.

That things happen in life that suck, or are annoying, or can totally ruin my day, but that saying "oh well" and moving on can make the situation so much better than stewing over it and letting it stress me out.