Hey, where's the cream filling?

I thought starting a blog last year, when I was set to be a mom soon, was smart because I would have infinitely more free time at home then I did when I worked full-time as a teacher. (Moms, stop laughing...read on...) I was excited to finally encounter the "cream filling" of my life and begin doing what I've looked forward to the most since I was a young girl! Little did I know....

Well, it's become partly true. I DO have more time at home, but it isn't free. It's filled each day with tasks, lists, and errands. Puke, diapers, bottles. Yes, I have made it a habit, during her afternoon nap, to allow myself to put my feet up and read, watch TV, facebook (yes, it's a verb!), or call a friend. But I just don't have nearly the amount of unaccounted-for time that I thought I'd have when I envisioned my new job of Mommy.

This is just one of the many discoveries I've made in the journey of parenting--just one of the chapters in the (hypothetical) journal of "Parenting: Fact vs. Fiction". A story of the many expectations a woman has before she actually becomes a mom. The following are some other possible entries (that I feel vulnerable enough to admit) that other moms may be able to relate to:

• Nursing isn't glamorous.
• I can't always make my baby do what I want her to, when I want her to, how I want her to...no matter how many books I read about it.
• Being pregnant and nursing didn't instantly take away all my cravings for less-nutritious foods, simply because I didn't want to possibly "harm" her.  Good intentions; demanding taste buds
• I just simply can't go and do everything I did before birth-day, no matter how well adjusted my baby is or how much I put my mind to it. 
• Nursing doesn't make losing the baby weight effortless.
• Even at 3 weeks old, my baby can do no wrong. "Not my baby" is a constant thought, no matter how ridiculous I know that is. 

Everyday I'm faced with reality. Being a mom is--mostly--nothing like I expected.  Somedays, it's way better. Others, way different. Rarely, way worse. But never easy, never mundane, and never boring. 

So, where's the cream filling, you ask?  It's in my squishy-cheeked Bria Belle!