I recently reflected on some of my attitudes, statements and feelings during pregnancy and early motherhood, when I felt that I needed to work to maintain my sense of self and contribution to the family.

Here are some of the things I realized:

1) Everything changes. In one short year the way I describe success, happiness, financial security, family and more has changed.

2) Motherhood is a lot more rewarding / time intensive / hands on / demanding / satisfying than I anticipated. One Philly Son is currently fascinated with doors. Open. Close. For half an hour. And forks and spoons. He will smash a roll with a fork for 20 minutes given the opportunity. I see these now as learning experiences and I want to indulge his exploration of the world and the things that fascinate him. This takes time. Lots of time.

3) I enjoy motherhood more than I thought I would. And I've always wanted and loved children. But I was unprepared for the depth of it. For me, it truly has redefined me.

4) Time has become more valuable than money, and it is not unlimited.
At the end of my maternity leave I considered returning to work early. I was bored. 2 month old's don't do much more than eat, sleep, mess up a diaper, repeat. Now, when I am away from One Philly Son, I feel like I am missing something truly important.

5) When I was pregnant, I worked very hard (especially at work), so that I could convince everyone, even myself, that nothing would change. I couldn't have been more wrong. In the future, I would take even better care of myself and be less concerned with other's opinions of me.

6) A happy house and family are more important than a fancy or even a clean house.