As I sit to start writing this entry, my (almost) 8 week old is screaming and crying in the bathroom with his daddy, who is trying to help him get his frustration out (and also give me a little break). Being a new mom has been challenging to say the least, but ultimately so rewarding.

When Joe and I decided to start a family, we had no idea what we were getting into. Not that we regret the decision at all, but it was (is) so much harder than we thought it would be. We knew he would cry sometimes, but we didn't understand how frequently he would scream inconsolably. For a while, it was every night. It has become a little less frequent and a little more easily soothed, but it still happens. He requires so much more attention than I thought. I'm sure this is not news to anyone who has children.

For me, as a woman, having to deal with the hormonal side of having a newborn was tougher than I thought. I am normally pretty stable, so to feel so emotional was hard. In the first few weeks, there were so many times that I just cried. I felt inadequate as a mother and didn't know how I would ever live up to the task of instilling the qualities in this child that he'd need as an adult. I felt so empty at times. Praying and being held by Joe is what got me through. That and knowing that this phase would pass.

And now that he is almost eight weeks old, I still feel like this is a huge responsibility, but I know that Joe and I can do this. I feel like I know Jack better now, and he knows me too. I think that for a lot of women today, the idea of being a stay at home mom is so far from what they want to do, but I feel so fortunate. I was meant to be a wife and a mom and I am finally doing both.