It's The Little Things That Count

I was reminded by comments on a post by Circus Queen that, all too often, parenting blogs, discussions and coffee mornings focus on the challenges of parenting (for good reason, right? We all need to share, offload and gather advice) and sometimes we forget the good bits.

When I was pregnant as a first time mum I was constantly looking for reassurance that I was doing the right thing but I was inundated with people telling me how hard it is, how little sleep I'd get and all those other joys of  parenthood. Few and far between were those wonderful people who told me 'this will be the best experience of your life - enjoy it'.

So, for all you first-time-mums-to-be out there, this post is for you. Because, honestly, this is already the hardest thing I've ever done but in a few short weeks I have had my share of heart melting moments and here they are:

• When his little fingers find mine while he's feeding and hold them tight
• Going to wake him for a feed to find him fast asleep with his arms extended above his head
• The way the corners of his mouth turn down when he's upset which makes me want to cuddle him tight
• The way he goes floppy in my arms when he falls asleep
• The gorgeous little murmurs he makes when he's eating 
• The way his brow furrows and he whimpers when he gets hiccups
• How he lifts his head when I'm holding him to look me in the eyes and then his neck gets tired and his head slumps against my chest
• And my favourite...when he fell asleep in the midst of a group of screaming children and sucked his thumb for the first time:

As much as we all wish to get through the first few weeks while everyone is assuring you that it will get better, don't forget to treasure the heart-melting moments. What were yours?