Babies, huh? These Baby come along, turn everything on its head, and give you a whole new set of rules. The manual is missing. You’ll see a lot diapers and cries. And the biggest smiles.

We’ll talk about the sleep we get – or don’t. Do you remember the days where you could watch your favorite show until 2AM and then not have to worry about someone calling out an hour later with their crying? Yes, those are gone. You’ll spend your evenings learning to keep walking while still half-asleep in order to calm down a screaming baby. You think they’re asleep, and just as you are about to fall into bed, a surprise happens. Surprise! They are up and about again.

The time you spend feeding your baby is similar to a cooking program where Gordon Ramsay is yelling and screaming. However, instead of Gordon Ramsay, it’s just a child that is hungry, who does not care whether you mix formula or find the right nipple-shield. Then, just as you get it figured out they turn around and hate the carrots. Great.

Don’t forget to do diaper duty. This is like a unpredictable timer defusing bombs. The timer is unpredictable, so you never know when or what it will do. You can trust that it’ll explode after you put on your fresh diaper, cleaned up the mess and re-applied it.

The chaos of having a new baby can also be filled with incredible moments. You’ll remember that moment when your baby smiles for the first time, and it is not because they are gassy. It’s also funny to hear your child laugh at the first silly thing you say (who knew that peek-a boo is so funny?) This is the gold in the parenting mine.

Baby’s also possess this ability to unite people. You may have noticed strangers suddenly becoming friendly at the store when your baby is present. It’s amazing how babies can warm even the coldest of hearts.

We learn so many other things from them, too. Like patience (lots and lots of it), unconditional love (the kind that is deepest), and the joys of life.

It’s true that trading your stilettos for sneakers to avoid a disaster of chasing a toddler around in them was not in the plan. It was also not your plan to say goodbye spontaneous weekend vacations.

Here’s what you need to know: all the “oops” moments with food splattering across the floor, the 3AM wake-up calls, the burp cloth catastrophes, are part of parenthood. Believe it or not these moments go by quicker than you might think.

We are on this journey, which is messy but beautiful. We laugh at our tiredness and celebrate each small victory. Before we know it our children will run their own show.

But remember, every adventure starts with you stepping outside your comfort zone. Every great adventure begins with you stepping out your comfort zones – in this case clicking them.