Let me begin by saying that I LOVE maternity photo sessions! There is an unexplainable energy that gives you a certain "high" to be around. The mom is glowing. The dad is so proud. They are both so excited, maybe a little scared, but definitely looking forward to the unknown. There is so much love surrounding these two people and the little baby that they created through that love.

With that being said, I always wonder to myself, "I wonder if this beautiful couple is ready for reality?" The reality that everything is not as cute and cuddly as we often perceive it to be. That got me thinking about this blog post - advice for new parents that I wish I could tell them.

As I began working through Trevor and Jezebel's images from their maternity session, I could hear my small children in the background and I thought to myself, "Kids, just give me a few more minutes..." Thoughts like this prompted me to look up some one line pieces of advice for new parents and I stumbled upon an article that had some great - and extremely accurate - pieces of advice that I'd like to share.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. When people ask if your child sleeps through the night, just lie and say yes. It helps you avoid all that sleep advice. -Nancy

SO TRUE! I wish I would have known about this "trick" before I had children!

2. It’s okay to mourn your old life and think, “Dear God what have we done!” -Lindsey

Again, SO TRUE! I have thought this several times, although I have never vocalized it until now. There are times that I miss it just being in the bed by myself...without kids. I miss laying in the bed, snuggled up under the covers, eating all the chocolate my stomach could handle, and watching movies. Those quiet times are gone for now...not gone forever however. I love having kids crawl into the bed with me, but there are times I think I'd love to watch a movie without interruptions a little bit more. Which leads me to number three.

3. You’re not a bad mom if you don’t love every single stage of child-rearing. -Susan

There are parts of raising children that I do not enjoy. Potty training is a PERFECT example! And in the middle of the potty training stage, remember...

4. This too shall pass. -Bree

Even during those times of success, there will be setbacks. It's easy to become frustrated, but remember...this too shall pass. It is just one stage in the child's life. There are plenty of other stages that you will enjoy more than you ever imagined!

5. Ask yourself whether what you are upset about will be important in five years or even in five minutes. -Nancy

I try to remind myself of this often when something happens, such as spilling a 6 ounce bottle of expressed breastmilk! At that moment my world just ended as I knew it. Then the next thing happens and I don't even remember spilling that liquid gold. Learn to let the little things go and give it the "Test of Five" before you act on it.

And last, but not least....

6. You’ll never look back and wish you held your baby less. -Christine

Never believe any of those comments about spoiling your baby by holding them too much. Soon enough they won't want to cuddle and it's true, you will never look back and wish you held your child less. You will wish you held them even more.

Trevor and Jezebel, I sincerely wish you the best for your growing family. The love you two share is just going to grow more and more each day as you guide your baby girl through this crazy thing we call life. There will be difficult times. There will be times that you feel like crying - and that is okay - CRY! But I promise you, the laughter and love that you are going to experience is SO going to be worth every second of it. I'm looking forward to capturing memories for your growing family in the years to come.

To read the complete article with 21 words of advice for new parents, check out: http://coolmompicks.com/blog/2013/08/26/best-parenting-advice-for-new-parents/

What are some words of advice that you'd like to give to the soon-to-be-parents? Feel free to leave a comment below.

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