I’m writing this as part of a Blog Hop started by @RaisingMadison. Hope you enjoy!

Dear collegiate me,

Let’s start out with a list of five important things you’ll want to research. Yanno, just in case.

1. Postpartum Mood Disorders/Postpartum Depression

2. Cleft Palates and Breastfeeding

3. Substance Abuse & Marriage

4. ADHD – in Adults and Kids

5. Pubic Symphysis Diastasis or Pubic Bone Pain in Pregnancy (it’s NOT normal!)

Now, I know you’re downing some  Boone’s Sangria straight out of the bottle – probably from the bottom of your dorm room dresser. I don’t blame you one bit. That’s a heavy list. It’s okay to curl up in bed to read the rest of this letter too. Hopefully you don’t have a nasty migraine right now. Cuz if you do, I apologize for the sucky timing.

And that’s the bad news.

The awesome news is even though everything on that list is heavy, you make it through. Remember when Grandma Helen told you to be the best you can be when you were 11, right before she passed away? When she let you know you were absolutely amazing? Well, you are! It took going through hell to get here but it was all worth it.

The most amazing part of this letter is that because of all this struggling, you have managed to meet some of the most amazing women EVER.

Your husband? He’s awesome too. He’s not perfect. (Really – who among us is though?) But he loves you. With.ALL.His.HEART!

Your kids? Are hilarious. And they drive you to exhaustion each and every day. But they are so worth it. All three of them.

Oh, and that Pubic Symphysis Diastasis? Yeh, um. WATER THERAPY is your best bet. Demand it. Even with the first OB who tries to tell you that it’s “normal.” HAH! It’s Oh so NOT normal. Wincing and crying while trying to put on shoes, underwear, pants, is NEVER normal.

Although it’ll seem tough at first, you’ll get through the whole cleft palate situation. Your second daughter is an amazing little girl with a brilliant sense of humor who finally starts to belly laugh at age four. She’s a total doll.

Life isn’t easy by a long stretch. But God is working in it – and working hard. He’s walking with you, carrying you sometimes, and it is amazing. Trust in Him. He’ll rock your world.