Besides the obvious, things change

Before my oldest son was born, I remember being eight months pregnant and looking at my husband and saying, "Everything is going to be different." I'm not sure if he knew exactly what I meant at the time, and I'm sure I didn't fully comprehend the depth of that statement. Obvious things would change, but over the years, it's the subtle changes in who I am that have surprised me.

Things that changed when I became Mommy:

• There are never enough hours in the day. It seemed like that before, but it didn't actually become true until I had kids.
• There is no such thing as a sound night's sleep. I'm not sure when the last time I slept all the way through the night was, but it's been a while.
• I worried about my kids' safety before they were born, and then that increased infinitely after they arrived. When they're not right there, being carried inside me, how can I protect them?
• I stopped going around in bare feet in the house. I'm serious - you never know what you're going to step in with kids around.
• I have become extremely jealous of "me" time. I am not a selfish person, but my brain demands a certain amount of time completely alone every day and when I don't get it, I get cranky.
• I learned I am not a patient person. I'm working on that.
• I have come to realize there is always room for one more (And no, I am not pregnant, nor do I plan to be).
• There can never be enough pictures of the kids growing up (This is one I know my Dad knows).
• Perhaps the most surprising thing to me is that there is no formula, no set of things that always work. What works like a charm for one child just makes the other one angry. The only set rule is to try everything until something works.

What surprising change happened to you when you became a parent?