There are many aspects of parenting that I did not anticipate or envisioned incorrectly.. for example:
- I did not realize I would have to teach my child to sleep. I never in a million years thought I would do any sleep training with my baby.
- I never thought I'd be breastfeeding a toddler (or that I would love it so much!).
- I had no idea I'd be having nightly electronica dance parties with my toddler, hubby, and dog (and sometimes the cat!)

What has surprised you about being a parent?
Re: What has surpised you about parenting?
For me it is that I could still love DD so much after she's annoyed the piss out of me for 12 straight hours.
Married: 1/2008 ~ DD#1: 3/2012
TTC #2: Started 4/2014 BFP 7/30/15 MC 8/3/15 BFP 9/4/2015 EDD 5/16/2016
That I could be all about Thomas the Train 24/7....
That I could be so excited at every little thing he does.
That I could love a southern drawl...which he has (don't know where he got it).
That I could sit through football, which he loves.
On a more specific level, I never dreamed that food and eating would be such a stressful thing. I had big healthy plans about what my kid would and would not eat and he kind of blew that out of the water. He's very particular and picky despite us doing everything that you're supposed to do in terms of introducing and reintroducing new foods, making it stress free and easy for him, offering things that he does like along with them-- you name it, we've done it. The kid just has a limited palate! We don't get as many straight out refusals anymore so that's progress but I wish I could get on the he-eats-what-we-eat train more than occasionally.