You may remember back in May I wrote a blog on "Your World Will be Rocked,"
a phrase that many people said to us with regards to a child entering our life.
I thought it would be interesting to revisit this now that we are only 3 weeks away from Collin's 1st Birthday. I also wanted to add some interesting topics on how our life has changed- ways that I would have never thought about before.
1)You will never get any sleep
Previous blog- False
Current- False
I realize we have it good, probably too good!
Collin goes down at 7 am and sleeping till about 7-7:30. Occasionally he will wake up at 6:30 but really I can not complain.
Collin goes down at 7 am and sleeping till about 7-7:30. Occasionally he will wake up at 6:30 but really I can not complain.
He also takes 2 naps a day- both averaging 1 1/2 each.
2)You social life will change.
Previous blog- False
Current- Somewhat.
Now that Collin is on a nap schedule and a bedtime it has changed a little.
That being said we still find time to catch up with friends and family.
Yes we probably spend more Saturday nights home now watching a movie or relaxing but that is not something that I complain about. My parents also love to babysit Collin which is a true blessing.
3) You will fight more
Previous blog- False
Current- False
Again we are not big fighters.
4) You will never have time to yourself
Previous blog- True and False
Current- True and False
I have my time at night time and also my Saturday mornings which I normally do my long runs. If Joe is feeling extra generous, I will also run on Sundays. Besides that I have a couple hours here and there when Collin is napping.
5)Breastfeeding is the greatest bond ever!
Previous blog- False
Current- TOTALLY FALSE
I am SOOOOO Happy to be done with pumping!!!!!
6)You will do much more loads of Laundry
Previous blog- False
Current- False
Our laundry has really not changed- do it once a week.
7) Babies are expensive
Previous Blog- False
Current- False
Now that we have to pay for diapers, and still pay for some baby food and are getting to the point that we are having to buy some clothing (up to this point we had been gifted a lot of clothes) it is more than it was in the beginning. Also now we have daycare but again- not horrible as one might think.
8)You will totally love being a mom
Previous blog- True and False
Current- True and False
I love Collin and becoming a mom is amazing.
However, it is hard balancing a home life and working. You feel like you are always giving on something. For me I realized that this would be work. At first this was hard, but I looked at it this way- I have been giving at my job for 5 years and it is my turn to go in punch my card and come home.
9)It will take you twice as long to do anything with a baby
Previous blog- False
Current- False
Yes it does take longer but not that much longer. The problem that I have found is the tolerance of a toddler is unknown. For example- today we ran three errands and he was so happy. The other day I barely made it thru one.
10) You will have moments you lose it.
Previous blog- True
Current- False
I feel now that Collin is pretty much an easy toddler. If he is unhappy it is because he is tired, hungry, or teething- and that is really it. I think that last time I lost it was when he was 6-7 months and teething at night which was horrible, especially since he has been an amazing sleeper from day 2.
11) Your relationship with your spouse will be different.
Previous blog- True
Current- True
I now rely more on Joe than I did before.
He is in charge of the grocery shopping, the dropping off at daycare, the picking up a daycare, and pretty much all things that have to do with Clemson. We still try to make time for date night at least once a week and it might not be much- a movie or takeout but it is at least time together.
Things that I have notice that I never thought of until Collin
1) Where to park in the mall.
Yes when you have a stroller and you need to run an errand, I am thinking in my brain, "Which is the closest store and which level can I park on that will not involve an elevator."
2) Elevators are a pain in the ass
Shopping, airport- you name it- i hate elevators but when bug is in a stroller it becomes a necessity.
Malls tend to hide them in the back of stores and they are super slow and airports are the worse.
3) You will have people judge you.
Whether you breastfeed or not, whether your child goes to daycare or not, whether your child eats organic or not- pick a topic and you will probably be judged for it. The most surprising thing is that it is mom's that judge you. My advice- thick skin. Having Collin has made my skin really thick to the point that I really do not care what most people think of me. As long as your child is safe, healthy and happy- then you are doing the best you can as parents!
4) You will lean on people.
I have always been very very independent and have found that I do ask for help more now that I ever have, especially with Joe and my family.
5) There is nothing wrong with asking questions.
I have two girlfriends and my mother who I rely a lot on for silly little questions- like product recommendation, experiences, etc. It is good to have a non-judging group to tell you how it is.
Also, my dad works with a pediatrician on BMED that has become my favorite go to with all my medical questions. Total I have emailed him 4 times since Collin was born but it has just been nice to have that resource.
