I must have said it a hundred times, "I won't change just because I have a baby." Wrong. So very wrong. It's one of those things that happens whether you like it or not.
Here are some things that I don't do anymore that I really didn't see coming.
1) Enjoy drinking. Didn't expect this at all! I loved drinking before I was pregnant. I looked forward to my big glass of red wine every night and when Tim and I went out I'd knock back 3 or 4 beers. I even had a glass of wine here and there throughout my pregnancy. It just doesn't do anything for me anymore. I will have 1 drink to be social if we have friends over or go out, but very rarely does this happen. We're going on vacation in a week and I should be drooling at the thought of sipping margaritas poolside, but I could care less. Who knows, maybe I'll give in to peer pressure and rediscover my love of tequila.
2) Wear my hair down. Hair touching my face is so irritating to me these days. I can't stand it. I haven't blow-dried my hair in months and it's always back in a bun, ponytail or braid (the only hairstyles I'm capable of). I know my husband hates this, but I don't know how to overcome it - aside from chopping off all my hair, which he would hate even more.
3) Wear heels. I sported heels at 9 months pregnant! Can't do it anymore, and this was something I was adamant I'd never let happen. I tried, but it's borderline torture to carry a baby, and a diaper bag and constantly bend down to pick up dropped toys while wearing heels. Plus, if some lunatic tries to kidnap me & my baby I gotta be able to outrun that mother effer. (These are thoughts I have daily.)
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| [Who is that girl?] |
4) Wear a regular bra. I've been wearing the same nude-colored nursing bra for 8 MONTHS. I only wash it once a week. And I'm so sick of it. But, it's probably the most comfortable one I've ever owned. Definitely getting my monies worth out of that purchase.
5) Arrive on time. This aspect of my life is getting a little bit better, but it takes some serious planning and determination to get anywhere on time. I used to be the queen of timeliness. If it's getting to work, I have to have every single thing packed & ready the night before or I will be late. If it's a casual event, expect me to be at least a 1/2 hour late. When Flynn was under 6 months old, being an hour late was totally normal.
6) Eat first. I used to be very impatient when I was hungry (even before I was pregnant). I'd watch my sisters-in-law getting their kids plates of food and not sitting down to eat their own food until all the chicken was cut up and everyone had the right princess cup in front of them. This blew my mind. How would I ever become that selfless? Must be a mom thing, because it just happens. You automatically put your child's needs before your own, and there's nothing your stomach can say or do about it.
7) Hate kids music. Whatever makes Flynn happy, makes me happy. 3 out of 5 CD's in my car are for the kiddo. He's in a Kindermusik class and he absolutely loves the songs. On more than one occasion, I've dropped him off at my Mom's house and driven all the way to work without changing the music - and I didn't realize it. Wow. Any "Lullaby Rendition" CD is also great. It's popular artists' songs turned into lullabies.
8) Watch my language. I still curse. A LOT. Tim and I both agreed that we need to tone that down in the coming months, lest our child's first words be something we feel ashamed to document in the baby book.
9) Listen to experts. I can't read parenting books. I read every pregnancy and breastfeeding book I could find, but I trust my gut way more than I trust anyone who's written a book on raising children. Especially if it's a book that provides absolutely zero scientific evidence of the claims it makes and is written by someone with no training in child development. Ahem, Babywise. If you like Babywise and it worked for you, that's totally fine, but it just did not "speak" to me as a parent. No one parenting book has thus far.
10) Stick to a schedule. When Flynn is at my Mom's house, he's on a schedule because it's easier for her and I'm fine with that. But it's still not completely set in stone. On weekends and Wednesdays (my days off) we just wing it. Sometimes he takes a nap at 8:30am, sometimes it's 10am. Sometimes I just nurse him and sometimes I follow up with a bottle or solids (or both). Sometimes he naps in his crib, sometimes he naps in the car while I run errands, and sometimes he naps in the stroller during a walk. He's a happy kid and all of his needs are met, so I feel like we've got the important part covered.
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| [Out to eat past Flynn's bedtime. Oops.] |
Has motherhood changed you in any surprising ways?
