When a new life enters the world your world revolves around
theirs. Everything that was important seems stupid and your priorities change
real quick.
I never thought I was cut out to be a parent. Kids annoyed
the crap out of me (I blame my parents partly for this for pimping me out to
babysit every kid within a 2 kilometer area of our house). I loved to read,
write, travel, shop & sleep and couldn't imagine life without time for all
of those things. So here is how the first year has turned out:
Reading: I went from probably close to 20 books a year to
maybe 5. I still get to read the Saturday edition of the paper as long as I don’t
mind the paper being ripped from my hands and destroyed unless you wait for a
nap to read said paper. I also get Chatelaine delivered once monthly and have
made it my mission to take a bath behind a locked door to read it. So yes I can
read – it is just scheduled.
Writing: I feel I've failed you here. By the time the house
is quiet enough for me to sit and put thoughts on paper my eyes won’t stay
open. If I try while G is awake he pulls on the laptop – there are a million
tiny finger prints on my screen. I also didn't want to become one of those
people who just talk about their kid. But, that is ALL that my life has been –
so didn't want to bore you. I’m back to work next week, maybe I’ll find some
free time there?
Travel: We attempted two trips – one with children and one
without. The one with children was not a vacation; it was basically doing all
the stuff you do at home somewhere else. We had to schedule around naps and
feedings etc and in my opinion not worth it when the kid is this young if you
like to explore. On the other hand the trip without the kid was fun, but we
were always wondering about his well being, and not wanting to adjust to the
time difference as it would screw us when we got home. It was easier to
explore, but my heart was at home.
Shop: I've become the best online shopper around. I found
that as much fun as pushing a stroller around aisle of clothing while little
hands are grabbing is a good time. It is much easier to point and click and
walk to the mailbox. Amazon (.com) is the best place hands down to find pretty
much everything (except clothes). If I lived in the US I’d sign up to their prime option and
save, save, save!
Sleep: Not the first few, oh say ten months. I mean sure you
can nap when the kid naps – but get a solid 8-10 hours of sleep is not
possible. We went through hour and a half stretches, to three hours, to five
hours, and seven, and now after a year I got twelve and a half last night. The
trick is to go to bed when the kid goes to bed, but you don’t want to. You want
to watch TV and read, and shop. You want you time. So you take from your sleep
time to be yourself. It sucks. And only when it gets good (In Canada) off you
go back to work.
After all of this I can tell you it is worth it. Yes, I had
to change all the things that I love, but I love him more. I still however find
other peoples kids to be annoying at times. I would now do anything for this kid
because watching him play and learn and even sleep is more important than
anything I thought ever was.
