Oh how our perceptions change.
I remember thinking 4 years ago how difficult life with a baby was. I’m not sure if it was the postpartum depression, the personal adjustment to becoming a mother or the adjustment my marriage took to figure it all out… perhaps it was a combination of all of the above. I sure found parenting to be a wicked change from my blissful life simple adult life life before kids.
Now when I find myself with just one baby, I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to do with my time. There’s a weird sense of relief and boredom all rolled in together at the thought of not having to entertain a curious and energetic 4 year old, but having only to occupy a not-quite-5-month-old baby whose only source of frustration is when he can’t get the toy to his mouth in a timely manner.
Today, mini-man was with his Nona and I had not had the foresight to make any plans in advance other than a music rehearsal this morning. My mom came over to babysit mini-boy and was horrified when he slept through the entire visit (she drives a good 45 minutes to get here). I put him down for a nap at 9:15am and was certain he’d be awake by 10, but I returned at noon to a disappointed Nana who kept peeking in to see if she was going to get any cuddle time whatsoever.
I filled the rest of the day with take-out sushi, a trip to the store for light bulbs and a new booster seat for Nona’s car, visits to a couple of open houses in the neighborhood where I’d like to live, a nap and some reading. After our busy afternoon **insert sarcasm here** I talked on the phone, played with mini-boy on the livingroom floor, fed him, gave him a bath and put him back to bed. Then I indulged in a glass of wine, some leftover pesto pasta straight out of the plastic container I’d stored it in and settled in to my couch with my book. Then I fell asleep.
It was 7:30pm.
For the life of me I can’t quite put my finger on why I found parenting so difficult when I had only one baby with two parents. Now I guess I’m getting used to having two kids with one parent… Anyway, for any of you who are finding adjustment to new motherhood hard, take heart… you will one day look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.
Just one baby… easy peasy.
My friends and I talk about this all the time. How we thought that first baby was so HARD, and how easy it seems in retrospect. Life is just all about perspective. I think the good thing is that mine keeps expanding. Hopefully, this will all be to the good. It can’t help but be, right?
.-= Amber´s last blog ..The Gourmet Pregnancy =-.
ha ha…you sound exactly like my sister. I love your blog, they always make me smile.
Very funny how time plays these kinds of tricks with us. I think a good part of it is like weight lifting…getting up to 20 lb weights and then going back and trying out your old 5 pounders just for old time’s sake. For me a good bit of it is how my personal growth and marriage has gotten better since I had my first baby. I/we are not who we were.
.-= Carlie´s last blog ..Bopping Along With Baby =-.