As I’m sure you’ve gathered over the last 8ish months, I’m having a baby here real, real soon. Shaun and I are both more excited about this than anything ever. We even got the crib put together in the baby’s room and everything is getting way real. I do however, have these little fears that creep in when the baby is attacking me from the inside, making sleep impossible.
I think that my biggest fear is just a loss of identity. I’m around parents so much that seem seriously unable to talk about anything else but their kids and their new milestones and yadda yadda. I know that it just comes from excitement, but it’s a little bit overwhelming and I always wonder what they were like before they had kids- what they were passionate about, what they loved doing… and when that stopped for them. Because of this, I have decided to make a commitment to myself, my friends and family, and to you, my loyal readers. Here goes.
I commit to:
- being able to hold conversations about things other than poop, throw up, rolling over, and all things “cute.”
- always having a book going. I may not be able to crank ‘em out at the rate I do now, but I do commit to always being in the middle of a book… even if it takes me a couple of weeks to read it instead of a couple of days.
- continue to blog about what I’m reading and the bookish things I find exciting. Again, at least for a little while I may not be able to post everyday like I do now, but I do commit to at least 3 or 4 a week.
- take walks and hikes. This is something that Shaun and I really love and has always been a great activity for after he gets home from work. Even when the baby & I have had a rough day and I’m cranky and tired, I commit to getting outside and walking in the neighborhood while chatting with Shaun. He can push the stroller.
- keep up with current events in the U.S. and in the world.
- not posting an excessive amount of pictures/updates about our little guy either here or on other social networking sites. There are a couple reasons for this: he’s going to be the most incredible human ever born and I don’t want other parents to get jealous, but also because after a minute, those get pretty boring if they aren’t your kid. I’ll let you know when we have him and if he does something that, like, defies science… but that’s about it. I don’t want to be a “mommy blogger.” I kinda like my little “book blogger” niche.
- amassing a giant collection of children’s books and reading to him as often as he’ll sit still. I plan on making an off-shoot site to let you know about children’s books, but I’ll let you know more about that as the time comes.
How’s that sound? Maybe I’ll alter these as I get further in to this parenthood thing, but for now that all sounds good to me. I just wanted to let you know what changes you will see around here (and in my life in general) and what changes you most certainly will not.
7 Comments
I’ll definitely hold you to it – I need your blog to supply me with book recommendations and awesome reviews!
I’m with Julie. And, I can’t wait to “meet” the little guy!
It sounds like the kind of mom/adult I want to be!
I’ll help hold you to it!
All good commitments! I hope to do some of the same.
hahahahahaha – we will see lovely
Get ready to become a 1 finger typist, that will help, don’t wait for a moment to use both hands.
Sometimes it easy to not lose you but others forget and you become ‘baby boy’s mommy’ ugggh
Look forward to your baby announcement
You know, I love this. I never put too much thought into not losing myself as a mom when I had Lucy. I started a separate blog for her to keep all her fans up to date (but still kept my personal one too). The first year is so challenging for so many reasons, and we had all the normal challenges as regular parents, however at four months old we found out she had a visual impairment. So then it was a full year of dr’s appointments and stress and aggravations.
When she turned about a year and a half, I realized that I was a miserable person. I had gained a ton of weight, and did NOTHING for myself. ever. So I started working out, and trying to find things non mommy related to do so that I wouldn’t lose myself for ever.
I have since, started, failed and started again going to the gym (which I am not going to fail at again, because I really enjoy it, but am lazy at the same time) and picked up the 100 books in a 365 challenge so give me something for me.
I 100%, not only support you, but encourage you to maintain your sense of self, because it is so easy to get lost and wrapped up in poopy diapers teething, crawling, and forgetting to make time for your spouse.
Good Luck Lovely, I congratulate you on your upcoming addition, and I wish you all the best!
Jacki, I’m SO glad you wrote this. Honestly, this is one of the main reasons I am terrified to have kids. I am SURROUNDED by people who have ceased being themselves and function only as so-and-so’s mommy once they have kids. They have nothing else to talk about, they don’t do anything else, they say things like, “I can’t even remember what I used to do for fun before Little So-and-so came around!” It depresses the hell out of me, and I have seen so few people balance having a life of things they enjoy and being a parent. And obviously they enjoy being a parent a great deal, but I love the crap out of my life and I don’t want to give that up.
Anyway, I can’t wait to meet the little guy! And I am so excited for you and Shaun! (Just because I am anti-baby for me doesn’t mean I’m a big fat baby hater at all
)