I have a love-hate feeling for maternity leave.
I love spending time with my baby, getting to know her (she’s six weeks already), but I am not good at staying in my house all day.
We just moved into a new home, so there is plenty for me to do, but once that sweet baby is in my arms, I forget about my to-do list. Next thing I know, it’s two hours later and all I’ve done is stare at her.
It’s funny how much I have forgotten about this time since my 4-year-old was born. Some days, I take a shower, get things done around the house and have dinner ready when my husband comes home. Other days, the most I move from the couch is to get the mail from the mailbox (which, by the way, comes at 11 a.m.)
I made a list of some good and bad things that come with having a new baby.
You know you’re a mom of a newborn when:
– It takes you 24 hours to do a load of laundry from start to finish.
– That laundry includes only baby sleepers and your sweatpants and nursing bras.
– You have no grasp of what day of the week it is — only if it’s a day your husband has to work or not.
– You can’t get yourself to calculate when you go back to work.
– Your friends stare at your naturally curly hair and eyeglasses because they’ve never seen you without blow drying and flat ironing your hair.
– You brush your teeth before bed, but can’t remember the <em>last</em> time you brushed them.
– Yet, you’re acutely aware of the last shower you had.
– Your friends ask to come over to see the baby and the first thing that comes to mind is that you could shower while they hold her.
– Your phone has feeding tracker and white noise apps.
– You can’t remember the last time you had a conversation with your husband that didn’t include talk of poop.
– You catch a whiff of a bad smell and, for a brief second, aren’t sure if it’s the baby’s diaper or you.
– Your idea of relaxation is running to the grocery store alone, with the windows down and music up.
– You about fall asleep after half of a beer.
– Your life revolves around what’s on the Today Show (“Ohhh, I hate to miss Jason Mraz Friday, can we do that Thursday instead?”)
I’m pretty sure my new neighbors think I only wear pajama pants and ponytails. They can think that for a few more weeks because this time goes so fast and I don’t plan to spend it straightening my hair or trying to squeeze into jeans.
