Your first year of parenthood went incredibly fast, your little pumpkin is already walking and feeding himself. Hurrah! You survived the baby boot camp. Take a step back, and think of the amazing, good, bad, and ugly things you`ve been through within the past year, that changed everything for you.
Here are some of the things that made you a baby boot camp superhero:
Multitasking. It seems normal to you to hold the baby in your arms while cooking, vacuuming, preparing his bottle, doing dishes. You are surprised to see the amount of things you are able to do using only one hand. You are used to rocking his cradle or moving his stroller, while you are reading a magazine during his nap.
Lifting weights? No problem! Lifting and carrying your child on a daily basis gave your arms more strength, and more problems to your back and your hips.
Diaper change expert. Changing a diaper in the middle of the night, without turning on the light, is no longer a problem. You are able to do it blindfolded. You already developed a system, by having next to the crib an extra diaper, the package of wet wipes and another pyjamas.
The topics of most of your conversations changed. The amount of conversations you have about poop and potty training is frightening to a non parent. Not to mention, you almost forgot how it feels to have a proper conversation, without interruptions.
The real meaning of sleep deprivation. Only now you understand why during the pregnancy, everyone was repeatedly telling you to sleep. The firsts months passed, and you got used more or less to sleepless nights. You can cope with only a few hours of sleeps per night, and find the strength to put a smile on your face at 4 a.m., when your peanut awakes and wants to play.
Accepting help. In the first year of parenthood, it comes a moment when you re-evaluate the relationship you have with your parents and relatives. You are happy to have visitors, even for half an hour. A new set of arms and a rested minded are always welcomed. They can ease your crying infant, or just watch over the baby while you jump in the shower for five minutes. I bet your mother is already on speed dial.
The lesser evil principle. You learnt how to take it easy when your child eats from the floor, licks the window or helps himself with croquettes from your dog`s ball. There are things much worse than these. The body does need to produce some antibodies, right?
Privacy has a new meaning. Now going to the bathroom means a family trip. Your little one follows you everywhere, and is curious about everything. Not once you have found yourself having a “baa baah bee mwoah” conversation with your little peanut while sitting on the potty, face to face.
Your relationship changed. You still don`t know if it changed for the better or worse, but it is totally different! You address your significant other with “daddy” or “mommy”, even when the child is not present. You do not get offended anymore if one prefers to sleep instead of watching a movie or spending time together.
Your social life is put on hold. If you are a momzilla or dadzilla type parent, your social life resumes to small Facebook or Skype chats with your friends and short strolls in the park with other mommies. No worries, there is hope: after eighteen months, it gets better!
The feeling of guilt. Either you worry you are not good enough as parent, either you think you did not do well enough to help your child; it`s always only in your head. It is our fear of feeling powerless when it comes to the little ones. We all explore this strange feeling of failure in our new job as a parent.
Advanced time management skills. You manage to cramp a manicure between running an errand to the bank and a visit to the dentist, given the dad babysits.
Photography, a new hobby. If before the baby you used to be the main subject of all your photos, now you find yourself behind the camera. Soon you realize that you need to upgrade your external portable hard drive, cause you never have too many photos or videos of the baby.
Your creativity flourished. You suddenly became more creative after baby entered your life. You invent new nursery rhymes, baby songs, bedtime stories, games, create original outfits; you start knitting, writing, cooking healthier and more nutritious meals, etc.
Spick-and-span? No more! If you were a clean freak, you probably learnt by now how to cope with the baby mess. You are not having a breakdown anymore at the sight of food flying during meals, juices and bottles spilled, toys all over the floor and spread throughout the house. Your car shared the same destiny: stains on the back seats, bottles half empty on the floor, crumbles of biscuits, crushed Cheerios or Golden Fish.
Hide and eat sweets. You find yourself hiding in the house, gobbling down a chocolate bar as if it is an illegal substance, just because you can not explain yet to your toddler that chocolate is not good for him at this age.
Apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You are surprised to see how much of your own behaviour and personality baby absorbs. It does makes you strive to be a better example.
Folding baby clothes is an endless chore, especially when baby gets tired of his toys and amuses himself by throwing the clothes out of his drawers at least couple of times per day.
You wear less and less designer clothes. Actually, you are lucky to wear a barf-free or stain free top for more than two hours, even your baby turned into a toddler. Look at the positive outcome of it: it saves your money which you can spend on or for the child or with the family. It does give an altruistic spin, right?
You became your mom or dad. Although you swore to yourself you will not turn in to your parents, you find yourself doing or saying the same things to your child when she/he misbehaves, refuses food or having a nap.
Your shyness faded away over night. You sing, dance, act silly in public without giving a single thought about what others might say. “The child is the centre of your universe, who cares about the rest?”
Your movie preferences shifted towards family oriented type. You can no longer watch family dramas or violent, horror movies. You watched “Frozen” or “ Rio” at least ten times by now, and know the lines by heart.
Fluency in a new language. After one year, you are fluent in baby language, since you are the only one who can understand what the munchkin means by “baa baa ba”.
Planning and packing expert. A simple stroll out in the park requires preparation and packing: diapers, wet wipes, bottles of milk, water, snacks, extra clothes, favourite toy, and so on. Spending an afternoon at a friend`s house is similar to preparing for a going to the airport. You know by heart the whole list of things you might need, and that is why you always have a baby backpack always ready to go.
Love hurts. Your have blue marks all over your arms, legs and torso, just because your little one is teething and loves to bite everything and everyone, especially you.
Image source: Pixabay
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