I’ve been reading a few blog entries (as well their respective comments) about some of the hardships of being a parent. Yes, it is hard, but it’s not the end of the world. I don’t have a lot of friends with babies. So most of my friends always tend to ask me “how is it like to be a mom?” or make comments about how they “can’t possibly imagine taking care of kids and handling the stress” or say “I don't know how you do it, but I’m not ready, I’m still selfish” or "I want my sleep" yadda, yadda, yadda. Some friends have even told me "I'm not ready to settle down yet. I still want to go out and explore the world." All these are perfectly valid, normal statements.
I myself how questioned my "readiness" to be a parent. Sure I was scared of the change. But for me, it's never been a issue of missing the party scene, or not being able to do the things I want. I figured, if something was really important to you, you'll find a way to make it happen. . My concern was more of finances and the fact that I act like a kid most of the time (ask the hubs). I have always loved babies; have a lot of experience taking care of kids; and I have never doubted my ability to take care of one.
The thing about being a parent is that once you do become one, your priorities will change, and the way you think will change. So instead of saying “I can’t imagine having a baby" –you just do it and you handle it. Is it hard? Yes, it’s freaking hard, stressful, and nerve-racking, but you’ll get over it. For the first 4 months or so, I thought I would never sleep again and that the baby would be attached to my boob 24/7! Will you miss your old lifestyle? Of course! The last movie I saw in the theater was X-Men 3, and the hubs and I have only gone out on 1 date sans baby. Will your life be more enriched once you become a parent. Absolutely. To me, having kids does not and should not mean your life is over.
The hubs and I have been very lucky with rockstar baby. So lucky that we think he's setting us up! We joke that our second baby will be the polar opposite! Rockstar baby is now 7.5 months old and he’s very low-maintenance. Here’s some tidbits:
- He was never colicky (colic is defined as have crying bouts lasting for 30+ minutes with no reason at all).
- He started sleeping throughout the night at around 4 months old (all it took was putting him down on his tummy, which pediatricians do not advise by the way).
- We put him on a sleep schedule at around 4 months (bathtime at 7 pm, feeding, then snoozing) and he’s been abiding by that ever since --I highly recommend a sleep schedule!
- He can fall asleep on his own when laid down on his crib (after his bath and bottle).
- He can play by himself for long periods of time (we're talking 45 minutes) without pretend-crying for attention. But now we can't leave him alone on the rug because he'll roll across the room. We got him an Exersaucer and he luuurves it!
My only complaint (although it’s not really a complaint) is that he’s a skinny little guy. He's like a string bean as opposed to those chubby Buddha-babies. And recently, he’s been a bit high-maintenance since he picked up a cold at daycare. He's had a perpetual runny nose for the past 3 weeks now. Aw! So he’s been a bit fussier at night and wakes up every now and then because he can't breathe well. Other than though, he’s still such a sweet and easy-going little guy.
The hubs and I still get to do our own little things. We have our respective hobbies (the hubs loves golf, I have my band and still go to shows), we go out with our friends, we spend time with our family, we get our sleep, and we make it work. Right now, I can't even imagine life without my little smoopy smoo (that's my 151st nickname for him). And right now, I can't wait for the next one although I'm sure it'll be double the stress once you have more than 1 kid (and this post will be bullshit)! But I guess babies are like tattoos. Once you get one, you want more! (and I have 6 tats!) Hahaha....kidding, kidding. I know babies are nothing like tattoos --or are they? (Hm...they're painful when you first get it, but once you get through it, you really love it!).
Here's my little guy:
Labels: motherhood, musings/personal stories
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