Remember how I said I wanted to be more adventurous? Well this week I made a point of Doing Things. Like meeting friends for lunch. Having a “crochet day” with David’s cousin’s kids. Going to the library, and that is the one thing I said I was going to do and then I actually did it. I’m so proud.
I feel as though I’ve done more this week than I have in a long time. While I never did get around to mopping the floor like I intended to (there’s still time, right?) I didn’t spend my every waking hour nursing a baby and trying to get her to sleep, although we did plenty of that too. Also, I learned stuff.
1) It is okay to decide to take a spontaneous detour to the library on the way home from the post office, even if I have zero baby gear (stroller excepted) with me. Picking out a few books doesn’t take long. The worst that could happen? Amelia starts crying and we leave. No big deal.
2) Leaving the stroller in my car greatly increases the likelihood of such spontaneous detours.
3) Assuming that she has eaten fairly recently, Amelia will probably fall asleep and stay asleep as long as she is moving. At the very least she will be quiet and maybe suck on her fists. In the car. In the stroller. In someone’s arms. She really is a well-behaved kid.
4) Cloth diapers are the bomb. Amelia is quite talented in the art of defecation, so believe me when I tell you how miraculous it is that we’ve NEVER HAD A BLOWOUT. Ever. And never worrying about the possibility of a poopsplosion while we’re out and about is delightful.
5) Cloth diapers make me look way more hardcore than I really am. People are so impressed that we don’t use disposables and it cracks me up. They don’t know that I use cloth diapers because they are the easier option for me. I’d rather do a little extra laundry than figure out what brand or size of disposables I should use, make space in our tiny house to store them, work the added expense into our monthly budget, and dash to the store if we accidentally run out. Plus, like I said, no blowouts. I get to impress people by secretly taking the easy way out. Love it.
6) Amelia’s height and weight are in the 75-90th percentile for her age. I didn’t learn that by being adventurous so much as I did by taking her to the pediatrician for her two month checkup, but since it involved leaving the house I’m going to include it. Hooray for my chubby little girl.
7) I am a better wife and mother when I don’t feel trapped in the same routine all day, every day. Whether that means running to the grocery store after Amelia is asleep for the night, or having a friend over to chat for a couple hours, or spending the entire afternoon up in Scottsdale, it doesn’t matter. Breaking up the monotony is good for me. Sometimes I forget that.
So maybe I didn’t get to ride a camel (so jealous) and maybe we still don’t have a daytime nap schedule figured out yet. I’m over it. And I’m figuring out how to make the most of this motherhood thing without feeling like a slave to the endless cycle of eating and sleeping and changing messy pants. And that’s a start at any rate.
Way to go Jen! It's so liberating to get to that point with a baby isn't it? I'm excited to read more of your adventures with Amelia.
(Also, you are hardcore for using cloth diapers.)
yes, yes, yes! yes to everything–going out, keeping the stroller, cloth diapers are amazing, and refill your own well. see, it took me 6 years of motherhood and 4 kids to figure out what you've got down pat in 2 months! 🙂
Em: I'm excited to have more adventures with her. 🙂
Rach: I may KNOW it, but that doesn't mean I'm living it every day. You know? It's a work in progress.
Please do go out while you just have one! When I take Lilly somewhere and leave the others at home it is great!