Before Kids / After Kids

Kari

I was just thinking this morning that before I had kids my Sundays involved sleeping in, rousing around 10, showering around 11, watching movies all day, and taking a nap on the couch. Maybe I'd cook, and maybe I'd order in Chinese. Sometimes I'd go shopping for 3-4 hours and think nothing of it.

Nowadays I'm up at 4:15 (yes, thank you Juliet for our new wake-up time). By 11 I've showered, dressed all the kids, fed the kids twice, done two loads of laundry, emptied and loaded the dishwasher, vacuumed the house, sorted outgrown clothes, reorganized the kids' closet, dressed the kids in snow gear and took them outside, watched a Christmas movie with Justin, put Juliet down for two naps, iced Justin's back after he fell, made soup and biscuits from scratch, have warm chocolate chip cookies on the counter as well as a pound of bacon cooling, packed the kids' lunches for daycare tomorrow, and am getting ready to mop the floor and take out the trash before sitting down for lunch.

How did I ever used to justify that I never had any time to do anything before I had kids?

How busy are your weekends these days?!?

Flowergirl

This made me smile!

Obviously I'm only 3 weeks in, so I haven't gotten changed over nearly that much yet, but nonetheless, I know a tiny bit of what you are talking about and I was just thinking down these same lines this morning!

I used to be a night owl, and bedtime was normally about 2am, maybe later on the weekend! Last night I was in bed by 9:30! And I've seen the sun rising more times in the last 3 weeks than I may have ever in my life! Lol!

cocolibby

My wife works overnight on the weekends, so she sleeps during the day, so I'm a single parent Friday-Monday. Still, our kids are much older, so I can stay in bed longer (if not sleep - they're really loud). Today she came in from her shift at 7:15, talked for what seemed like 30 minutes about something that had happened at work (I kept my eyes closed the whole time, praying I could go back to sleep). I got up to pee at 8 and did go back to sleep until 10! In the hour since then, though, I've made breakfasts and gotten the kids ready to play outside, paid some bills, put away 3 loads of laundry and worked on 2 more, decided on lunch and dinner, fed animals, cleaned up the living room from a teenager hangout session that kept me up until after 1 am, etc. etc.

The single most terrifying part of bringing home a newborn is these weekends. I don't know how DW will get any sleep and I don't know how I'll manage!

Katydid

I was just hoping I could get you to come to my house one morning
It is crazy how different life is with kids. Before I adopted my boys, when my foster kids would leave I would feel so empty...those days of lounging around seemed so meaningless when compared to life as a mom!

Shanny

Here is another before/after scenario: sickness! My sister and niece spent the night Wednesday and we planned to do our own version of Thanksgiving on Thursday (steaks on the grill!). I woke up not feeling well and by noon Kate was back asleep and my neice was vomiting. Kate woke me up at 4 am Sunday vomiting. With 4 days off - and the weather was beautiful here - we never left the house, save for some yard work and finally a stroll down the block late this afternoon!

cocobay

My Sunday mornings are a little different than yours. I am not a super busy Wonder Woman like you. But there is two adults and one child in our home where you have one adult and two children. This Sunday morning we all woke up about 7:45. Us moms had coffee and the little guy had milk. We watched some toons on the couch and listened to holiday music for a little while and then we had breakfast. Afterwards we picked up the some of the toy mess Bronx had made, made our bed, took out the trash, and got showers and dressed. A friend stopped by around 11 (right as Bronx was waking from a nap) and we all headed to the mall for a little lunch, shopping, and pictures with Santa. We came home around 2 and let our dog out to potty. Bronx was napping in the car. We let Jeter play in the yard a bit and then headed to a friends house for dinner and roasted marshmallows. Fabulous chilled Sunday for us

With all that said, a friend of ours did call the night before while we were in Lowes getting paint at 5:00 and invited us to dinner at 7:30 at a very upbeat fun restaurant on the bay. We would have LOVED to go but Bronx's bedtime routine starts at 7, so he would have been extremely tired and ill if we would have gone. We did envy our friends for a few minutes that they were able to just fly by the seat of their pants and make last minute plans. We have to plan and organize to go somewhere. It's crazy to think about before Bronx. I almost feel as if I didn't have a life or it was somehow so empty. I didn't think so then, because I didn't realize how full and complete our lives would be with our Prince.

fisch

I can totally relate, since Emerson seems to love the 4 am hour and jack wakes up with nightmares as of late. We keep saying its a phase...that's our mantra. Our blessing is the ability to divide and conquer. I took jack to see Peter pan this afternoon and didn't get home til 5. This way Julie was able to get some quiet time alone while Emerson napped, and the kids got some one on one time. Still this evening we are both utterly exhausted and feel like we haven't seen each other all day. I have loved this 4 day weekend, but I am ready for our routine to start up again tomorrow with school and work.

old mama

Oh the days I could get up when I wanted to, spend the day on the couch reading a good book and do a little of this and a little of that if I felt like it...those are long gone...left 25 yrs ago when I adopted my first daughter...now it's up by 5 or 6 no babies here just my body's alarm clock..and on the run all day if school..on weekends maybe I can crash in my chair after lunch and everyone is settled...to "watch" a movie...my kids would laugh because my watch a movie is falling asleep in my chair just for a couple hrs. then it's make dinner, baths and a million things then fall into bed exhausted each night! No one twisted my arm to adopt 8 kids and I know it will be worse with a newborn but I do look forward to that!!!

A&J

Oh, yes! I agree life was very different before becoming a parent and having a child. I totally am with you on how my perspective of "busy" has changed. Not that I didn't have a busy schedule pre-baby, but it was so very different to know at SOME point my day would truly come to an end. Now I just never quite know what to expect and around here I can exhale thinking it is time to relax or whatever, but just as soon as I do Liv is up or needs something. Other times I am patiently waiting for her to rise so we can get a move on with our day

I do miss being able to plan bigger events-vacations, shows, guests, late-nights and so on as regularly as we once did, but in all honesty it isn"t this stuff that I really, really miss. Moreso I long for some of the simpler pleasures (whch I didn't thnk to be appreciative or grateful of pre-baby) such as an uninterrupted phone call, privacy in the bathroom--do I really need O to announce to EVERYONE that mommy is going pee-pee or whatever else she determines is happening and being able to run in and out of places QUICKLY. I really miss quick stops. So many things have become larger productions such the post office, grabbing an item at the store, etc. Of course I'd do it all over every single time, but yeah a lot of things are different

Chrysanthemum

A&J
the quick trips is what I am missing. The mail lady showed up with a package that needed to be signed for and DH decided to not answer the door, I was at the Dr. Therefore I had to pack up baby and go to the post office to get my package, only to find out they were only open from 10-1130 on saturday. WTF, why bother?

So today I had to repack up baby, tote him inside for 2 minutes. I have honestly contemplated leaving him in the car when I KNOW it will be less than 5 minutes, but at the same time I don't dare.

The other big change is LAUNDRY, OK yes, I choose to CD but it is more than that, it is sheets and burp cloths, and blankets. If I don't do at least 1 load a day I get behind. I have enough CD's I have went 5 days without washing diapers and was down to the last few that I don't care for but I didn't run out, I just don't understand how we now generate SO much more laundry.

Another thing I miss, a lot: LONG showers. I haven't taken a complete shower since he was born. I can either wash my body, wash my hair, or shave. Not all three. I am seriously contemplating going NoPoo, I have before, but I don't want to go through the greasy stage right now. I guess I could go hippie and stop shaving as well but I just can't bring myself to do it.

I miss having a living room I can walk through. Right now it is a swing, play mat, pack n play, play saucer thingy, maze... God forbid the dog get in my way... I did actually trip over her once a few weeks ago, luckily the play saucer thingy broke my fall :rolleyes:

I miss being able to eat a complete meal without either tuning out a screaming baby or trying to eat with a baby on my lap.

I LOVE the big smile I get in the morning when I go to get him out of his crib. I LOVE how somehow just a cuddle makes his entire world better. I love to watch DH interact with him, it is amazing to see how much DH has changed (for the better) in the last 3 months. I LOVE just watching him sleep, and I am amazed at how much he has grown and learned in his few short weeks we have had him.
I LOVE being a mommie, SO much more than I could have ever imagined. Up until he was born I said I could never be a SAHM, I would go crazy. I'll never admit it to DH because all our plans for us moving and everything are hinging on MY employ-ability and him being SAHD, but I would LOVE to SAH. Maybe once we get settled I'll talk to him about it.