It's been a year since the boy has been born. Phew. What a wild and crazy ride this has been!
People will say all kinds of crazy things to you at just about this time.... and I have to say that I've been biting my tongue just a little bit. I mean, I know all you bats mean well but seriously, let me tell you what I hear/want to say to you when:
'Didn't the time just FLY by?!'
What I want to say to you is "If what you mean by that is did I spend the last year in some combination of delirium, ecstasy, exhaustion, confusion, panic, stress, euphoria and many phases of the world 'whelmed', then yes." I honestly do not think it is fair to consider this whirlwind of a first year for anyone a form of time travel. Unless time travel is simultaneously excruciating and exhilarating; in which case I don't know if I am interested in time travel.
'Didn't you love every single minute?'
What I hear: because if you didn't you suck as a mommy.
What I want to say is: honestly, no. I did not enjoy every minute. I enjoyed many, many minutes but by no means did I enjoy all of them. I think this is true of life but certainly amplified in the first year of having a child (especially if, like me, it is the first one).For those of you with children you can surely relate to not loving: diaper blowouts, rashes, colic, fevers, sore nipples, sore anything for that matter, and as the King of Siam would say 'Etc, etc, etc.'.
'Can you even remember your life before this?'
Um, yep.
And if you can't then I feel a little sorry for you. Because, honestly, my life before my son was fantastic. It is more so with him but that does not diminish the fact that I have been living a very lucky and very interesting life for quite some time. Before him, I traveled, I studied, I lived, I loved and I remember every single bit of it. I think if I were to embrace the alternative it would make me less of a mother for him and most certainly less of a whole human being for myself.
Time most definitely does NOT fly . . . I challenge anyone who thinks this to spend a day at my house. There are days I'm looking out the window for Dave's car rolling into the parking lot at like 4:00, even though I *know* he won't be home until more like 6:00. Total wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteAnd anyone who loves every minute of parenthood is smoking some serious crack. Maybe I need to get me some. Have your read the "don't seize the day" post by Momastery? Awesome.
Ah, life before Agents. I remember it, but it seems more like an old favorite movie now. You know all the characters, and most of the dialogue, and like to reminisce over it now and again, but you wouldn't want to watch it every day.
You should blog more than once a month, BTW. Good stuff here.