Growing up
11:25 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
I love my life. There's honestly nothing I would change if I could - healthy, in love, married to my best friend, stay-at-home-mommy to a healthy and sweet-natured 1 year old (did I really just type that?!), comfortable, cozy house, and supportive family. What else could I possibly need? Absolutely nothing.
Sometimes I catch myself longing for the past, though. Sometimes I read statuses on Facebook about going out with friends or going away for the weekend, and I miss that. I suppose this is natural, but I didn't think I would miss our friends as much as I do. You see, just as we were the first in our group of friends to get married, we were the first "couple" in our group(s) of (local) friends to have a baby, too. Before, we would watch Idol or LOST every week and stuff our faces with pizza, or we would have a game night or grill out and stay at each other's houses until early in the morning, laughing hysterically about nothing and everything. Of course, I would not trade what we have now - Duncan is so much better than pizza, hehe.
Our older, wiser friends and family "warned" us about how much having a baby changes your life. I believed them; but until you're actually in the situation, there's no way to comprehend how different life truly becomes with a baby. Our friends still have parties and dinners and all of those things, but the only difference is that now we hear about them afterward because we weren't invited. I'm not bitter about this, although it may sound that way. I mean, why would they invite us? Duncan goes to bed at 7:00, and unless we have a babysitter, we can't go anywhere. Wait, I take that back. We can't go anywhere TOGETHER; I can go or Eric can go, but that's not nearly as much fun when you end up feeling like the fifth wheel.
Like I said, I'm not sad about how things are now. I just miss how things were and I miss the spontaneity, but most of all I just miss seeing my friends. I have playgroup, and I am so thankful for Mama's Hip and all the wonderful and like-minded women I've met there, but it's not the same. When you're a parent, your child is your priority (as it should be), and going on a double date or having friends over for dinner is spent watching the babies play and trying to get them to eat, instead of having a glass or wine or watching television.
C'est la vie. Life goes on. Our married friends will have babies soon, and a "new" normal will find it's way into our lives ... playdates, afternoon trips to the zoo or the pool. I can't wait. Until then, we'll go about our routine and enjoy each day as it comes, because we only have so long with Duncan and I don't want to miss a second.
Sometimes I catch myself longing for the past, though. Sometimes I read statuses on Facebook about going out with friends or going away for the weekend, and I miss that. I suppose this is natural, but I didn't think I would miss our friends as much as I do. You see, just as we were the first in our group of friends to get married, we were the first "couple" in our group(s) of (local) friends to have a baby, too. Before, we would watch Idol or LOST every week and stuff our faces with pizza, or we would have a game night or grill out and stay at each other's houses until early in the morning, laughing hysterically about nothing and everything. Of course, I would not trade what we have now - Duncan is so much better than pizza, hehe.
Our older, wiser friends and family "warned" us about how much having a baby changes your life. I believed them; but until you're actually in the situation, there's no way to comprehend how different life truly becomes with a baby. Our friends still have parties and dinners and all of those things, but the only difference is that now we hear about them afterward because we weren't invited. I'm not bitter about this, although it may sound that way. I mean, why would they invite us? Duncan goes to bed at 7:00, and unless we have a babysitter, we can't go anywhere. Wait, I take that back. We can't go anywhere TOGETHER; I can go or Eric can go, but that's not nearly as much fun when you end up feeling like the fifth wheel.
Like I said, I'm not sad about how things are now. I just miss how things were and I miss the spontaneity, but most of all I just miss seeing my friends. I have playgroup, and I am so thankful for Mama's Hip and all the wonderful and like-minded women I've met there, but it's not the same. When you're a parent, your child is your priority (as it should be), and going on a double date or having friends over for dinner is spent watching the babies play and trying to get them to eat, instead of having a glass or wine or watching television.
C'est la vie. Life goes on. Our married friends will have babies soon, and a "new" normal will find it's way into our lives ... playdates, afternoon trips to the zoo or the pool. I can't wait. Until then, we'll go about our routine and enjoy each day as it comes, because we only have so long with Duncan and I don't want to miss a second.
3 Observations or Opinions:
I completely understand! In my case, I grew apart from my old friends, but have made some awesome new ones! I do miss the freedom before Liam, but like you said I wouldn't change it for ANYTHING. We are so lucky to have the lives and family and friends we have! Y'all are great parents...keep it up:o)
Um...were you reading my mind??!? I absolutely love my life, being at home with Aiden, FINALLY living closer to home....the possiblity of expanding the family, teaching lessons, etc etc etc. BUT, sometimes it does get hard. SOme of our old friends won't hang out with us anymore because it's "weird" that we had a child so young (which really ISN'T that young if you think about it). Like you I miss being able to run an errand in 10 minutes, or randomly decide to run out for drinks or take a spontaneous vacation. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE everything in my life, but just wish sometimes that we could be spontaneous again. One day...
I've been dealing with the same thoughts for the past....well, 7 months since Sam was born. I LOVE it, but I miss the old too. Guess we can't have the best of both worlds until they're a little older and can be spontaneous with us!
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