Baby Blog

I love my son more than anything else on this planet but looking after him can be more than exhausting. There are days when I feel capable of anything and there are other days when getting out of bed makes me tired. I have learned in the last year how important it is to make time for me so I can be the best mom I can be everyday no matter how much sleep I’ve had.

Taking an extra five or ten minutes in the shower is a chance to really unwind, relax your muscles and pretend you are free, single and still 18. Well, perhaps don’t go that far into fantasy land but certainly enjoy the alone time. In the shower you can’t hear what’s going on in the other room as your husband tries to feed your fussy son. For just a few minutes the world can disappear.

I know its sounds crazy but on those rare occasions when I have the opportunity to get out of bed before my son and my husband (we work opposite shifts) I love to plop on the couch in my comfy PJs watch mindless women’s televisions and drink copious amounts of coffee drenched with French vanilla creamer. The quiet is relaxing, like stealing a little girl time for myself. It’s like taking a sickie and its fun.

Going to the library and getting a book for me and not just another stack of board books or easy readers for the little guy is a little bit of me time. It may take three or four weeks to get through a single paperback fiction but those few stolen minutes make a big difference. When I cook dinner, I can read a few chapters as I wait for the potatoes to boil. I’m actually getting pretty good at stacking the dishwasher and reading at the same time. Hey we multitask every other area of our lives right?

Window shopping for stuff I will never buy is one of my greatest guilty pleasures. I spend so much of my spare time and money buying things for my son, it’s easy to forget about myself.  And let’s be honest, once the baby shows up there really isn’t extra cash for silly or extravagant purchases. Once or twice a month, I leave my little boy with my husband and drive into town by myself (oh the luxury of solitary!) to fake shop. I’ll pretend there’s money for new dresses, facials and massages and come home with a scented candle and a face mask. You wouldn’t believe how good it feels.

We all love our babies but we need to remember to love ourselves. We are women and we may not roar like we used to before we became mommies but we still deserve a little time to ourselves. We need to remember who we are as people not just parents. So steal a little time for yourself this week. It will make you happier and that in turn will make your baby happier.