Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The List of One

People look at sweet little Lucy and are smitten by her cuteness. Then they see the dimple and they are slayed. Me too.

It’s interesting, though, that everyone always asks the same 2 questions: “Are you so happy?” or “Isn’t being a mom so fun?”

Those 2 questions always seem to throw me for a loop. "Happy" and "Fun" aren't exactly the first two adjectives that come rushing to my mind. Either I didn’t get the memo or all these people just forgot how long the sleep-deprived hangover phase lasted. I definitely think the “joy and rejoicing” part comes a little later when brushing my teeth is something I can actually do every day. Right?

I sometimes feel like the worst mom ever when I have to admit this motherhood thing is definitely kicking my butt. Or the thoughts at 2am and 3am and 4am and again at 5am where I envision a “Free Baby” sign on my lawn. It’s so much harder than I thought, but then again, that’s part of my problem. I thought I could just drop a baby into my already busy life and be fine. Man, am I getting schooled.

I was reaching out to an old friend of mine, Morgen, who just had baby #3. I asked her if it somehow got easier because I just can’t imagine putting myself through this again on purpose!

She laughed at me and told me I needed to change my expectations. She even said, “If you expect life to be like pre-baby with just a little one dropped in you are bound to be frustrated and exhausted and feel totally unproductive in life. But, if we embrace this chapter for what it is and accept the new pace and level of productivity that means a successful to-do list is one that only has keeping baby alive on it, then it all goes along pretty well. Time is going to pass, so might as well enjoy the ride with the little ones.”

What perfect advice for a novice like me. Thanks Morgen. So, you guessed it. I am re-evaluating my expectations and now I only have one thing on my to-do list, which is keeping the sweet little Lucy bean alive. And, you should know, I’m doing a really great job! :)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Lucy’s First Race

Lucy’s first 5k run was great! She passed all the other babies that were merely strolling down State Street like it was a cake walk. It was so easy for her, she slept most of the way—I was amazed. And by far, she was for sure the cutest runner of them all.

The funniest part of this race was that I signed up for it back in November when I was as big as a house. I thought to myself, “Sure, 4 months after I have a baby…oh yeah, I can totally run a half marathon.” Yes, I thought that for real. I even signed up for it and paid the money.

When I tried to start training for the run, I learned 2 things. One is that I am an idiot and had absolutely no earthly idea what I was getting myself into. Two is that it takes a minute post-baby where running doesn’t feel like something you would only do if you were being chased by a wild animal who thought you looked a lot like breakfast.

I was too embarrassed to go pick up my packet and admit how foolish I was, so I sent my cousin Brie to do it for me. Happily she signed me up for the 5k instead of the half marathon and no one thought twice about it. Except me. It was a harsh dose of reality, but I’m getting a lot of those these days. All in all, I will have to say it was the best 5k Lucy and I have ever run. And since it was the only one, it can only get better from here...right? Please say yes.