So, my baby girl is a year old now! (Excuse me while I have a Mommy Moment) This year has been amazingly crazy, and not because of the pandemic. So, I decided to come up with a list of things I’ve learned in the past year.
- Make your deadlines flexible- Life happens. Taking care of a tiny human is hard work and exhausting, even if you have help. You’ll have days where Baby just wants to cling to you. (Usually during growth spurts and teething because bone growing is painful.) So, you won’t get your words in for the day or that blog post won’t get done until 11:00 at night. Don’t worry about it. Adjust some things and keep going as best you can
- Coffee is your best friend- I have probably consumed more coffee in the past year than I have in my whole life. I have at least 2 large cups a day. More if I am able to splurge on Dunkin Donuts because their frozen coffees are sent from Heaven.
- It’s okay to have lazy cuddle days- This is restating part of point 1. There will be days when Baby just wants to snuggle. There will be days where you’re burned out and can’t do anything except binge Netflix. (Which you can totally say is research depending on what you’re watching) And that’s okay!
- Get outside or you will go nuts- Even with this pandemic going on, even the most introverted person needs to go out once in a while. I’m glad the weather is starting to have more warm days where I live. And, hopefully less rain is on the horizon. Every chance I can, I stick Little Bits on the stroller and we go outside. I even borrowed a couple folding chairs so I can sit outside and she can roll around on the grass and explore. (Long as it’s not too muddy. Either way, I put an old blanket down) Fresh air and sunshine are good for you. Go for a drive! I had to do that a couple weeks ago. Packed up the kiddo and just drove. And, it was wonderful!
- You’ll probably only get work done during naps… if you have the energy for it– Now that we’re on somewhat of a schedule, I know when I can get some work done. It’s usually 1st nap for about half an hour and her 2nd nap is longer. And, on top of that, she’s at an age where she’s starting to entertain herself so I can have her in her little play saucer in my office and she plays and babbles while I write.
- Dump and Go Crockpot meals, also your best friend- Nothing like being able to chuck all your ingredients into the crockpot, set it for 6 hours, and then dinner cooks itself. And, I have a huge crockpot so we can have 1 meal all week or I can send leftovers to my family.
- Baby Shark is the most annoying ear worm on the planet and I hate it- I may be in the minority here but I haaaate the Baby Shark song. I know kids get a kick out of it but I just can’t take it and I will not play it in my house. Little Bits can listen to it at grandma’s house.
- If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t be at your best for your family- I have a few health issues I’ve mentioned before so I won’t repeat. But, I will say, these conditions make me feel exhausted. But, I have a very active kid that I’m the majority care-giver for. So, I have to keep up with medications and eating healthy and staying hydrated and all those things so I can keep her from playing with wires and chase after her when we can go outside in the summer. Fortunately, Husband can help while he’s working from home but he still has a full time job.
So, those are a few things I’ve learned in the past year as a parent writer. New lessons are always being learned because parenting is a wild ride.
Have a great week. Stay healthy and safe.