Top Ten Things I Miss About Pre-Baby Life

Tonight James and I dropped the kids off at a friend’s house and headed down to Albany for our first Date Night in over a year.  We laughed at ourselves because of the anti-romantic atmosphere that our mini van provided. It was littered with some toy tugboats, a Happy Meal box, a plastic firefighter hat, candy wrappers, and a discarded banana costume. We commented on the unfamiliar silence coming from the back of the car. Our lives are so dominated by childrearing that we’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to have no one to worry about but ourselves.

(James and Jenny, 2003)

So, in honor of Date Night, here are the Top 10 Things I Miss About Pre-Baby Life:

1.)    SLEEP- Before I had kids there were days when I would sleep in past 10 o’clock. Heck, nowadays I’d rejoice for 7! I honestly cannot remember the last time I was able to get an uninterrupted night of sleep.

2.)    MOVIES- There were times in my pre-baby days that I’d seen every single movie showing at the theatres, even if it was bad. Now I have Netflix and watch everything at home, and if a movie doesn’t entice me after ten minutes I say ‘to hell with it’ and go to bed.

3.)    BODY- There was a time that I had a cute butt and a skinny waste. Now I have stretch marks from my knees to my boobs, big flabby arms, and a jiggly belly.

(Jenny, 2003)

4.)    FRIENDS- I had some awesome relationships with a lot of great people who I hardly talk to now. After I became a mother my perspectives and priorities changed and I had less and less in common with some of my friends.

5.)    HOUSE- Believe it or not, I used to maintain a clean and orderly house- never a crumb on the floor or a book out of place. But that was before my little monsters came along. Now I feel happy as long as the clothes are clean and the dishes are washed.

6.)    SHOPPING- I remember those three hour long shopping trips with my sister when we strolled leisurely through the mall, stopping in all the stores, trying on a few outfits, and rarely buying a thing. Now it’s in and out as quickly as possible before someone throws a tantrum and hope to God I bought something that fits.

7.)    DISNEYLAND- Yes, the geographical distance has something to do with this one. But even if I still lived close to Disneyland it would be impossible for me to go and have fun since my kids are too small to ride and too young to understand the concept of waiting in line.

8.)    BOOKS- Oh, how I miss reading a good book! I’m lucky if I can find the time to read the newsletters that come home from Josie’s preschool.

(Jenny, 2005)

9.)    SEX- I’ll spare you the details but, as you can imagine, having three kids takes a toll on a once very active and exciting sex life.

10.) HOBBIES- My time used to be filled with re-enacting, scrapbooking, and painting. Now I change diapers and breastfeed.

Yes, having children definitely closes some doors.

But having kids also opens a lot of big & beautiful windows. I wouldn’t trade any amount of sleep, a supermodel’s body, endless rides on Space Mountain, and all the best-sellers combined for my precious babies.