So we did it, we survived 12 whole months as parents! My baby girl recently celebrated her first birthday! Woot! Reflecting on this past year I have come to realize that having a baby makes it very difficult to do a lot of the things I used to find simple and quick. Here is a list, in no particular order, of the things I find it difficult to do now that there is a tiny munchkin in the mix:

1. Eating. Eating used to be a relatively simple task before I had a kid. If I was hungry I ate. If I wanted to go to a restaurant, I went. Not so simple anymore. If I eat something, the little person who lives with me will want some. This is particularly difficult when I am eating something she cannot have yet, either do to allergy concerns or the simple fact that she does not have enough teeth to consume it. Therefore eating has become something I must do in secret, usually while she is sleeping.
2. Watching TV. Gone are the days of flipping through the channels to see what is on E! or SoapNet. Now my television is either on PBS or playing SuperWhy off of the BlueRay player.
3. Sleeping. This has improved recently but in general it is difficult to sleep with a baby around. For one, they seem to know the second you fall asleep and they decide it is time to wake up to eat/play/scream, or do all three.
4. Shopping. I can barely remember what it is like to roam around a store and browse the aisles. Now shopping has become more like a military operation. I have a very specific list of items which I must find in the most efficient way possible. You see, some babies (read: mine!) have a very low tolerance for being in a shopping cart or stroller and meltdown very quickly once they realize they are strapped into something.
5. Blogging/Reading/Writing/Emailing. I lump these things together because they all fall into a similar category, i.e. focusing on something (often on the computer) that requires concentration and relative quiet. Not including when the baby is sleeping, it is next to impossible to get more than 30 seconds of uninterrupted time during any given day.

On the flip side, there are a few things that have become easier/better since our daughter’s arrival. Here is another list, in no particular order:

1. Love. Oh I love my extended family and I love my husband but the love I feel for my little girl? There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe it. She is quite simply the best person I have ever known.
2. Play. Yes I was a kid once and I used to play every single day. However I don’t remember it being anywhere near as much fun as watching my daughter play or spending time playing with her. She has re-introduced me to the importance of just sitting quietly in the grass.
3. Pretty much everything else. Yup, that’s right, pretty much everything else there is to do or see is better now because of my little girl. She is a light in a dark room.

Add to del.icio.us!