Before I became a parent, I lived quite a relaxed lifestyle. I did things on my schedule. I did things when I felt like doing them. If I felt like laying in bed all day watching Lifetime movies and eating an entire box of chocolate chip cookies, I could. Who was going to stop me?

Ten months ago, all of that changed. I became a parent. I became the person responsible for a tiny, helpless child. Suddenly, there were diapers to change, feeding schedules, sleeping schedules and tons upon tons of laundry to be done. My life as I knew it was gone.

As I whipped through the house lastnight picking up toys, dirty clothes, and sippy cups, I started putting together this list in my mind of things that I miss about my life before my son was born:

• Sleeping in on Saturday mornings without a 6:00 a.m. wake up call from the next room.


• Letting the dishes pile up in the sink until the weekend because I just didn't feel like doing them.


• Running a "quick" errand.


• Spending endless weekend hours working on web page code or designs.


• Reading books (and actually finishing them).


• Finishing the week's laundry in only three loads.


• Wearing clothes without spit-up, drool, or snot on the shoulder.


• Going to a movie or out to dinner at the spur of the moment.


• Microwaved dinners with absolutely no nutritional value.


• Not feeling guilty when I want to buy myself something.


• Watching TV for hours on end with no interuptions.


• Eating a meal without sharing half of the food on my plate.


• Drinking a few too many margaritas without having to worry about how many times the baby would wake up that night.


• Paying the bills and having money left over.
  

I'm sure there is a lot more I could add to that list. While I miss my old life at times, I certainly wouldn't give up what I have now for anything. My son keeps me on my toes, fills my heart, and enriches my life in so many ways. Being a parent is everything I ever imagined it to be and more. All it takes is one little smile or a few minutes snuggling with my little man to remind me that I am the luckiest woman in the world.

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