The Paper Bag

Today I packed away even more baby clothes. I felt so annoyed as I looked at another box full of 6 month clothes that no longer fit my giant of a 5 month old. The thought of having to buy MORE clothes again soon makes me feel sick. And my mind wonders to the stash of paper bags that could easily be fashioned into a makeshift dress until my little man decides to slow his growth spurt down. With just a few holes for arms and his head plus duck tape to keep it all together I'd be set. Who would have ever imagined he'd grow so quickly?
You see there are so many unexpected things when you have a baby.
When a baby is born lives are changed dramatically. While pregnant it is so hard to imagine what your life will be like once your little one arrives and then in the blink of an eye the little person growing inside your ever enlarging belly makes their entrance into the world and nothing can ever be the same. When once you spent an hour each morning doing hair, make-up and dolling yourself up you now will double your time because you must feed, bath, and dress baby. Then get yourself halfway ready only to inevitably change a diaper and pack a diaper bag. Now if your lucky you get to finish getting ready yourself and load your car to it's maximum weight capacity with toys, books, bottles, diapers, clothes, first aid supplies, snacks, changes of clothes for yourself (in case baby decides you are a perfect target for projectile vomit, spit, or even poo) as well as any new fangled gadget baby manufacturers have produced to make your life quote unquote easier...
If you think getting ready is the biggest challenge of all you are so very very wrong. After enduring 9 long months of abstaining from drinking, dangerous activities, and if you're as lucky as I was even eating, you now get to sit back and once again be left out. On the fun ski trips you will get the joy of watching your friends and spouse play in the powdery snow whilst you smell the rancid stench of microwaved hot dogs. And drinking? HA! If you've chosen to breast feed you now get to play a fun mathematics game every time you drink... 1 drink = 2 hours before breastfeeding so best to down one quick drink as soon as you finish feeding or else you wont make the time limit before the next feeding!
You might think that after popping out your baby your belly will return to it's normal size and shape like the super models and movie stars... LIES! I have slowly come to grips with the fact that though my body was far from perfect to begin with it is forever changed... And so as you strategically put together outfits that hide the less than attractive parts you may eye your old clothes a little longingly.
For many of us moms work because non-existent and our social lives fall quickly behind as well. Those good books you've been wanting to read will just have to wait and your favorite tv shows ought to be recorded in advance because chances are you will not get the chance to sit down and watch them all the way through.
But these aren't the only types of changes you'll find to your new life.
Your heart and soul are forever changed in ways that words can not explain. You find within yourself a reserve of patience you thought only nuns and saints could possibly have and you begin to wonder what possibly made you want to get out of bed before your little one arrived. You'll find yourself though utterly exhausted filled with the urge to stay awake just to watch his small chest move up and down with each tiny breath and his precious eyes flutter with whatever dreams a baby could possibly have. And you know you could never go back. Back to the days of living for yourself. Back to the time of clean clothes and plenty of space. Back to a life without your little one.
And all joking aside like me you'll catch yourself crying as you pack away clothes that your baby somehow too quickly grew out of because how could he ever grow past the stage of being able to hold each night? And yet, his growing also makes you smile because you know soon he will be doing amazing things and you are along for one amazing heck of a ride.