life before baby

“I’m sorry, you have to be 21 to come inside.”

I’d walked past this restaurant in our neighborhood daily.  It looked wonderful and I couldn’t wait to try it out.  I decided to treat myself to lunch there.

“Oh, that’s sweet of you, but I’m 30.”

“No, the baby.  He can’t come in.”

“Uhhhh… but I’m just here for lunch?”

“No one under 21 is allowed.”

Sigh.  As I walked home to last night’s leftovers, I couldn’t help but dream about a few of the the things I miss from my life before baby.

beforebaby

[us, pre-baby. photos by Melissa Oholendt.]

Let’s start with something small…

Getting my hair colored, regularly.

I’m not much of a girly girl.  I don’t wear makeup unless it’s a big occasion.  I hate shopping for clothes.  But oh, how I love sitting in an Aveda salon getting my hair done [yes, it must be Aveda. it’s a weird thing about me. moving on…]

It was so easy before baby.  I went every 8 weeks.  I’d relax and read trashy magazines.  My highlights always looked nice & natural.

Then came baby.  Now, 12 weeks go by as I grow more disgusted with my too-visible roots.  I struggle to find a weekend appointment that will work with my husband’s schedule & is well timed with the baby’s nursing.  And after I finally make it to the salon, I spend most of my time in the chair… thinking about how I miss that baby.  [sidenote: why don’t salons offer childcare?]

Leisurely wandering the aisles of Target.

Don’t get me wrong.  I still go to Target.  But now my cart comes strapped with a ticking bomb, the beeps slowly accelerating, reminding me that I’m getting closer & closer to an epic meltdown.

Oh, some cute new designer stationery products just came out?  Too bad.  Baby is DONE. Only two things left on my list [stationery not included]?  Figures, they’re on opposite sides of the store.  Sigh.  Maybe next time.  Or maybe if I planned it properly and we got to the store at just the right……….

Having things go according to plan.

Yup, I’m a planner.  Much to the chagrin of my husband, I even start the weekends by saying ‘what’s our plan for the day?’  And as hard as I try to pick the perfect time for a playdate… it’s inevitable that baby will decide to wake up super early THAT day.  The supposedly perfectly-timed-playdate now features an over-tired kid that wants to ruin the fun for everyone.  Every dang time.

I could make a longer list.  Actually, I had planned for the list to be longer [I haven’t even gotten to the glory of pre-baby SLEEP!] except my son decided his plan for today would include a shortened nap.  Like I said… nothing goes according to my plan anymore.

But, when I go upstairs to get him from his nap, he’ll be sitting in that crib, face all smooshed with wrinkle lines from the sheet, and an enormous smile on his face.  Reminding me just how sweet these days with baby are… last night’s leftovers, awful roots & all.

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