The Ups & Downs
Chris & I woke up today to the sound of a little voice repetitively calling us across the hall. I opened my eyes and smiled and could see that Chris was doing the same. There’s just no better way to start the day. It’s the little things Caroline does, or the way she feels when I snuggle up with her, or sometimes just realizing that she’s ours, that makes life so unbelievably good. I find myself getting this rush of happiness that consumes me so many days. As a wise man once said, however, what comes up must come down. Luckily, the short time I spend being down is no match for how insanely good it feels to be up.
I’m not sure if my mood swings are an after effect of giving birth or if what I am experiencing are the ups and downs that are a normal and unavoidable part of life. Perhaps I expected my stay at home life to be like it was before the baby, minus the stress, minus the angry customers and constant deadlines, minus running around like a crazy woman most days, allowing my state of mind to remain at the peak of happiness it typically resides. But I do get down some days. It can get lonely, some days are monotonous, and when I do venture out I am often reminded of how inconsiderate people can be. It is also very easy to get caught up in little things. My world revolves around Caroline, and that’s how I want it to be. I have to be careful, though, because it is so easy to go from working towards something, like setting Caroline’s eating and sleeping schedule, to obsessing over it and in the midst of it all, forgetting about my own needs. When that happens there is no where to go but down.
Having a baby teaches you that you can’t always be in control. From the moment I realized that and started to be a more relaxed Mom, Caroline’s schedule seems to have improved on its own. And now that I am aware of just how horrible I feel if I don’t take the time for myself each day to work out or break the routine and do something new once in a while, I make certain and do these things for my own well being. I believe that a happy Mom makes a happy baby.
I’m not sure if my mood swings are an after effect of giving birth or if what I am experiencing are the ups and downs that are a normal and unavoidable part of life. Perhaps I expected my stay at home life to be like it was before the baby, minus the stress, minus the angry customers and constant deadlines, minus running around like a crazy woman most days, allowing my state of mind to remain at the peak of happiness it typically resides. But I do get down some days. It can get lonely, some days are monotonous, and when I do venture out I am often reminded of how inconsiderate people can be. It is also very easy to get caught up in little things. My world revolves around Caroline, and that’s how I want it to be. I have to be careful, though, because it is so easy to go from working towards something, like setting Caroline’s eating and sleeping schedule, to obsessing over it and in the midst of it all, forgetting about my own needs. When that happens there is no where to go but down.
Having a baby teaches you that you can’t always be in control. From the moment I realized that and started to be a more relaxed Mom, Caroline’s schedule seems to have improved on its own. And now that I am aware of just how horrible I feel if I don’t take the time for myself each day to work out or break the routine and do something new once in a while, I make certain and do these things for my own well being. I believe that a happy Mom makes a happy baby.
posted by Alissa at 3:52 PM
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