Everything's Changin'

I was thinking this morning of all of the things that have changed in my life since Trent was born.

1. Shower time. I cannot believe how fast I can shower now. I can do it in 5 minutes! With the door open and the heater off. I leave Trent in the swing while I'm in the shower, and I can see him. But I leave the heater off so I can hear him, too. I LOVE Sunday mornings because that means Chris is home, and I can have a warm, closed-door shower with the heater on. And I can shave without the hair growing back almost immediately because of goosebumps.

2. Sleep. Obviously, this was a total nightmare in the beginning. You know, where you think you may never sleep again? Or never again in increments longer than 2 hours? Well, that was our life in the first 6 weeks Trent was here. Oh Em Gee! The poor kid had formula problems for 6 weeks. Bad news, because once the gas had left the building, it was usually time for another feeding. But, heck, you have to feed them. Thank the Lord for soy formula. It smells to high Heaven, but it sure does the trick.

3. Money. Back before he was here, We would spend whatever on whatever. It didn't matter the price. If we wanted it, we got it. Now, we have daycare, formula, diapers, rice cereal, clothes, etc to pay for. And the baby comes first. Can I tell you that I am a coupon queen now? If there is a coupon, this momma knows about it. I used to cut them and then by the time I got to the store, I had forgotten them. Nope, not anymore. I make a list and note if I have a coupon for the item. I saved over $15 last week at Target with coupons. I know it's a pain to the people behind me, but I don't care.

4. Time. Well, I knew he would "change my life." But oh my gosh, I didn't know it would be as drastic as it had been. Before he was here, I would just go on my merry way, living day to day. Didn't matter if I didn't get the laundry done over the weekend because I could just finish it the next weekend. It didn't matter whether we ran out of something, because I could just wait till the next time I went to the store to get it. And I could spend my evenings watching TV and reading magazines. Not anymore. I make sure I get the next day's formula made the night before, the dishwasher run, Trent's bag packed, and the coffee maker ready to go. Now I make sure to get the laundry done over the weekend so I can have ample time to spend with Trent on the weekday nights. I make sure we're home around bath time(or at least pack bath and bed items if we're not going to be home) so he can get to sleep on time. Planning is key.

I would not change a thing though. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again. I have memories of what life was like before Trent, but I cannot imagine my life without him. Thank the Lord, He saw fit to give us this angel. Words cannot express my love for this sweet, sweet baby.