10 Ways Life Has Changed With A Baby

Here is my list of 10 practical ways our everyday life has changed since Kate joined our family.  Our life has changed a good bit, and although a lot of things are very different, they're different in a GOOD way!  This is all just part of the new normal!  : )

1. We run our dishwasher just about EVERY day, instead of just once a week!  
Pre-Kate, Kevin and I would run our dishwasher about once a week.  Maybe.  And it probably wouldn't even be completely full when we ran it.  Now, our dishwasher is always running.  I can't complain though.  It's definitely better than those first few weeks when we were in a hotel room in NC.  During that time, Kate was eating every 2 hours and we had to wash all of her bottles by hand.  Thank goodness for our dishwasher!

Luckily we're on a well, or our water bill would be MUCH higher because in addition to running the dishwasher every day...

2. We do laundry ALL the time.
I knew we'd be doing more laundry, but who knew such a little person could generate so much laundry.  Between burp cloths, blankets, multiple clothing changes per day, crib sheets, and swaddle blankets, Kate's laundry is keeping me busy! Oh and MY clothes get washed more often too for obvious reasons.

3. I don't sleep past 7:30, even on the weekend.
Kate gets up at 7:30 am every day: Monday-Sunday.  We've kept Kate on a BabyWise schedule which has been awesome at helping her to sleep through the night, but part of BabyWise is starting her day at the same time every day.  Because of my work schedule, I get up at 6:30 and get myself ready.  Then Kate gets up at 7:30 so I have time to feed her a bottle, get her dressed for the day, and spend a little quality time in the morning before I head to the office.  On the weekends, I get to "sleep in" til 7:30.  At this point, I'm so used to getting up by 7:30 (at the latest) that I don't think I could sleep later than that even if I wanted to!  I think somehow you just get used to functioning on less sleep.  It's the new "normal"!  Besides, mornings are the most fun time of the day with Kate anyway.  I definitely wouldn't want to miss it!

4. My wardrobe and accessories have changed.
I try to dress modestly anyway, but now I've learned that even decent v-neck shirts should no longer be a part of my wardrobe.  Kate is at the point where she loves to be held upright- either on my hip or over my shoulder.  She loves to be able to look around.  However, if I wear a v-neck shirt then she assumes that the lowest part of the "V" is her handle and that's where her hand just automatically goes.  So of course she pulls on my shirt, which is no good.  V-necks are now OUT at least for the time being.

I have also retired most of my necklaces, because they're another thing that Kate loves to pull on.  I'm still wearing earrings but I'm thinking that those are going to be out pretty soon too!

5. We eat at home a LOT more instead of eating out.
Kevin and I used to eat out a good bit.  We still run by to pick up Moe's or something quick and easy for supper occasionally, but we've been eating a LOT more of our meals at home.  My crock-pot is quickly becoming my best friend.

It's so easy to use and it is GREAT to be able to come home to a dinner that is already warm and ready to eat.  I've been trying out lots of new recipes.  Some are keepers, and some we won't be trying again.  I tried a Salmon Bake recipe in the crock pot and it was not good at all, but Max and Cooper sure enjoyed it.  Last week I made Italian Chicken in the crock pot and it was so good.  This one will definitely be added to our dinner rotation.  If anyone cares to try it out, here's the recipe.  We had it over rice, but I think it would be just as good over pasta.

6. We don't watch TV shows when they actually come on. We DVR everything!
Our TV watching in total has dramatically decreased, but the few things that we do watch usually get DVR'd and then are watched at a later date.  Kevin even DVR'd the Georgia/Auburn game today.  The real reason that we DVR stuff is because we're doing #7 below.

7. Our entertainment consists of trying to get Kate to smile, and we feel like we have won the lottery when it happens. 
I don't really have to explain this one.  Who wouldn't want to play with this cute little girl and try to get a few smiles instead of doing other things?  Now we're working on trying to get a few REAL laughs!  She's still trying to figure that one out.  She does laugh, but sometimes she'll startle herself when she does it.  It's the cutest thing.

8. We PLAN. There is no "spur of the moment".
Gone are the days when we decide to go see a movie in the theater on a weeknight.  We plan just about everything, and it all revolves around Kate's schedule.  We don't micro-plan her schedule because then we would have no life, but she is definitely on a schedule.  We know when she eats, and when she's going to be hungry so it makes planning what we want to do MUCH easier.  Still, we definitely have to plan.  With a little bit of thought and planning, we can go/do just about anything with a baby.

9. We brag about Kate instead of about Max and Cooper... sorry boys!
All of our funny stories used to be about Max and Cooper.  They were our "kids", but not in a annoying/weird sort of way (I hope).  They still do funny things, but now our stories usually center around Kate...  as if that's not obvious by all of the pictures of her on this blog.  It seems like she does something new every single day. So, sorry boys.  We still love you.

10. I talk to strangers every where I go.
Let's face it.  People LOVE babies.  Not just women either.  Lots of people love babies.  I used to be able to go to the grocery store, pick up the items I need, and then head home.  I'd smile at people that I passed in the process, but generally I didn't talk to "strangers".  Not anymore.  Babies are apparently the ultimate conversation-starter.  If Kate is with me, people will comment on her hair, or her smile, or they'll ask how old she is, or any number of baby related questions/comments.  And really, what new mommy doesn't like to talk about their baby?  I'm no exception to that rule, so I really don't mind any of the comments.
The one comment that starts the longest random stranger conversation is when someone looks at me and says "You just had a baby!?"  I feel compelled to explain "No, she's adopted", which then opens up a whole new conversation and before I know it, it's been 5, 10, then 15 minutes.  I really don't mind this either though.  Kate's story is so special to us, and I LOVE being able to share it and share how God has worked in our lives and brought Kate into our family.

So there you have it.  MY top 10 ways life has changed with Kate. Our life is way different than it was pre-Kate, but it is different in a totally good way!  It's a whole lot busier and crazy, but it's perfect.  It's the new normal and we wouldn't change a thing.

THIS makes everything worth it:

I'm linking up this post with Satisfaction Through Christ's baby link-up.  Feel free to check out some of the other great baby posts!