Henry is the center of my universe, obvsies. I love him so much for the same reasons every parent loves their child, but being a mom has led to a few unanticipated perks. Here are a few:
I eat better.
Pre-preg, I was a pretty shitty eater. I've always loved fast food (sue me) and I never finished a salad until long after college. Now that I have my picky little Henry, I get to eat his leftovers, which are particularly handy in the morning (banana, blueberries, other yummy fruit). I'm more full in the morning, and crave the bad stuff less.
I work out more.
I gained 50 lbs when I was pregnant. It sucked. I became very self-conscious of my body postpartum and forced myself to go to Pure Barre classes beginning when Henry was 2 months old. Henry's 15 months old now and I weigh 10 lbs less than I did pre-preg.
I call my parents more.
I constantly want to tell them about the latest cute thing he's done, but mostly I call to ask for parenting advice. And I enjoy (most) every conversation.
I work at an insanely efficient pace.
Grad school is tough and requires a lot of time management. I thought I was good at juggling things before Henry, but now that I have the little monkey, I insist on making the most out of the time that he's in day care so I can devote my mornings, evenings, and weekends to him. I get more done by lunch than I used to in a full day.
I think beyond grad school.
Pre-Henry, I was pretty content to couch everything in the name of my program. I get heart palpitations when I think about the Saturdays I spent my first year holed up doing statistics labs, or the miles I logged driving to see my first client almost daily. Granted things naturally eased up after that first year, I've definitely gained some perspective on where I see myself and my family in a few years. It's not just academic journals and evidence-based practice. It's also family vacations and trips to museums. Walks in the neighborhood and family hugs.
At first, I thought having Henry was going to throw me completely off track. Instead, he's put me on the right one.
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