10 Things I Miss About my Pre Baby Life

At the risk of sounding selfish, there are some things that I truly miss from the days when it was just Luke, Bundy and me. This is not a list of woe-is-me gripes about what pregnancy and breastfeeding has done to my body, we all experience that in varying degrees. What I am talking about are those simple things that you took for granted when you really only had to consider yourself in your plans.

1. Walking out the door with nothing but my keys and handbag.
Remember that??? The days when you didn't have to make your dash out to do your one priority task for the day carefully timetabled between sleeps, naps and possible dirty nappies. The days when you didn't have to ensure that you had at the bare minimum a pram, 10 nappies, wipes, dummies, a change of clothes (or several), drinks, snacks and a variety of toys.

2. Having a shower when it suits me.
Or going to the toilet for that matter. I remember laughing at a friend who said that washing her hair had become a luxury since she had children, rest assured this has come back to bite me on a nearly daily basis.

3. Eating whatever I felt like.
From the moment you find out you are pregnant, everything that passes your lips is subject to scrutiny both from yourself and others and just when I thought it was safe to venture back into the land of tastebuds, I started breastfeeding. I am still somewhat bitter about being told not to eat too much sugar at a family Christmas party when Skye was 3 weeks old because "it will make her itchy". Really? Without wine, what else was I going to do?

4. Buying clothes for myself.
Go on, admit it, you think nothing of spending a small fortune on clothes, toys, books, decor for your children, but are reluctant to splash out on a new jacket for yourself. Its so much easier to find things for Skye, and her stuff is always so cute!

5. Grocery shopping was not the highlight of my week.
In the early days, going out to do the groceries by myself was somewhat of a treat. Because I breastfed and Skye never accepted a bottle for me to express, I could really only be out of the house for 3 hours max, but that time on my own was heaven! You will be pleased to know I have since returned to my normal grocery shopping loathing self.

6. Not being a human mute button.
My husband is quite loud and I used to think this was one of his endearing qualities, however, his ability to gravitate towards Skye's bedroom to take phone calls, empty garbage bins, fossick for obscure household items and most recently whistle(?!?) while she is napping simply astounds me. Sadly for all my shushing I have not yet had the satisfaction of her waking up as a result of his noisy behaviour. Which brings me to my next point...

7. Sneezing out loud.
No, as promised this is not a complaint about my pelvic floor. Possibly as a result of my constant shushing, I am unable to so much as sneeze at the other end of the house without waking Skye from her slumber.

8. Going out without a curfew.
Skye is a generally happy, tolerant and fun toddler to be around, unless you deprive her of sleep. Luke and I have never been big on staying out late, but we do occasionally enjoy being out after dark for such wild activities as having dinner at the pub or BBQ's with friends. Our solution to this problem is be home by 9, or invite ourselves for a slumber party.

9. Putting coffee on my coffee table.
Being able to place a cup of coffee or tea on my coffee table without fear of it been grabbed is a distant memory to me now! Oh how I long for the heady days of putting an item on a flat surface below chest height.

10. Having an alarm with a snooze button.
My new alarm doesn't seem possess this function, once she goes off in the morning (or any other time for that matter) its time to get up, end of discussion.