Are You Ready?

Dear Mia,

The one question I get asked constantly is "Are you ready?"  As in, are you ready to be a Mom?  To have a baby?  To have your life completely and utterly turned upside down?  To not be able to use the bathroom without interruptions?  And each time I say no, that there's no way we'll ever be 100% ready.  How can we be ready for something so life-changing, so incredible and so monumental?  Your birth will forever change the dynamic of our family and our needs (as it should) but there's just no way to prepare for that.  I feel that all I can do is have an open mind, an open heart and relax.  I know we'll figure it out together!

One of the things I know will change the most is our daily family routine.  The weekly schedule is always changing and adapting, but I know once you're here it'll be totally turned upside down!

Your Dad and I moved into our house the last weekend in May of last year.  The move meant that your Dad no longer had a long drive to work, but that I now did.  We've tried a variety of morning and evening routines since then, perfecting who's in charge of dinner, letting the dogs out, taking out the trash, etc.  The schedule has also changed slightly as I've become more and more pregnant.  I just don't have the energy to be as productive each day like I used to.  So now instead of having really long weekdays and relaxing weekends, I try to give myself a break on the weekdays and save my energy for long, productive weekends.  I thought it'd be interesting to document what life is like now, and compare it to the new life we'll lead once you arrive.  So here it is!

Life Before Mia, Part 1:

Each weekday your Dad and I roll out of bed shortly after 6:00am.  The dogs have been up since our alarm clocks went off the first time (roughly 15 minutes earlier) and they're busy shaking their collars, stretching and generally making it impossible for us to ignore them.  Your Dad takes the herd downstairs, feeds them, lets them outside and gives Toby his pills.  Meanwhile, I shower and start my getting-ready-for-work routine that lasts until 7:20am.  Your Dad also eats breakfast, showers and gets ready for work during that time.  Around 7:30am we both back out of the driveway headed to work.  I settle in for an hour commute and eat breakfast on the way.

I work from 8:30am-5:00pm with an hour break for lunch.  Sometimes over my break I'll run errands and eat my lunch at my desk.  Lately, however, I prefer to take it easy and enjoy my lunchtime in a comfy chair, reading my Kindle.  I leave work at 5:00pm and get home at 6:00pm.  Your Dad works from 8:00am-5:00pm and also gets a hour for lunch.  He spends his break at home and eats lunch, lets the dogs out and gives Toby his afternoon pill.  He leaves work at 5:00pm and gets home soon after.  He lets the dogs out again, checks the mail and gets dinner started.  More to come!

Love,
Momma