My Tiny Little World

It is weird how my life at home with my little guy has really changed my little world.

Before:
I was so busy. Almost every night of the week I was out doing something, whether it be small group Bible study, orchestra rehearsal, working out at the gym, or at some coffee house doing grad school homework, I was very busy.

I was a professional. I taught third grade for four years and was an assistant for second grade for one year prior to that. I taught in the north suburbs of Chicago where life was just as fast-paced as I was in my own life. I lived in a world of manicures, brand names, nice cars, and a HUGE, brand new school full of upper-middle-class families whose homes cost more money than I would make in a lifetime.

I aspired to be a political leader after teaching (and am still sorting through this) and began working in my Masters in Public Administration/Local Government Management. I had hopes of reforming the education system in our country, or at least in Illinois, by perhaps being a member of Congress, or working for our state government in some way.

(Me with the mayor of Vernon Hills, IL, all cheesy and everything.) :)

(Inspiration: the capital building in Springfield, IL)

I absolutely loved teaching and was addicted to being a student as well, continuously looking toward what I might study next (law? international human rights?).

I also enjoyed playing my French Horn and played in several different orchestras and taught lessons after school several days a week.

I was very involved at The Moody Church, where we attended for four years in Chicago, and enjoyed participating in their softball league, going to India on a mission trip, directing VBS for several years, participating in the music ministry, and much more.

But then, all of that changed.

When I saw this picture on the little screen at OB/GYN office, deep in my heart I knew that I had to stay home with this baby. This baby needed a mommy to take care of it.


After:
(Besides the fact that moving from the Chicago area back to Moline also drastically changed my world, the biggest change was certainly our little guy's entrance into our lives).


Now, I am not busy.
I go several days without leaving the house.
I rarely have a reason to set my alarm.
I hardly ever wear anything besides sweatpants and t-shirts.
I've played my horn twice since having Burkley (this greatly saddens me).
While I still am doing homework, I pretty much hate it.
I do not really desire to "change the world" of education (though it desperately needs it)...for some reason my passions and desires have changed.
I AM greatly interested in helping others in their adjustment to motherhood, probably due to the fact that I have had such a great time and have really enjoyed the experience so far. Also, because I am still who I am, in that I am kind of research/studying obsessed, I love researching all things parenting related and I feel that maybe I could use that new interest somehow in my life.
I am thinking about maybe becoming a postpartum doula.
We'll see. First I have to finish that dang Masters I started...which I will finish in June!

What's also different about my life is the amount of laundry I do each week.
Now, some may find this weird, but I LOVE DOING LAUNDRY. I get some weird high from it.
So, between cloth diapers and several outfits per day for the babe and for me (depending on where the spit-up lands), I am doing laundry several times a week instead of once a week.

Another major change is that everything seems to take twice as long to accomplish:
the dishes
cooking a meal
cleaning the house
getting out of the house
getting ready in the morning

Many more things belong in this "after" category, but I'll save those for part two of What I Have Learned, which I am working on compiling.

(and a picture just for fun) :)