3/1/12 There's a Baby in the House

I used to have candles and fancy scented soaps next to my bath tub.

Now I have rubber ducks, plastic sea turtles and a bottle of no more tears shampoo.

There's a baby in the house.

I used to worry about a room's "flow" and "use of space" when decorating.

Now I have safety gates blocking every doorway of every room.

There's a baby in the house.

I used to have a rule, "no eating in the living room".

Now there's apple juice stains on my ottoman and cheerios between the cushions of my couch.

There's a baby in the house.

I used to spend hours obsessing over the knobs and drawer pulls for the kitchen cabinets.

Now the only time I think about knobs is to make sure that the child-proof latches are properly locked around them.

There's a baby in the house.

I used to do one load of laundry a week.

Now I do a load of bibs, a load of onesies, a load of footed pj's, a load of tiny pants and socks (it's a miracle if my clothes even get washed at all).

There's a baby in the house.

I used to have exotic house plants for added bursts of color.

Now the plants are all safely out of reach and the bursts of color come from the books, alphabet toys and plastic blocks scattered across the floor.

There's a baby in the house.

I used to think my life was complete.

Now I have more love, and laughter, and joy, and sweet baby kisses than I could ever imagine, and I adore her more and more with every passing day.

There's a baby in the house.