new chapter

You know your life is going to change when you have a baby. You know you're going to sleep less (as every existing parent delights in warning you), take longer to get ready in the morning (understatement) and you worry like you've never worried before.

But here are some other little changes I've noticed recently that I didn't really think about in advance:

* I take a lot longer now to wash my hands, lathering for the full recommended 15 seconds (or the Happy Birthday song twice over);

* I wear more hand cream because all that hand washing tends to dry the skin a bit;

* After years - decades - of never needing to visit the doctor, I'm now visiting at least weekly, and often up to three times a week between Oliver's GP, paediatrician, urologist and cardiac team;

* I'm drawing much more attention in supermarket queues and other public places - or rather Oliver is - as everyone wants to fuss over the baby, ask his age and tell Mum about their kids/grand kids/nieces/nephews/etc;

* I'm actually striking up conversations with strangers with babies in public places, fussing over their little one, asking its age and telling them about my own two-month-old;

* I'm forgetting words, presumably due to lack of sleep. And we're not just talking about the big, rarely used words. Some recent examples: "wood," "alter," "mind games," and "deadline" (although my editor would claim the latter was never in my vocabulary to begin with);

* At the same time, I'm also inserting random, unrelated words into sentences - again, at least I hope, due to lack of sleep. For example, instead of saying, "The spoons are in that drawer over there," I might say, "The books are in that drawer over there." Where did the word "books" come from?! This is one is especially frustrating;

* I've never really cared much about babies - or little boys - in the past, except those that are strikingly outstanding in some way, whether in looks or personality. But now, all babies (even the homely ones) seem so amazing and precious when I see them I could almost weep, and little boys (especially the ones that Oliver could look like when he's that age) are actually really very cute.

* My reading list is now comprised entirely of children's books;

* After years and years of trying to beat deadlines (yes, I do know what the word means) and make it to appointments on time and over-booking and flying about like a cat on fire, I've been enjoying slowing down - actually driving the speed limit at times, taking long-cuts when out walking and sitting still for Oliver's hour-long gorges, up to eight times a day! I'm starting to think that life is fast enough when you're moving through it slowly, and that I need to take my time and enjoy things a little bit more. Oliver is only nine-and-a-half weeks, but already when I see a fresh newborn and see how big and alert Ols is now I start to panic just a little. I knew babies grow fast, but I didn't think it would be this fast. While I'm not one of those mum's who wants them to stay this age forever, I wouldn't mind him slowing down just a little bit so I can appreciate every stage to the fullest, however one goes about doing that. Perhaps it's by slowing down yourself.

So it's been an amazing two months, and the learning curve has been quite an adventure. It really does change one's world - in big ways and in small ways. And that's part of what makes it so good.