So the life changing news is positive: you’re going to have a baby! But the fact remains, your life is going to change forever. While you go full-throttle nesting, take some time to enjoy your life just as it is today, and savor your freedom in these ways:
Photo via charamelody on Flickr
1. Go to the movies because it never seems worth it to go when you have to pay a babysitter.
Photo via britta heise on Flickr
2. See a live show, one that starts late because almost nothing will get you to stay out past 10 p.m. again.
Photo via stefanos papachristou on Flickr
3. Go dancing because pretty soon you realize, the only time you ever get to dance in public is at weddings, and how many of those do you have coming up?.
Photo via John Stritzinger on Flickr
4. Take a stroll that lasts all afternoon because between nap time, lunch time and bed time there’s never time for exploring, and the bonus is, if you’re past your due date, walking can induce labor.
Photo via Christophe LEUNG on Flickr
5. Visit an old friend particularly one who’s moved across the country or overseas, because after the baby, vacation is all about family.
Photo courtesy of Shutterfly
6. Make a photo album of the past year (or years) because your pre-baby life is going to turn into a distant memory the second you hold your little nugget, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth remembering.
Photo via Zlatko Unger on Flickr
7. Eat slow, peaceful dinners at witching hour because before baby, we take it for granted that once you sit down to dinner, you get to stay seated until you’re finished.
Photo via Pedro Ribeiro Simões on Flickr
8. Lay around, doing nothing, with your eyes closed especially in the open air, because it’s going to be a long while before you can, or will want to, take your eyes off your baby.
Photo via jennifer yin on Flickr
9. Do something on a whim, like get away for the weekend because those little babies melt your heart so fast, you won’t want to leave them for an entire weekend any time soon.
Photo via David Eschmann on Flickr
10. Play golf, or whatever sports you love so you can remember how vital they are to your mental health, so you find a way to keep playing after baby (even if it’s 9 instead of 18 holes).
Photo courtesy of Valley Nail
11. Get manicures and pedicures the full-on spa kind that take forever, and while we’re on grooming, let’s remember nice hair cuts, and long baths.
Photo via Diego Sevilla Ruiz on Flickr
12. Read whole articles and whole books because any new parent will tell you, she’s got a nightstand piled with unfinished books, and a brain filled with just the headlines.
Photo courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman
13. Go shopping and try on clothes with abandon before the Internet becomes your only store.
Photo via Ed Yourdon on Flickr
14. Be nice to parents of young kids because someday it will be your kid screeching at the grocery store or walking too slow up the subway stairs, and your stroller blocking the sidewalk.
Photo via Rolf Venema on Flickr
15. Take a quiet moment to acknowledge your good fortune because in a few months, you’re getting the extraordinary chance to see the world through your baby’s brand new eyes.
How are you taking advantage of those last moments of life before becoming a parent? Tell us in a Comment.
–Anna Knoebel
