Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Who’s that girl?

I used to be many things. I used to be an accountant, a work colleague, a photographer, a traveller, a reader. I used to be able to hold an interesting conversation, look presentable, have time for friends. I used to know what is happening in the world, have my views and opinions.

So what on earth has happened to me!?

Nowadays I thrive on burps and belches, and look forward to poops in the nappy. Today my biggest  challenge is to find an outfit to put on in the morning. (Not my outfit, oh no! I wear the same jumper every day. I am talking about the “little monkey” body suits for my son.) There is an extra person attached to me all the time and one of my arms has transformed into a vacuum cleaner. I respond to all cries, shouts, pitches and laughs, dropping everything and anything I am in the process of doing. My little prince has taken over my life and at two months old He’s got me completely re-trained. As a Mother. I am His pillow and His punch bag. I can’t remember what it’s like not to have back ache.
When my husband comes back from work, he asks me about my day. I hate those questions. It is deeply embarrassing when the biggest achievement of your day is dinner served on time. Not burned... When he tells me about exciting new deals and challenges at work, I desperately try to make the midwife’s visit exciting. Oh yes, we talked about nipples. While he puts a nice clean shirt on every morning, I realise that mine permanently smells of vomit.
 
The most frightening of all is when he asks me an opinion. To avoid the answer I stuff my mouth with so much food that I can’t talk anymore. Which doesn’t really  matter because, whether I talk or not, I am a conversation killer.
However, naively or not, I still refuse to believe that having a child has changed me. I am sure that the things that used to define me have not disappeared. Hopefully they are just hiding in the shadows of the changing environment. And, even if it feels like I have donated my brain to the child, I hope that one day I will be able to spell “coleegue” again.

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