So as you know, I’m officially in my third trimester with my first baby, and I was telling one of my friends how excited I am to be a mom.
She looked at me and said, “Because you love babies?”
Girl… no.
Don’t get me wrong—I think babies are easier than toddlers in a lot of ways. They mostly eat, sleep, and stare at you dramatically. But when I think about becoming a mom, I’m not daydreaming about the newborn stage.
I’m excited for the kid stage.
I can’t wait to take my kid to Disneyland, the park, splash pads, museums, libraries, and all those random little community events. I see all the fun things my 11-year-old niece, Hector’s 8-year-old niece, and my 4-year-old nephew get to do, and I get so excited thinking, “I can’t wait until I get to do this.”
The libraries out here in Vegas have been amazing. They had a puppet show, a magician, and even a teen rave—all completely free. They really try to have activities for every age group. My local library back in California was the same way. Every time I see one of those event calendars, I think about taking my future kid there.
When I was in high school, my church even hosted a duct tape prom because the duct tape craze in the early 2010s was such a huge thing. Looking back, it’s kind of ridiculous… but it was also so much fun. Those are the kinds of memories I want my kids to have—those random, goofy experiences they’ll remember years later.
A lot of the parents I follow online also have older kids, so I think that’s shaped what I imagine motherhood looking like. One creator I absolutely love helps teach her daughter how to budget, and I genuinely recommend checking out her page if you’re a parent or just want some wholesome content. I also love all the lunch-packing videos.
My dad packed my lunches growing up. They weren’t Pinterest-worthy bento boxes with tiny heart-shaped strawberries or dinosaur sandwiches. It was usually just a sandwich—although, to be fair, it was always stacked like a Scooby-Doo sandwich. Looking back, I appreciate that so much, but I also think it would be fun to occasionally surprise my kid with one of those over-the-top lunches just because.
Maybe that’s what I’m really excited about. Not just raising a baby, but getting to create traditions, make memories, and be the kind of mom who says yes to the puppet shows, library events, splash pads, and spontaneous adventures.
Of course, there are moments that remind me my baby isn’t actually here yet.
My niece just celebrated her third birthday, and every time she throws a tantrum I jokingly tell her I’m going to take all her toys for my baby.
Well, at her birthday party she looked at me very seriously and said, “You can have my toys… but you have to share them with you, not the baby.”
I asked why.
She said, “Because I can’t see the baby, and she might be mean.”
The funny part is she says this because a while back I asked if she wanted to feel the baby kick. The baby kicked her hand, and she immediately pulled away and completely freaked out.
So apparently my unborn child has already scared away their first cousin.
We’re off to a great start.
