One of the most common things we heard before we had E was "You won't be able to do the things you want to do once you have kids". For a while we really did think this way because SO many people said it. We thought that we would be stuck at home all the time.
When I was pregnant we received one of the best pieces of advice from a friend.
"Kids shouldn't stop you from doing the things you like to do, kids should just be added to the fun."
We knew from the start that we would implement this because we enjoy seeing new places and experiencing new things. We like exploring places and we wanted E included no matter what. When she was born we wanted her to be comfortable in public places, her first outing was at a week old. We did our best to not alter our way of life simply because we had a baby. We continued to go to restaurants and she ultimately learned to go with the flow. Is it always going to be easy to go places with her? No, but why can't we at least try. We aren't strict on nap times, if we are out, we don't rush home so she can nap. She is an expert carseat sleeper, which is so appreciated. We want her to appreciate history and culture, this is why we travel with her. While it may only be to the next town over there is still so much to experience.
We added her into our running, she LOVES the jogging stroller. She did her first race with us when she was 3 weeks old and has continued to run with us. She sees the stroller and gets excited haha. She is part of that journey now.
I got a few comments on my last post about how it was irresponsible of us to take her to a distillery (I did not publish them because I don't want the negativity, but I did address them privately because they are certainly entitled to their opinion). I don't understand how it's irresponsible to include our daughter in things we do. She was in a carrier and not partaking in alcoholic beverages. We ensure before we do anything that kids are welcome, if not, we won't do it. It's simple as that. But if kids are allowed and we want to do it, it will happen. We know that there will be things we can't include her in and we know that we need our time as a couple as well.
Life is an adventure and we want to include E in every aspect of that. The addition of kids shouldn't take away from your experiences, it should enhance them. Being able to see and experience places through your kid's eyes is incredible. E is still young but we see how inquisitive she is with every new experience and it's amazing. I can't wait to continue these adventures as she gets older. I am grateful that Kyle and I are on the same page when it comes to this.
At the end of the day, we are a family, and we are experiencing life together.
