Hibernate Blog

I remember the warnings as I announced my pregnancy, “Watch out, your memory is the first thing to go” and “You get a baby and you get stupid.” These comments were almost always followed by crass asides about the physical things that would never be the same. I am here to tell you that the physical changes, though difficult in the weeks and months immediately following delivery, are nothing like I imagined. My body is my own, still strong and increasingly lean, prudent choices during pregnancy and an active lifestyle have seen to that.

My memory? Oh mama, it is gone. Gone, gone, gone. I can multi-task - painting a porch while breastfeeding, blogging and rocking a seat with a barefoot, telling a story to two snacking toddlers while doing the dishes, making dinner and drinking a cup of coffee? You bet!

Remembering what I need to buy at the store? I forget that I need lunch meat even as I stand in line at the deli. And my coffee habit? So many times I’ve remembered the filters and not the beans, or the Coffee Mate, but not the filters. It’s devastating, particularly when I forget that I forgot and then pad to the kitchen and realize that my day will not enjoy the boost of a Starbucks jump start.

Last night before heading to the store, I told Sean and the girls that we needed wipes. I also made a list and underlined wipes twice. As I locked the house up I repeated over and over, “Wipes. Get wipes.” Then, owning the fact that I would probably forget the list or simply not look at it, I grabbed a Sharpie and did the deed.

It’s not pretty, but it’s undeniable, I’ve got mama brain and I’ve got it bad.