As everyone tells you, when you have a baby, your life will never be the same. And yes, that is 100% true. Your baby and home-life take over your life (and sleep/social life) in a flash.
It can be easy to look at what you lost in this exchange but you can also flip this on its head and look at all the positives that are present. You get to see your wife become an incredible, loving and supportive mom that adapts and grows daily. You get see your baby grow and change quicker than you’d ever imagine. You get to see them learn new skills, recognize your face, smile at you, laugh, learn how to roll over and even make a fart noise. All of these are incredible things that you wouldn’t change for the world.
However, I think there is even more. Having a baby has given me more focus and desire to get the most out of every day. I know I have a finite number of hours to devote to my family, work and myself and working within these constraints allows me to get the most out of my day. At lunch, I can squeeze in a run or a walk. After putting the baby to bed, I can write a post like this. Afterward, I can read or chat about the day with my wife. On weekends, while the baby is sleeping I can put an hour and a half towards learning a new skill.
I was doing some of this pre-baby sure, but knowing I want to make these priorities, I know there are small windows when I can sneak them in and I’m better and happier for it.