15 Things to do Before Having a Baby

Nice reminder to enjoy the freedoms while we still have them! Also, we have recently been having the discussion about timing a bit again. So I am trying to make sure Dylan and I have a good mix of down time and doing pre-kids things in this next 15 months, so that we will both be ready (as ready as we can be) at the end of these 15 months.

So here's the list from an article on thenest.com:

Go on a wine tasting tour at a vineyard: Check! We went to the Palisades in Colorado last summer. Would love to make a trip to Napa, but that will happen down the road. Also, we plan to go to Tuscany in Italy if that works out.

Go skydiving/bungee jumping/swimming with sharks... or whatever other crazy, life-risking thing you've got on your bucket list: Mine would be scuba diving. I definitely want to try to get my certification before kids.

Make a list of all the restaurants and bars you've been meaning to check out -- and go: Dylan and I will need to work on this. I think it is a great idea to make a list of these things though!

Appreciate the bathroom--alone: Ha ha, this one is already long gone. And I think I'll be appreciating bathrooms even more when I'm pregnant and have to pee all the time (more than I already do).

Stop being so self-righteous-When you see a mom or dad struggling with a tantrum-throwing kid in the airport or at the drugstore, don’t roll your eyes and think, My kid would never do that. Because he will. I guarantee.: One thing to work on, but I think my best friend's experience raising a kid has helped me learn to be more easy-going of various parenting styles because everyone does it different and I also realize that kids will be kids!

Take a road trip: Check! Gunnison/Grand Junction Trip last year and Northwest trip the year before. They were awesome.

Be spontaneous: One thing I always need to work on.

Spend an entire day watching movies in bed: We do this about once a month or so. Not from bed (our bedroom TV is to small to merit quality movie watching). We do stay at home and veg out at times, but not too often because I am a busy body. When we do it though, it is awesome to not have to care about much besides the dog and at our new place, we will not have to take her out, so that will limit even that.

Have boozy lunches with friends: YES! Love doing this. Limiting drinking will be one of the sadder parts of being a parent. All about this :)

Feed your minimalist side-Get a white chair/couch/rug/anything else you wouldn’t want stained. Leave your wineglass or coffee cup on it and watch it not get knocked over. Enjoy it while you can, because once there’s a little one tottering around, you can kiss it good-bye!: Well between Dylan and the dog, we won't be getting anything white! I have a tendency to be practical because furniture is expensive, so most of our stuff is or will be with kids in mind.

Have morning sex: No worries there.

Be the last ones to leave a party: As I have mentioned before, I am old. So nothing related to having kids, this just isn't me. But I think I should make more of an effort while I still can! (also goes with be spontaneous)

Fly first class: I just don't know if there is a budget for that. I like the idea though.

Wear as much silk, cashmere, dry-clean-only clothing as you possible can, while you still can: I can take advantage of this! I definitely plan to enjoy my "definitely-not-a-mom" outfits. Not that I have to look like a mom when I have kids, but there a outfits that just don't look right walking a stroller in a park. Otherwise they will just be for special occasions.

Take a career risk: I definitely want to find something that I really enjoy before having kids and want Dylan to find something he can be happy with for a while. We are also planning on having kids soon, so we'll be young and will have a chance to pursue something afterwards too. Like Dylan wants to open a bar and I want to open a bed and breakfast. In general, I am not all about risks and I am already putting in my crazy hours to get ahead in life!

So some things to appreciate :)

EDIT: Not that we can't still do stuff once we have kids, I most definitely recognize that and as much as I will love my kids more than anything, I would never survive if they had to be my entire life all of the time. The main thing is that once you have kids you can never go back and Dylan wants to just be us for a while. Us without any big changes or additional responsibilities.