I went to Target today with Wallace. It was our first solo trip there, and it felt good to return to normal life a little bit. My purchases could not scream “I just had a baby” more: pads, chocolate, baby wipes, newborn pacifiers, wine.
This post is sponsored by Talk Early. I am honored to be an ambassador for them again this year!
Oh, how I’ve been looking forward to enjoying wine again. I poured some in a tumbler (because I can’t be trusted with stemmed glasses on this little sleep) while I helped Kendall through his homework tonight. I eased back into my old “normal” routine with the comfort of slipping on a broken-in pair of jeans (if jeans without elastic waists actually fit me at this point).
I’ve been thinking about how this familiar routine would come easily after having Wallace, and I did some more thinking about how I want to be more aware of it. I want it to feel less comfortable. I want to rely on it less. Pregnancy is a great detox in many ways. I broke myself of my glass of wine (or two, honestly) every night. And while I don’t think that was ever a problem for me in an addiction kind of way, I am always hyper-aware of it becoming that. I come from a long line of alcoholics. I try to be vigilant, to not let the familiar turn to dependence.
Knowing that my postpartum anxiety will most likely make a re-appearance at some point over the next few months, I’m also mindful not to let my wine routine turn to self-medicating. Ugh. Adulting. These are good thoughts and concerns to have, though, I know.
In 2016, I had the honor of being a part of the Talk Early team for Responsibility.org, and I’m excited to continue to work with them throughout 2017, too. Alcohol responsibility is an issue near and dear to me, one that’s been a large part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents talked to me about alcoholism from a very early age, and I’m positive that played a huge role in how I approached alcohol as a teen and young adult, and how I still approach it.
As a part of the Talk Early team, I not only get access to tools and research to help facilitate conversations with my own children about alcohol, but I also get to share all of that with you. I think it’s a pretty awesome partnership, and I hope you do, too. I hope you find what I’ve already shared here and what I will share in 2017, on behalf of Talk Early, beneficial.
Oh! And a perk of this awesome gig was a trip to Washington DC back in October (right after we got back from Hawaii) where we did official Talk Early Team things and learned lots of stuff… and then we made this video. I even got to keep the Ugly New Years sweater! Check out my sweet, pregnant dance moves:
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3 comments
So, I sit here nervously wondering if I should type this or not….
I think it would be worth talking to someone about whether or not two glasses of wine every night is the best idea for someone with a family history of alcoholism and a history of PPA. I say this as someone with a family history of alcoholism, too. I don’t want you to feel judged. I don’t even know if it’s ill-advised or not, but I did feel my…spidey sense?…tingle a bit when I read it. I worry about you. I want you to take care of yourself, and don’t want you to deny yourself a break, some relaxation. But what you describe, kinda sounds like you use the wine to help you unwind. Maybe I didn’t get what you were saying, but it didn’t sound like you had a glass of wine with dinner every night, because you enjoyed the taste of the wine with the meal. It sounded more like you needed (maybe too strong a word?) the wine to relax, that you rely on it.
Addiction is sneaky and insidious. I’m glad that you are hyperaware of it, but I do wonder why you wouldn’t just…not drink? Wouldn’t that be the easiest thing to do? Or just drink when you are out to dinner, or with friends. Seems the easiest thing to do for someone with a family history. Once it starts becoming routine, well, then that’s where it can get tricky, right?
Okay, I’ve said enough. Too much maybe. I don’t pretend to have any answers or know what’s right, or right for you. I say all of this out of caring.
Your dance moves were crazy good for being that pregnant. I am heartily impressed.
Because you’re always so honest, I will be too.
I’m a recovering addict. I hurt my knee in college and gained a nasty addiction to pain pills. It took years to finally realize that I couldn’t take them at all, ever. I was a functioning addict and you’d have never known if we’d have met then.
All this to say, I think it’s amazing you’re partnering with Responsibility dot org and I think that having a glass or two of wine at night is totally acceptable. I also come from a very long line of addicts, and having a glass every night is the same as having it with dinner: you’re partaking in something you enjoy with caution and responsibly. You’re aware of your history and you are the best expert on your own life. People that only drink when out to dinner or just when out with friends could be alcoholics too, it’s all about whether you let that glass of wine at night dictate your life. And you don’t.
You’re a rockstar mom and I’m so grateful that I’ve followed you for so long. Because you always choose honesty and you always bare your soul openly, and that is tough to do these days. Thank you for showing moms that there is absolutely a way to drink wine responsibly, and that it’s okay to enjoy a glass while doing homework with one kiddo and juggling whatever else the other 3 are doing. #yaywine