Simplicity...

Before I got married, people (mostly well-meaning women from my hometown who were horrified I had made it 4 years at BYU without finding myself a husband) would always tell me to enjoy the ease of being single.

"Life only gets more complicated when you get married," they would say. "To be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want without thinking of another person! Those were the days."

Once I got hitched, I kept waiting for the complication to begin. Sure, I had more bills to pay. And yeah, I couldn't hop a plane to New York for a spur of the moment weekend trip like I used to. But I got to hang out with the hottest guy in the world all day long. AND we got to have sleepovers and stuff. No more commuting to Logan to see him. No more weekends spent under the watchful eyes of our parents. For me, life got a lot less complicated.

Then I got pregnant (I guess that's what happens when you don't have to spend weekends at your parents' houses anymore), and the advice came flowing in again.

"Enjoy the time you have with your husband," they would say. "Once you bring a kid into the picture, life gets crazy. Responsibilities. No sleep. You will really appreciate those simple days when it was just the two of you."

Now that my kid is here, I can legitimately dispute this claim. Sure, our daughter keeps us busier than we've ever been. Eating dinner has become a speed race. We spend about 7 hours of the day alone, and those hours are spent sleeping. And yes, sometimes it would be nice to clean the house without stopping every 15 minutes to put the binky back in baby's mouth. It used to take us about 2 minutes head out the door, now it takes closer to 45.

But in some ways, life has become simpler.

I used to spend an hour a day getting beautified -- makeup, hair, the whole shebang.
Now, I jump in the shower for about 5 minutes, dry off, throw my wet hair in a ponytail and call it good.

I used to spend hours worrying about what to do for dinner.
Now, we let Malt 'O Meal do the work.

I used to beat myself up if I didn't make it to the gym every day.
Now, I enjoy long walks with my girl, and if I don't get the traditional exercise in I take comfort in the fact that I'm burning calories by nursing and hauling that car seat around.

I used to be really selfish.
And though I'm still more selfish than I should be, I have my kid to distract me from myself.

Life with a baby is definitely harder, but it's easier too.