Those of you who have been following me for a while might remember that I had a baby last April (he’s amazing and the best thing to ever happen to me). Shortly after having the baby, my husband and I moved in with my parents for a summer internship. For whatever reason, I barely read anything that summer. I was adjusting to being a mom, I was adjusting to being back at my parent’s house, I didn’t have my bookshelves, I started playing the new Zelda game, etc., etc. A million excuses could be made. It wasn’t until we came back home after the summer that I really got back into reading.
My best year of reading to date was 2015 when I managed to read 175 (!!!) books. I know, it’s crazy. I had just graduated with my undergrad and was only working part-time while my husband was still going to school/also working. I had a lot of time by myself to read and that’s actually when I decided to start this blog. Then, that Fall, I decided to get my Master’s in Library Science and I read even MORE books for my classes. So that’s how I got to 175. Last year, I squeaked by with 62 books–about a third of what I’d read in 2015.
So that’s the short answer to how my reading life has changed post-baby: I’m reading less. But that’s not really the whole answer. I don’t have as much time to read during the day because I’m watching my baby (and he must always come over to supervise as soon as I pull out a book) and also because I’m working part-time at the library. I have about a three-hour window after he goes down for bed and before I should go to bed. These three hours have to be allocated between watching shows/hanging out with my husband, reading, blogging, and any other hobbies I want to pursue. It’s been tough to figure out when to do what and I constantly feel like I don’t have enough time to do everything I want to do.
With that being said, because I work at the library, I am constantly surrounded by books! I’ve noticed that I’ve been reading a lot more broadly than I used to. I used to just stick with YA, but I’ve started reading non-fiction, adult fiction, and graphic novels as well. That is definitely a change that I welcome. I’m still planning/trying to get more into audio books–I think that’s something that I could easily do while playing with my son–I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Also, podcasts.
Overall, I (obviously) don’t regret having my baby, but it has changed A LOT about my life. I know everyone says that, but it’s so true! In the end, I’ve found that I really need to adjust my expectations and to not try to do so much. There are a couple of hobbies that I’ve decided to let go for the time being. I’m prioritizing reading and spending time with my husband at night over other things and I’m trying to squeeze in the blog whenever I can (aka nap times). I’ve set a tentative reading goal of 70 books this year and so far I’ve read 11, which Goodreads tells me means I’m on track.
I’ll just leave you with this picture of my baby pretending that he likes to read when he’s really just licking books.
What's She Reading? 