A Baby Changes Everything

New Beginnings

They say that a baby changes everything, and I would have to agree, but only to a certain point. It's more like a baby "modifies" everything!  Naomi will be two weeks old tomorrow, and i'm happy to say that our little family is settling into a nice routine and figuring things out along the way. Don't get me wrong, we've each had our fair share of "what the heck did I get myself into?!?!" moments, and the lack of sleep is no help. Challenges aside, we have also had a few "ah-ha!" moments and learned some tricks for adapting baby to OUR life. 

The first 'trick' we have learned is that while a baby changes everything, you must at least create the illusion for yourself that "a baby doesn't change everything". When I say this, I mean, we've both acknowledged that it's important to try our best to maintain at least a few of the things we were doing before she came along in order to preserve sanity. Examples of these things might be painting for me and the gym for Matt.  It's important to keep in mind that we are a team, and that in order for each of us to be successful we are going to need our own "me" time to be the best parent and spouse we can be. The great thing about continuing 'old habits' is that most of them are flexible- "it can wait"... that's a very reassuring thing to tell yourself when you think you need to do one or a million things at any given time. 

Staying with the theme of 'A baby changes everything while NOT changing everything', I have decided to venture into a new beginning myself. Some of you might already know, and others may have guessed that I've decided to get more serious about photography. I started the process in December to enroll in an online professional certification course in photography using a scholarship through the Air Force. I've been reading through the introductory materials and eagerly anticipating the arrival of my course materials to get started. 

I've been toying with the idea of photography as a career option for some time now. Many of you who know me would agree that I tend to operate as a very creative individual. I sell paintings on the side, but mostly enjoy canvas art as a hobby. I also love to write (hence the blog) and spend a good amount of time on various DIY projects. Before we moved to Japan I would have insisted that I already have a very "profitable and portable career" with massage therapy. I found that I was wrong; there are a whole two positions open on base (which were already filled by long-term occupants), and due to restrictions with competing with AAFES, it's next to impossible to operate a private practice. My license means nothing off base, so I won't even go there...

Given the fact that massage may or may not be useful wherever we end up next, we talked about the value of me having another option for a portable career. Not only is it important to us as a family unit that I have a portable career, it's necessary that I have a flexible career since Matt is at the mercy of a sanctioned schedule. Lastly, I know that as time has gone by throughout my twenties I can say that I've worked very hard at whatever it is that i've done. I've stuck it out through terrible bosses and less than ideal jobs. It seems like the more time goes by, i'm less apt to put up with these sorts of things. I'm finding more and more that there is so much truth to the statement that "if you are able to find a job/profession that you love, you will never again work a day in your life". These factors have pushed me over the fence to go ahead and further my interest into a potential career field. Bonus: supportive husband and a scholarship to pay for it all! 

 We can never fully prepare for the days ahead, but I will give one last credit for making this decision to my daughter Naomi. I guess in a lot of ways this baby did change things. She made me realize that this is an additional step that I can take to better prepare our family for future endeavors. Having a baby along the way makes you re-evaluate so many elements of your life. Looking at your career and knowing you might want a back-up, or something more flexible is definitely part of that realization. I look forward to sharing my progress and work with you in the future as I go through this journey of motherhood and school simultaneously.

for those who are interested:
New York Institute of Photography- Complete Course In Professional Photography
 http://www.nyip.edu/