Diaper

In Nine Months blogger Katy Luxem posts pictures and anecdotes chronicling her life as a new mother living with husband, baby, and dog in London.  Today she talks about pregnancy, travel, and baby blogging.  If adorable baby photographs of daughter Rosemary (pictured above) haven’t already swayed you, you’ll be hooked by Katy’s refreshing honesty and humor.

Can you briefly describe your family, and what a day in the life is like?

There are four of us.  My husband and I, our nearly three-month-old daughter, Rosemary, and our dog, Southpaw.   My husband and I got adventurous and moved from Seattle to England in 2008 because of our work.  Up until Rosemary’s arrival, we both worked long days in an office and spent our weekends exploring London and traveling around Europe.  Luckily, they have very generous maternity leave in the UK, which will allow me to stay home with Rosemary for the first year of her life.  I spend my days with her now, and we still go exploring and meet up with friends… we just stay a little closer to home now.

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When and why did you begin blogging?

I started In Nine Months on November 1, 2009.  My husband and I had just found out we were expecting the night before (on Halloween), and we decided not to tell anyone we knew just yet.  The blog gave me an outlet for my ideas and a way to document our experiences.  Once we told our families and friends a few months later, we shared the blog.

I already had quite a few strangers reading, but since we are Americans living in the UK (so far from family and friends) it became a way for them to connect with us and watch our journey, as well.  I was surprised how many people were interested in what I had to say, and it’s been really fun to come up with content every day since.

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Please share any surprising moments during pregnancy or after Rosemary was born.

I am a big researcher and a planner, so when I found out I was pregnant I soaked up all the information I could.  Nothing really surprised me about pregnancy.  I expected it to be weird and like nothing I’d ever known, but I was lucky that mine was healthy and uneventful.

What did surprise me, however, was how natural being a mother felt.   have never been a baby person, and holding friends’ babies and such always made me feel nervous.  I was inexperienced with children, and I worried about how I’d be with my own baby and how difficult it would be.  But it’s been amazing.  I was handed my daughter, and everything just fell into place.  It feels so natural to hold her, that I can’t remember what it was like when my arms didn’t have her occupying them.

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One baby item that every mom should have is ___________.

A good travel system.  There is so much baby junk out there that you don’t really need, and most of it is advertised in such a way that makes it seem like you need it to give your baby the best start.  We didn’t buy into that. We chose to get the necessities. And we invested the most in our car seat and stroller.  We are on the go a lot, and we wanted things that were top-rated in safety and items that would last forever.  Of course, all families will have different needs, but this worked well for us.

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Do you ever imagine Rosemary reading and seeing all your posts and documentation as she grows older? What do you think her reaction would be?

I definitely want Rosemary to see my blog.  I actually have stored most of the entries (especially the letters to her) and plan to print them in a book for her first birthday.  You know, in case the internet goes kaput.

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Do you feel like you have a different perspective of parenthood by blogging your experience? Are there benefits to it?

Blogging and social networking and all of that are interesting because we get to choose and edit what the world sees.  In the end, aren’t we just showcasing the best sides of ourselves?  But here I am blogging about pregnancy and parenting, and I try to be honest, because I think the truth is more entertaining to read, and certainly more helpful.   It does give me a different perspective to it all, because I try to step outside of myself and think about what my life looks like before I hit that publish button.

I also try to document everyday things more than maybe I would otherwise.  People are somehow interested in my daughter’s diaper explosion or what I think about a glowing seahorse toy.  I also never leave my house without my camera. Certainly there are things I want to keep private, but blogging has allowed me to open up and meet all kinds of people with different perspectives.

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Are there any tips or insights that you can give to prospective parents? Or anything else you’d like to add.

I heard a really good quote the other day in relation to parenting.  It was something along the lines of, “There is no way to be a perfect mother, but there are a million ways to be a good one.”  That really resonated with me. Don’t be too hard on yourself.  And take lots of pictures!