An Argument in Favor of Excitement

ex·cite·ment

/ikˈsītmənt/

noun

1. a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness.

In my time as a mother, I have found myself excited about funny little things, often well in advance of when I need to have those things.  

I’ll give you an example.  

My daughter, who is almost 3, starts her first school in August and I am beside-myself-excited to pack her little lunches everyday.  

I already have a Bento box that I purchased her at 6 months old (because I was excited about her starting solids).

Now I have found an even better Bento box, cute shape cutters, colorful baking cups, and playful picks to go in her food.

I have researched the special sleep mat she will need.

I’m getting ads (and adding them to a list) for things like customized name stamps to label her clothes and school items.

Thus far I have only added (most) of these items to a wishlist, but the research and shopping phase in full force.

My husband good-naturedly rolls his eyes at this level of enthusiasm, but some people have much stronger opinions about mommas getting excited in advance.

One of the services I offer is a Baby Registry Consultation, where I help expecting parents navigate baby gear and bottles and all the options for carseats.

In this line of work, I am flabbergasted by how many expecting parents have been told they have to wait to build their registry until a certain point in the pregnancy.

I am a firm advocate for riding the wave of excitement, whenever it comes. 

If that is last minute for you, I hold absolutely no judgment.  I am a professional procrastinator.  

If that means that baby registry building is the first thing you do after you tell your partner you are pregnant, I fully support it.

I’m not even pregnant and I have started a registry for my second child.

You do what makes you happy.

Pregnancy advice is often filled with guilt and ‘shoulds’ and enough judgment as it is.  

My advice today is simple:

You are allowed to embrace the things that excite you.

You don’t have to do it on someone else’s timeline.

You don’t have to dim it down because it makes someone else uncomfortable.

Enjoy your life, ride the wave of enthusiasm, do it while you have the energy.

Life is too short to put off the things that bring us genuine delight.

I’d love to hear in the comments what little things get you excited!