life beyond baby

Yes, I actually used to go out before Maddy was born. Taken at Hastings racetrack

We’ve been settling in pretty well here now. Most days are filled with various mom and baby activities, or playdates. However, there’s still a piece missing – life beyond baby. I’m with Madison all day, every day. This was also the case back home, but at least then I still had some time and opportunity to be other things: a wife, a friend, a hockey player, a colleague. It’s been challenging here to be anything but a mother, and occasionally a wife. Last weekend, Murray and I actually had a night out to ourselves and went to the hockey game. (And yes, it was awesome to watch our Canucks beat the Flames… again!!) Still, it’s been even rarer to have time just to myself.

I’ve connected with a few other moms, but as expected, all or most of the discussion is around babies. What does your baby sleep like? When did his teeth come in? Is he walking a lot? How is she with eating her solid food? Oh, yeah, Madison has done that, too…. I have been missing non-baby conversations. Well – that’s about to change.

Last night, I went to the Northeast Arena for the Hockey North America meet and greet. Summer season starts at the beginning of next month, and Murray and I are both being placed on teams. I went with a cheque to pay for our spots, go over the league rules, and meet some people that we might be playing with. There were only a few people that showed up, but it was still great to talk hockey! The other females there were, uh, how do I put this gently…. Well, let’s just say that I was the only one who probably owns a pair of heels. When the organizer said that there might not be enough players for a women’s only team, I thought to myself: It wouldn’t matter anyway! A couple of these chicks are bigger than some of the dudes in this room anyway. Yikes.

So, Murray and I will be playing on different teams, so that we don’t have to worry about finding someone to watch Madison. He’ll be in net, and I’ll play out. We should have our schedule by the end of the week, so I’m looking forward to seeing when and where our games will be. The weird thing about hockey leagues here is that you don’t have a regular rink like back home. You drive all over the city to different arenas, just like in minor hockey. In a way, it’s cool, because you get to play in different facilities, and for us it will be a good way to see other parts of the city. But on the other hand, it stinks because you could have to drive all the way to the other end of town to get to a game. It’s a 16 game season and ten of our games will be before 10PM and the other six will be after 10PM. I’m grateful that I’m not working right now, because that would stink to have to play an 11PM game in SE Calgary and then have to drive all the way back up here to the NW.

Anyhow, as much as I’m enjoying all these mom and baby programs that I’ve signed up for, and trust me, it’s what’s keeping me sane, I am really looking forward to getting some time to be me again. You know, being competitive, talking some trash, and shoving aside some D who’s trying to keep me out of the crease… it’s gonna be great.