Maybe it’s just me, but has this been one of the hottest summers on record? In early June, when the weather called for feels like temps over 100F, I thought it would be a temporary thing. Yet, here we are in August, feeling the heat.
Some people love summer, crave it even. I am not one of those people.
I avoid the outdoors as much as possible in the summer, and my poor toddler doesn’t even know what it’s like to play outside. I took him to a park a few weeks ago, and lasted all of five minutes. In my defense, I’m a million months pregnant but still, I feel badly for the guy. As my due date rapidly approaches, I pat myself on the back for surviving four months in the heat. I know summer is only three months, but if you remember from a previous post, we spent a month in Indonesia in my second trimester, and it might have been even hotter!
So let me share with your five things I’ve learned that might help you survive if you ever find yourself in this situation:
1. Just don’t do it. Okay, not the best advice if you are already in the thick of it, but maybe try to not procreate in late fall/early winter. When trying to get pregnant with both our sons, we didn’t worry about timing, which is why my first pregnancy ruined Christmas a couple years ago, and this one has made me regret putting on clothes most days. But if you are patient and can avoid an entire third trimester in the sun, I highly recommend it.
2. Plan your life around being indoors. I saw an advertisement earlier this week for a new and expectant mom event with giveaways and door prizes. I got so excited until I realized it was being hosted in a park! “A park in August, are you kidding? I’ll just buy my own stuff!” There are plenty of things to do around town you can do indoors, so do those. Go to the aquarium, the children’s museum, walk around the mall, or better yet, stay home where you can control the temperature setting on the AC. I made the mistake of going to a botanical garden in Alabama back in July for our anniversary, and I regretted just about every moment of it. This leads to another tip, drink lots of water!
3. If you must go outside, hang out in the water. The one activity I’ve loved outdoors this summer is taking my kiddo to the splash pad/pool. As long as cold water is hitting me in the face, I will survive. The Warner Park splash pad has been a lifesaver. He gets to run out some energy, and I get to stand/sit in water!
4. Plan your maternity photos early. This I learned the hard way. I waited until the last minute to plan my photo session, so at 37 weeks pregnant and 95F degrees outside, I stood downtown in a long flowy dress with long flowy hair and had photos made. Many, many were deleted because the look on my face was anything but “happy mom to be.” Better yet, deter to tip #2 and have your pictures done indoors.
5. Ask for help. This is always one of my favorite pieces of advice. There is no shame in sharing the responsibilities in life. Ask a friend to take your older kid(s) to the park. Ask your husband to take the toddler on a stroll around the neighborhood. Ask grandparents to come to babysit overnight so you can get out and do something indoors with your husband. My seven-year-old niece loves my 18-month-old, so she came for a full four days one week this summer to chase him around so I could have a break. It was a blast for both of them, and I stayed inside with my feet up!
