About Neige Var
Once upon a time, Neige Var was an operating room nurse and downtown dweller who leisurely spent her time dining out or entertaining friends. The birth of her son changed all that. Now she's a snap-happy suburban mom on unpaid leave with a knack for organizing play dates. Check in with Neige as she continues to adjust to her new role, her new location and her new life.
My life over the last few years can be summed up in a word: Whirlwind.
A few years ago, I left my office job to return to school and try my hand at nursing. During this time, I started dating the person who would nine months later propose to me in a hurricane. Kamal and I wed on what we hoped was an auspicious date (7-7-7) and were happily and nervously expecting come 2008.
In February of 2009, as very-soon-to-be parents, my husband and I felt in over our heads trying to figure out how to prepare for this new baby. The lack of knowledge and experience led me to research baby products, pregnancy blogs, birth-story blogs, and parenting sites. (I really like to be prepared!)
All this information, this “universe” of all things pregnancy- and baby-related, was beginning to shape my view of motherhood. I found myself wondering, what kind of mom was I going to be? What kind of mom did I want to be? What did I want to teach my child? And, what kind of products were out there?
THE ARRIVAL
When my son Neelan was born, I was delirious with love. I was a mom (insert scream here).
For the first six months of his life, we lived in a condo in the Plateau, a great neighborhood in downtown Montreal with lots of charm, character, interesting shops, restaurants and green space. There was always something to do -- a show to catch, a new place to explore, new restaurants to try. Best of all, everything was in walking distance or a short subway ride away. It was easy being a new mom and toting my little bundle in my carrier as we went here, there and everywhere looking for adventure.
THE DEPARTURE
Then we moved to the suburbs.
We weren’t really looking, but we stumbled across a house that had a killer kitchen (you had me at built-in fridge), and fell in love. So, we bought it and bid a tearful goodbye to the city.
Moving to the suburbs wasn’t as terrifying as it was strange. What would life be like as a mom out here? Could I get around as easily or would I be bound by a car for even the simplest errands? Would every day be a new adventure or a struggle to find activities? At the very least, we were now near close friends with children and only 14 minutes away from both sets of grandparents. Built-in play dates and babysitters – a new mom can get used to that!
So what type of mom am I? What is my parenting style? Honestly, I’m still learning. But from what I can tell so far, it’s a bit of this… and that… and everything in between.
