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Though I won’t apologize for it, I will acknowledge that it has been a LONG time since I last did some writing. My last post was in December of 2012 which happens to coincide with when I found out I was pregnant. Was this great news? Absolutely! Did I immediately fear for our minimalistic lifestyle? Yes! Was an extra human going to mean the end of my beloved 500 sqft as the huge plastic toys and Wal-Mart onsies took over? While at first I feared we might have to buy a house, after a great deal of research I came to the resounding conclusion that we could live quite well in our 1 bedroom condo for a couple more years, even with another human, albeit a small one. My inspiration? New York City! While I have yet to actually visit I cannot help but admire, even idealize the way in which many New Yorkers adapt to becoming new parents. They turn hallways, closets, whatever space they can find into baby space and continue to live in the neighborhoods they love. Why can’t I do the same?
What changes are we going to make? Well first off we are not going to change our attitude towards minimalism, baby or no baby. Huge plastic toys and Wal-Mart onsies are out of the question for us (consignment stores are amazing for great quality used baby clothing!!!) Yes I know, they need “lots” of stuff. But what I have realized is that while they do need some things, much of the “stuff” that is accumulated in order to have a baby is fairly unnecessary or at the very least a luxury. So, over 6 months into my pregnancy I have done mostly research and very little buying as we carefully think through what we really NEED. The one large purchase we have made is a used vehicle. While this is admitted with a healthy dose of sadness, in our particular situation where our family lives out of the city or province it seemed to be a wise choice. Though we are no longer a carless couple, we certainly cherish our experience without a vehicle and have pledged to try to use our vehicle only when it is truly necessary (like seeing Grandparents or on very cold prairie days) and keep walking, cycling or using public transport on a regular basis even once our new little man has arrived.
I have had to think through a lot of the norms of Canadian parenting as far as all the gear and conveniences are concerned. I promise to write another post on what I have decided to live without in order to accommodate small space living with a baby. I am so excited about breaking a few norms and doing things our own beautiful, minimalistic, sustainable way and here is to hoping some of it will rub off on the next generation!
Suffice to say, we are very at peace with not changing our location (close to bakeries, cafe’s, walking and cycling paths etc.) nor changing the size of our living space. While the day will probably come when a change of some kind is necessary, today is not that day!
Julene