Pre-baby photos remind me of a life forgotten in the dust. Crazy nights of drunken debauchery. Glasses held in the air, saluting the camera while squinty, blood-shot eyes struggle to stay open despite the flash. These pictures remind me what our lives used to look like. Heading out to the favored dive bar of the moment, ordering a round of cheap drinks, and staying out till the wee hours of the morning, only to return home to sleep for as long as we wanted.

Getting “enhanced” was a weekly way to blow off steam, a way to celebrate the close of a hectic work week. But now our days run into one another, there is no difference between a Tuesday or a Saturday. Babies don’t have weekends and Mummy doesn’t do hangovers. So it seems I’ve traded my shot glass for a sippy cup.

Booze doesn’t have the same appeal it did before our daughter came along. Not to mention that a baby is very sobering on her own. Also, Happy Hour starts right in the middle of her afternoon nap. So why even bother?

I like when people say you shouldn’t drink to get drunk. Isn’t that the whole point? That’s like saying you shouldn’t have sex to make a baby or go on vacation to relax. I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal or a pre-dinner cocktail as much as the next guy, but c’mon, people drink to get drunk. That’s what it’s there for.

While I’m glad the hubby and I had time to sow our wild oats (more like mild oats), I wouldn’t want to go back to that life. I’ve spent enough night’s curled up on my friend’s bathroom floor and suffered through enough pounding headaches to know I’m not missing anything…especially when there’s a baby to take care of in the middle of the night. Plus, if I get nostalgic I have the photos to remind me just how foolish I get after I’ve had a couple.