A funny thing happens when you become pregnant.  There are the normal things; the fatigue, the nausea, the swelling, the waddle.  But, there was also the stupidity.  The sudden inability to do things that you used to be able to do without a second thought.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t go away after you pop that child out.  It’s something I affectionately call, “Mommy Brain.”

Mommy Brain can easily turn the most intelligent woman into a quivering mess.  You’ve fought a battle of wits against your own brain, and lost.  I have two theories for why your brain attacks you.  Either, the post-baby brain has developed narcolepsy, and falls asleep at the most inopportune times, or, while you were busy growing a mini-human in your uterus, your brain was busy growing a mini brain.  An evil mini brain set on this earth to smite you.  There is no protection from the evil mini brain, no armor will penetrate its defenses.  Your only course of action is to arm yourself with your angelic bundle of joy and use them as a scape goat.

To demonstrate Mommy brain, here is a list of the top 5 stupid things I’ve done, in no particular order.

One

I forgot what I was saying mid-sentence.  I didn’t just stumble on a word.  I didn’t just lose my train of thought (which also happens a lot).  I forgot I was in the middle of telling a story.  I had no idea why people were looking at me funny.

Two

I make coffee every morning, it’s a survival tool.  365 days a year I follow the same 5-step routine.

1. Put water in coffee maker.
2. Put basket in coffee maker.
3. Put in a filter.
4. Add coffee to filter.
5. Push start.

Then, listen to the blissful gurgling as the coffee is made, and inhale the sweet, sweet aroma.  It’s a simple process, but it doesn’t work so well when Mommy Brain makes you bypass a step.  Like step #2.   Oh sure, the coffee maker will still brew the coffee, but I don’t recommend the final result.  It’s a lot harder to get the coffee into your cup.

Three

Since I’ve become a regular ole’ housewife, I do a lot more cooking, and I don’t mean opening a box of mac n’ cheese.  I’ve become quite an adept chef. I’ve been using my new-found culinary skills to whip up a variety of delicious meals I’m proud of.  But, just when my I start to see myself winning the award for ‘Best Chef Ever!’, Mommy Brain strikes with a vengeance. I boiled a pot of noodles last night, turned to the kitchen sink to drain the water into the strainer, and forgot the strainer.  Defeated, I made rice instead.

Four

You learn a lot in kindergarten and elementary school.  You might say that you learn the majority of all things you come to ‘just know’ at that time.  For example, you learn that metal conducts heat.  So, it’s not a surprise that when you add hot steamed rice to a metal bowl, the bowl gets hot.  Unless you have Mommy Brain.  If you have Mommy Brain, you pick up that bowl with your bare hands and walk away.  I’m proud to say I made it a good few steps before I shrieked and threw the bowl in the air.

Some days I think you’re just supposed to order a pizza.

Five

I like routines.  I have many.  They make me happy.  It should be no surprise then, that I have a routine when I’m in the shower.  Sorry, I guess we’re getting personal now. The basis of the shower routine is 4 simple steps.

1. Lather shampoo in hair & rinse.
2. Lather conditioner in hair and let it sit.
3. Wash body sparkly clean with soap.
4. Rinse conditioner.

It rarely varies.  I like my showers.  I like to let my mind wander and relax.  Mommy Brain joined me today in the shower.  One minute I am putting shampoo into my hair, and the next I’m rinsing, but I had no recollection of time.  Was I still on step #1?  Or was I on step #4?  I knew I had two choices – go through routine again to be safe (and potentially SUPER clean) which I didn’t really want to do, or check to see if the soap had been used.  I saw fresh, happy bubbles on the soap.

I was excited to be clean, but not so excited that Mommy Brain robbed me of my memory.

With further consideration, I think the only possible explanation for Mommy brain is option #2, evil mini brain.

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