You don't have to have anything removed from the social life. Sure, you start to live life more responsibly, but don't underestimate the importance of still dating your wife. Take her out, just the two of you, on a regular basis. Babysitters can add up after awhile; we usually swap date nights with other friends who have kids. We'll watch their kids while they go out and vice versa the next weekend or night or whatever.
Congrats on baby #1! On a side note, some lessons we learned after our first two:
- You're baby is now used to the lights and noise from the hospital nursery. Night #1 at home may be tough because it will be quiet and dark.
- Breast feed if you can. It's cheaper and much better for the baby.
- Jar baby food is expensive. Buy veggies from the store, puree them in the blender, then freeze them in ice cube trays. The cube is a great size for a serving. (Avoid beets - they're messy and stain clothes
) - Buy baby/toddler clothes from resale shops. They don't last long enough to spend the money to buy them new and the child doesn't care at this point where you get their clothes from.
Finally, read
Baby Wise if you haven't yet. It eliminates the frustration of not understanding why your baby is crying by putting them on a schedule. It also talks about the importance of having your baby learn how to fall asleep on their own without the help of parental rocking or sleep aides. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but this
is saving
advice.com and the book was soo helpful to us that I can't help recommending it to new parents.