Since the day Leigh was born, our cell phones have been on silent and it’s been a life-changer. I’ll never go back to constantly being interrupted by rings, dings, and pings. Life is so much quieter when you aren’t constantly looking at your phone at home.

When we were in the hospital, we were constantly interrupted by nurses and doctors asking questions and taking tests. The moments when we were alone in our room were spent cooing over the new baby or catching a quick nap. I didn’t even have time to look at my phone while it was blowing up with messages of congratulations. I was able to snap a few photos of Leigh and maybe even a quick video where I can be heard crying in the background. I’m happy I got those moments on record because everything is hazy when I look back at those days.

I actually silenced my phone before Leigh was born because I grew weary of all the messages and phone calls asking if the baby was here yet. That was one of my least favorite things in the last few weeks of being pregnant. That and swelling to the size of a small hippopotamus.

When we first started doing this, it was because we were afraid it would wake the baby if he was asleep. Turns out, Leigh can pretty much sleep through anything (except the dogs barking at mail lady Nancy). Now we keep our phones on silent because it helps us stay focused on what is right in front of us: our baby. Yeah, we turn to our phones throughout the day to see what everyone is doing on social media, but compared to what our lives used to look like, we’ve made a big change. All those emails, texts, and phone calls can wait until I’m available. Cutting back on screen time for more family time is worth it.

Now, the only time my phone is on ring is when I’m not with my baby. Momma’s got to get the call if her baby needs her. I realize once I go back to work I’ll probably cling to my phone like a lifeline, waiting for my mom to send me another photo of Leigh sleeping at Gramme’s Daycare. But when I pull up in the driveway after work, my ringer will switch off and I’ll stick my device on the charger in the bedroom. How does that saying go? “Out of sight, out of mind.” Apologies if you’re trying to reach me!