Starting Over from Scratch

One of these days my husband is going to look at me and say something romantic along the lines of "so, when are we having another kid?" Because this is pretty much how this first one came around.

Don't get me wrong, having him say those words the first time was a beautiful thing. It meant that I wasn't the only one wanting to jump the parent train. It meant I didn't have to do anything sneaky like "forget" to take my pill or whine and beg until he agreed just to shut me up. I love that Matt wanted to become a dad as much as I wanted to be a mom, and he was willing to put it out there first.

And inevitably, one of these days, we'll want another one. I'm not presuming when. I just know we both want Violet to have a sibling eventually. I even changed the name of the blog (anyone notice?) because "and then there were three" won't always apply (and I always hated that name anyway. Although not to go off on a tangent now, but I have yet to think of something witty to replace it, something that sums up exactly what I do here... of course, since I'm still figuring out exactly what I do here, naming is a rather vague endeavor.  I'm accepting suggestions. Winner gets a prize to be determined later.)

But I have to be honest. The idea of going back to the infant stage is mind-boggling to me. I love babies - their sweet, milky skin, the way they just lay there and don't talk back or argue about what clothes to wear... I digress. I love babies, I do. But what I've realized with Round One is that I really like babies when they stop being babies and start contributing.

Life got better once Violet started smiling back. Just that small reward was enough affirmation for me to know I was doing something right and my daughter might possibly like me a little. Life got much better when she could sit up by herself. It got infinitely better when she could move herself around. And when she's out of diapers and vacuuming for me? I can't even tell you how magical that will be! I know some moms that miss the infant stage, that sweet innocence. I argue that life gets far more interesting the older your child gets. It gets harder, in its own way, but more satisfying.

Sweet baby Madeline came to visit us last weekend and even though she's not an infant anymore, I still groaned when I saw the trunk full of supplies her parents had to tote for her - bags of baby food and utensils, the bottles, the bibs and clothing changes, a portable high chair, teething toys - save me! I am not looking forward to going back to that!

When I think of the way the baby bottles and accessories take over the kitchen and dishwasher, my shoulders tense up a little. And the drool. And the breast pump. And the clutter that is the baby swing, bouncy seat, exersaucer, high chair, infant tub... This article pretty much sums it all up (hilariously) for me. In those dark, future days I'll be sure to cling to this quote:

On the horizon is a kitchen devoid of bottles, nipples and bottle warmers. You will reclaim your countertop, your cupboards and your dishpan hands. Can I get a "Hallelujah"?

And this one:

You'll figure out how to carry the infant car seat that weighs five times what your baby does, your purse and the-cup-of-coffee-that-is-the-only-thing--keeping-you-from-crashing-the-car-thank-you-very-much, all at the same time. 


Of course, I'll need to figure out how to carry the infant car seat/purse/coffee while I wrangle the older sibling from running out in front of a car in the Target parking lot. Hmm...