akc
03-22-2004, 01:24 AM
Hi all -
I should qualify this that it is also an hormonal, sleep-deprived moment, but:
I was just finishing giving Charlotte (DD#2) her bottle and put her to sleep when I realized the really BIG difference between having one and two (or more) children.
It's not the stress of another baby, the sleeplessness, the lack of extra hands, the work (who hasn't heard that going to two children is actually three times the effort!) To me, there was no cataclysmic shift in stress. Our life and home were already oriented around Maeve (DD#1), and I was surprised at how "normal" it felt to just have another baby in the house. Yes, sometimes it's hectic, but it really isn't this horrendous amount of stress that everyone hypes it to be. Besides, for us, it hadn't been THAT long.
No, for me, it's emotional. The big difference for me with Charlotte is that when I look at her, as this teeny, tiny baby, I can already see where she's headed.
What I mean by that is that with Maeve, my first born, I was just amazed at the reality of this baby that we had created. It was so tiny and so perfect and just never seemed like it would grow to become an adult. Every day I thought, "oh my gosh, look, she's doing this or that" - wow!
This time, gosh, I'm crying now, I already know that this little tiny baby girl will be, in just months, sitting, then pulling up, then standing and walking; she'll be cooing, then first words, then talking, then ordering me around and screaming, "NOOOO!" I'm not projecting onto her or wanting her to stay a newborn forever - I just find it incredibly moving to know just how quickly a little squinchy newborn baby becomes a little individual in a pint-sized body. And, I now know that I get to be a part of that again - with a different personality and girl - and how miraculous...and fun...it is. And, even if they will be different, I like that I have a window seat on that path.
I apologize b/c I'm not sure I'm saying this very eloquently, but it's hard to describe. Each are equally precious experiences, and I imagine there are even more to experience with more children. Maybe it's just a deepening sense of being a mother, I don't know...So, maybe I snuggle her a little more, or sneak naps with her when I can; she gets a few extra kisses when I should be sneaking away. I know where she's headed, and I want every moment I've got my new baby girl.
I just thought I'd share...
Alexa
p.s. and, attached a pic of me & Charlotte on the day we came home from the hospital together (esp since Maeve is still my avatar image!)
I should qualify this that it is also an hormonal, sleep-deprived moment, but:
I was just finishing giving Charlotte (DD#2) her bottle and put her to sleep when I realized the really BIG difference between having one and two (or more) children.
It's not the stress of another baby, the sleeplessness, the lack of extra hands, the work (who hasn't heard that going to two children is actually three times the effort!) To me, there was no cataclysmic shift in stress. Our life and home were already oriented around Maeve (DD#1), and I was surprised at how "normal" it felt to just have another baby in the house. Yes, sometimes it's hectic, but it really isn't this horrendous amount of stress that everyone hypes it to be. Besides, for us, it hadn't been THAT long.
No, for me, it's emotional. The big difference for me with Charlotte is that when I look at her, as this teeny, tiny baby, I can already see where she's headed.
What I mean by that is that with Maeve, my first born, I was just amazed at the reality of this baby that we had created. It was so tiny and so perfect and just never seemed like it would grow to become an adult. Every day I thought, "oh my gosh, look, she's doing this or that" - wow!
This time, gosh, I'm crying now, I already know that this little tiny baby girl will be, in just months, sitting, then pulling up, then standing and walking; she'll be cooing, then first words, then talking, then ordering me around and screaming, "NOOOO!" I'm not projecting onto her or wanting her to stay a newborn forever - I just find it incredibly moving to know just how quickly a little squinchy newborn baby becomes a little individual in a pint-sized body. And, I now know that I get to be a part of that again - with a different personality and girl - and how miraculous...and fun...it is. And, even if they will be different, I like that I have a window seat on that path.
I apologize b/c I'm not sure I'm saying this very eloquently, but it's hard to describe. Each are equally precious experiences, and I imagine there are even more to experience with more children. Maybe it's just a deepening sense of being a mother, I don't know...So, maybe I snuggle her a little more, or sneak naps with her when I can; she gets a few extra kisses when I should be sneaking away. I know where she's headed, and I want every moment I've got my new baby girl.
I just thought I'd share...
Alexa
p.s. and, attached a pic of me & Charlotte on the day we came home from the hospital together (esp since Maeve is still my avatar image!)