First off, let me make it very clear that I LOVE my kids. I love them both and would do anything for them. I worry about them endlessly and their smiles make my days worth living. Having said I am now going to rant away...I really can't stand it when people tell me how much they LOVE the newborn stage and wish their babies would just stay small and sweet and cuddly forever. What drives me even crazier, though, is when people tell ME that I should cherish this "wonderful" time and enjoy every single second I have with my precious little angel. "They grow up so fast! Don't waste a single precious moment!" UGH! I hate newborns. There. I said it. To me they scream all the time that they are awake and project poop and vomit everywhere. What exactly is there to love about this time period? Maybe some newborns sleep all day long and other parents are getting 8 hrs of sleep after the first month, but our babies and our household just doesn't seem to work out that way. Don't get me wrong, I was just as thrilled as any other mother when Ivy started smiling a few days ago and ran to get the camera, (too late, of course,) but I see the smiles and occasional sleeping periods as lucky and wondrous abnormalities in the normal routine. The newborn period for me is something to be endured - something to survive. And survive we will. We have done it before and will do it again. I know it will get better. It's a completely different story once they get to 5 or 6 months old. Give me a babbling, cooing, interactive 6 month old any day!! And I absolutely ADORE toddlers. I can't WAIT until Ivy gets to be a year old. Maybe I am a horrible person, but mostly I just think I am realistic. Lilia was such a tough baby that Cliff and I weren't sure we would ever have any more. It took her becoming a toddler that I finally changed my mind and thought I could do it again. I don't want anyone's sympathy. We knew what we were getting into and we know that it's WORTH it when they get a little older. It really is. But, please don't lecture me about this "precious" and thankfully temporary time period. I don't want to hear it. The end.
7 comments:
HA! You tell it Jill! I am (sorry) not familiar with the non-stop screaming and colic, but I still feel the same way... it's super hard, especially when it's your second (can't imagine 3rd, 4th, etc) to have a baby that's so dependent and time consuming. I LOOOOVE my boys' independence right now, so much so that I'm kicking and screaming at the thought of another one. Nothing wrong with what you're thinking Jill! And not everyone has the same experiences so I'm sure whoever says these "babies are precious" comments had much easier newborns! We all have different challenges!
I love you Jill! Enough said.
MomMay
I love your bluntness! Hah! This will be me in a few weeks, so just count yourself blessed to be at least a few weeks ahead of me! I don't understand the happiness sometimes either. I am addicted to sleep and if it's disturbed...watch out.
I have a couple of friends who say the first year is just a means to an end- their babies are really difficult for a whole year, but really great toddlers. It's so different for everyone! Three years old is the difficult age in our family (or ages 2-4 if we're just talking about Teya)! I was just thinking the other day how everyone says you'll miss when your kids were little, but I do not miss Teya being 2-4 years old ONE BIT!!!! She is so much more pleasant at 5 years old that I would NEVER want to go back!!! You sound like such a tough girl and good mama- no doubt you'll get through this!
I hear ya! Abby and Oliver were both insanely difficult as babies, but have turned out to be pretty amazing and entertaining toddlers. What got me through this year was constantly chanting, "last time -- no more kids!"
I totally agree!!! I'm so glad Sophia is OLDER and can talk to me, go to school, write her name, and almost read. I love looking at her baby pictures, but I'm happy she's much, much older, and I have some of my time back :-)
I skipped this post on purpose a few weeks ago. Now I am extremely amused. May I say, I LOVE the photo. So. very. accurate.
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