After five-and-a-half glorious years of coddling what was to be our last baby, I discovered I was pregnant with our fifth child earlier this year. My friends are delighted because all of us were done having children and the only way to get a baby fix was to make new (and younger) friends. No thanks. They have thanked me for my sacrifice.
If I had to choose between an infant or a toddler, I’d choose an infant every time. They’re incredibly simple creatures. Few situations arise where a diaper change and a boob or a bottle won’t fix it immediately.
Yet, even with all that simplicity and new baby smell, I’m not excitedly expecting. I am somewhat dreading going through the baby years again. Here are some reasons why:
I’m just so old
Babies are so needy!
Of course they are! But my youngest is now 5 ½ and he’s incredibly self-sufficient. Why have we gone backward in time?
They can’t tell you what’s wrong
I know babies can pretty much only cry or perhaps learn a few signs until they babble. And yes, you can do the process of elimination to see why they’re crying. However, it’s not nearly as handy as a child who can verbalize their needs.
They need you for everything!
Again, this is completely obvious, but babies can’t do anything at all! You have to do it all for them, and I’ve gotten used to my kids mostly leaving me alone and letting me live my life as I let them live theirs. Except now, we’re back to doing everything for a tiny human, and I am now tethered to another life until they’re weaned.
Of course, I’ll gladly do all these things for my baby because it wasn’t their choice to be born, but that can be true and I can mourn my independence for the next few years. Until this child decides they don’t need me anymore, I’ll have to content myself with the bonus years of extra baby snuggles and kisses.
