Those First Timers

I am a Mom.

There are LOTS of things synonymous with motherhood; but if its your first time you feel so overwhelmed with the idea of it. Traditional? Organic? Cloth or disposable? Bottle or Breast? Stroller or sling? Up or down? Left or right......

I have a one year old, ChopChop. I also have an 11 year old, Bogger. Its basically starting over. Not that I don't "remember" baby times, but so much has changed. The sonograms aren't even the same anymore. Last time the baby was a general "blob" shape. This time we could tell she had HAIR!!!

I'm worried about why one of my kids is crying, and we think its teeth...and then why the other one is crying, might be her period. Boys and dating vs hitting and biting. As the saying goes...I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me. Wait...that doesn't apply here, or does it....

Geek Dad and I have had struggles with infertility. We tried for 7 years for our second. We even attempted (and failed) at adoption. So we assumed it was never going to happen and went along with our life. 3 glorious years later, while house shopping for a home with acreage in the country, we found out ChopChop was on her way. We were elated...after properly accusing the doctor of having the wrong family and wrong room and insisting on a positive blood test first. A new baby!!! Bogger had been begging for her for years. We had cried and felt like the situation was final, and then BAM! baby.  So the house search moved to the suburbs for us and a new life for us began.

After our initial concerns died down about health for the baby, making sure Bogger didn't feel left our or forgotten, the real fun began. The NOW WHAT phase of parenthood began. I had to restudy the books, I had to reread consumer reports on car seats, playyards (aka playpens 10 years ago!), toys, diapers, strollers.... the list never ended. I asked every one I knew everything I could think of. How old can she be before she has peanut butter? What about strawberries? YES...I KNEW she'd not be enjoying any of those things for some time, but it had changed so much!

A few things we knew for sure: Breast, no bottles. Disposable not cloth (I already hate laundry, why add extra poo?). Organic when we could. Stroller and sling, cause that's how we roll, we like options. Up and down, but right back up again cause they don't sleep for long periods at first. Left AND right cause there's a few of us here to handle all things. The most important thing I realized as a First Timer...for the second time, is that it was OUR choice and up to US. We could ask for advice, read books, but its our family and how we want to shape it. I think that's the best advice I can give to any First Timer... don't be afraid to do it your way. Not everyone fits a mold, not everyone hits those milestones exactly and no one has a manual...for a reason.

So we are like first timers again, but with two kids. I may get strange looks from time to time, I'm okay with that. I'm still eagerly awaiting the day my oldest gets asked how old HER baby is, imagining her face alone is worth it. I just can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us.