I don’t have a spare baby doll around to represent a newborn. Though I do have a stuffed puppy dog that can work. My son, 14 months old, will get a baby sister this May. I can tell he’s stoked.
My son reaches his arms up to be held more now that he’s explored every crevice of the house. Nothing that he can find excites him anymore, and I have a feeling he knows something’s up. He crawls over my stomach, pushing down on her butt, or what I believe is her butt, and she kicks back at him. They’re already fighting.
With his pregnancy, I relished the moment when I would deliver. I wanted that baby out so bad, I forgot to enjoy a babyless life. Movie theaters were almost out of the question with pregnancy back pain, and eating out meant going to the Mexican restaurant for a taco. Not many of my friends were pregnant or married, so I was by myself a lot, bored, and ready to take on a baby.
With her pregnancy I have mommy friends now. We go out to more than just the park for play dates, we bitch and moan about husbands, babies, and lack of sleep. This is a different pregnancy entirely, and I’m somewhat reluctant to give the belly up for a baby. Though, I am compiling a bucket list of things I want to do when I’m not pregnant. Margaritas are at the top of that list.
I don’t know if these play dates help my son prepare for the crying, pooping, sleeping biological need bundle that is coming in two months. Toddlers don’t really play with each other. They sort of see what one is doing, want that toy, and go after it. He’s seen newborns and gets jealous when I hold another baby. I can’t fully explain what is coming. I can’t even get him to admit he’s finished eating his food. Or that he won’t get the bread until he finishes his protein and vegetables.
I remind myself to not put him on the back burner like I did my dog when she comes. I will involve him, I will carry him, I will still nurse him if I can manage. But a storm of baby is coming and I don’t know if either of us is prepared.
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