Baby fever

I don't have baby fever. I wonder if that's normal. I fully expected to, and tonight as I was rinsing the shampoo out of Little Girl's hair while attempting to keep her from standing up in the tub, it hit me that I have a toddler.

The second child has been so easy compared to the first. I guess it's different for everyone and a lot depends on the child's personality but Little Girl has been a nice surprise after the challenges I overcame with Big Girl.

Not to say it hasn't been hard, especially the last five months of waking up at least twice in the middle of the night to rock and nurse back to sleep. She's a messy eater and a 19 pound chunk that has no interest in walking. Plus, I'm starting to question the wisdom of raising a baby in a two story split level house which will need, by my estimation, approximately six baby gates.

Maybe it's because I'm a seasoned parent or maybe it's a combination of many things, but this past year has been just a flicker on my timeline. Nursing was such a challenge the first time, and I honestly think it was both our stubborn personalities put together that helped us fight our way to what I determined was the "finish line". Sleep was insane. I think I could count on one hand the number of times Big Girl slept through the night that first year. And that's with a very liberal definition of sleeping through the night. I missed my life at work like crazy and many days thought I would go insane with no adult interaction (or interaction with anyone who had a vocabulary of more than 12 words).

So why don't I have baby fever? Maybe it's because there are still a few challenges with raising children that are still fresh in my mind but I think it's because I feel a sense of peace and contentment. I look at the future and see our family of four and it just feels right.

I guess I do have baby fever in a sense though. Not for an 8 pound newborn but for a 2500 square foot house. I love the anticipation of pregnancy and watching the creation of something new. I'm expecting a new house.

Original color of walls: yellow
Joint compound: white patches
Sample paint: various shades of brown
Ultimate paint color choice: blue

Please don't judge...not only am I repainting, this seems to have become a catch all spot for random junk. I guess the before and after will be really satisfying this way.