Baby #2

I have an announcement to make, so listen really, really closely.......




I despise people that rush things.

There.  That's it.  My announcement.  Did I trick you? *mischievous giggle* Are you just here because you thought I was carrying another mini-Marty for the world to see?  Sorry to disappoint you guys.  Instead, I want to talk about exactly the opposite.

I hate it when people rush things in life.
When you start getting serious with your significant other, people are immediately like "When are you getting a ring??" 
When you get engaged...and I mean literally, the moment you get engaged, people are like "When's the wedding??"  "Not sure.  I just received a ring like 0.2 seconds ago."
Then, you get married and it doesn't take long for people to be like "When are you guys going to have a baby???" "I don't know.  In the meantime, we'll just practice :) (sorry mom.)." 
Finally, and my biggest pet peeve of all, before your little bundle of joy is even a year old, people are all "So, when's baby number two coming along??"

Here's the thing.  I realize that everyone has their own schedules.  Some couples want to be married for over 5 years before they even have the baby talk.  Some are ready for babies as soon as they get married (crazy kids).  Some people want one child.  Some people want multiple children spaced multiple years apart.  And then there's the people that barely let their babies stop being babies before they want another.  Lately, I've seen or heard people talking about having crazy baby fever and wanting a second baby before their first is even barely a year old.  Listen, if that's you, and I'm offending you right now, please accept my sincerest apologies.  I just don't understand it.  Avery, my one and only for the moment, turned 18 months old yesterday.  She's still a BABY to me.  She's my walking, talking, screaming, fighting, crying, smiling, giggling, pouting, learning daily, stubborn little baby.  Modern medicine and my pediatrician can call her a toddler if they like, but to me, she's still my baby.  She's still unsteady when she runs.  She still giggles when she learns something new.  She still curls up in a ball when she's still sleepy and when she wakes up in the morning.  She still sleeps like a baby (as in, not at all).  Yes, Avery is doing lots of toddler-ish things right now.  But she has SO many more milestones to hit before I want to think about bringing another little Gaddie into our household yet.  I would love it if my kid could eat normal food without pretending to choke.  I would love her to be potty trained (BIG one).  I would love if she could drink out of a straw by herself without spilling water all over herself (and me, and the floor, and Minnie Mouse).  I would love it if she would consistently sleep through the night (BIGGEST ONE OF ALL).  All of the things I still feel like Avery and I need to do before I even think about splitting my time with her and a sibling. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I know plenty of people whose children are super close together and are incredibly awesome moms.  I just don't think I'd be one of them.  My child takes up 110% of my time right now.  I'm trying to be more involved in my community through Relay for Life, find a little more time to myself by crafting and trying to squeeze in time with my hubby every now and again.  Most of the time, simple things like cleaning house and doing laundry don't even fit into the schedule because I just am not a good homemaker/multi-tasker.  So the idea of having baby #2 right now (or even 9 months from now) sends me into a brown-paper-bag, full-blown panic attack zone.  Let me clarify something too.  Do I want more children?  Abso-freaking-lutely.  More than one more, if I can drug my husband into signing a contract that we can have more than two little Gaddies running around.  Do I want them to be spaced years apart?  Not exactly.  I'm not saying that I want to wait until Avery is in middle school before we have another baby (can you imagine how exhausting THAT would be??).  I'm just saying that I want maybe a year or two more to enjoy my baby now.  To watch her grow.  To watch her learn.  To know that I can devote all of my time to her without feeling guilty about needing to split my time with her brother or sister.  I'm not saying that there's a magic age or number of years your children should be spaced apart.  I'm just saying....quit trying to rush things people.  Enjoy your babies while they're still babies.  And let me enjoy mine.