**Note: I wrote this pre-Covid, but never published it. The feelings still ring true.**
As I pushed my shopping cart through the store, with my youngest in the seat, an elderly woman came up to me. “Oh my goodness what a cute baby!” she exclaimed. “Enjoy this time now. They grow up so fast!” I smiled politely, told her thank you, and that she was so right they do grow up fast. But inside? Inside I was cringing. I’ve always disliked when I hear this phrase because the baby stage is hard for me. Really hard. Between getting used to a new body, changing hormones, and being hit with the baby blues, it is a struggle. Hearing this phrase used to make me feel like a failure of sorts because I wasn’t really enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my babies, but as soon as I pass that year mark I feel I can breathe. Which is why I am happily saying bye, bye, bye to the baby stage, Goodnight Moon style.
Goodbye breastfeeding and nipples so sore.
While I am thankful that breastfeeding was easy for me, man oh man it felt good to be done. Trying to time my tasks to make sure I was home at the right time to feed the baby was stressful. Making sure my glass of wine wouldn’t interfere with feeding time. Being the one to get up in the middle of the night was also not a picnic. While yes, my husband could have fed the baby a bottle, I would have still had to get up to pump, so it seemed silly. Which brings me to my next point.
Goodbye utter exhaustion where I can’t keep my eyes open any more.
The lack of sleep that comes with a baby can be brutal. There were times my babies were up every hour and I barely got any sleep at night. Then during the day I still had to parent my other children, so napping was not an easy task. Truth be told though, there were multiple times I dozed off in the middle of reading a book to them. Oops. That exhaustion only fueled the baby blues I felt. Once my babies started sleeping through the night, I felt like the real me was starting to come back.
Goodbye constant crying, why are you so miserable?
While the crying isn’t all gone, it can be especially hard to take when you are running on no sleep. Plus, the witching hour. Where there is no rhyme or reason to life. They cry if you hold them, cry if you put them down, cry with a binky,cry without one. Just so many tears. I think you get my point. Once they get older the crying subsides, and you can actually find different ways to calm them down.
Goodbye to the schedule that is so unpredictable.
I am a planner. Babies are not. I hated not knowing when a nap was going to happen or how long they would last. I wish I could be one of those go with flow parents, but that is not me. I was overjoyed when all of my babies got old enough that I could start having them nap around the same time each day.
Goodbye to the baby stage, it sure has been real.
Despite all my grumblings, I did love my babies. The smell, the milk-drunk smiles, the cuddles, all positives from the baby years.
Hello to the next stage, what will it reveal?
But the next stage of life I love. Watching them learn to walk, explore the environment around them. Seeing their personalities take shape. The first words. Playing with siblings. Watching their face light up when you walk into the room. This is where I thrive.
What about you? Do you love the baby stage? Or are you like me, and love another stage more?