Fast and Slow
Right now, I’m a little confused.
My son is in the living room watching Cartoon Network, wearing his Halloween costume (Batman) over his clothes, jumping from one end of the room to the other. I’m telling myself he’s not jumping on the furniture, but lets face it, he’s probably bounding from couch to love seat to ottoman and sticking the landings…but, I pick my battles.
Anyway, in three weeks he’ll be five years old. Three weeks. Five years old. That’s a whole new life; all day kindergarten and soccer practices. My baby is going to be five. He was supposed to be my last child, but I’ve already named the next two children I want and my husband is well-aware. I’m not out on this “more kids is a possibility” limb alone. The door was once firmly shut, even though my heart broke when he was born because I thought I’d never get to be pregnant again, is now creeping and creaking back open. What’s worse, I’m not slamming it shut and pushing a dresser in front of it.
Three women on my street are pregnant, and two more just delivered, seriously, I turn in any direction and I can see their houses from my front lawn. I’m not one to keep up with the Joneses, though. The breeders around me didn’t foster any urge to get knocked up. It’s this Pampers commercial they put out for the holidays! The one scored by a woman singing silent night as it goes through images of the cutest babies of all races sleeping peacefully. One of them is sucking it’s tongue just like both of my kids did. Whenever I see that commercial and those babies with their full cheeks tucked into their cribs, I want another one…so much. I just let myself have a moment to wonder what another baby would look like, asleep in a crib in our house.
I just can’t believe its been five years since I’ve had a baby! It went by so fast, now that we’re staring down the barrel of a fifth birthday, but so slow while I was changing diapers and potty training. I don’t understand why my daughter’s seventh birthday didn’t have this effect on me. Probably because she never bounced on the furniture in super hero costumes. She played quietly and watched Food Network with me. I never found myself wondering how much longer until she was out of my hair for hours at a time.
So, thanks to my son and his late December birthday, I had to relearn some patience. Best believe he’s never missed a day of pre-school, though. In fact, I’m going to have to get him out of costume now so I can drop him off there. Since my daughter is getting off early today, I believe we’ll do something special…just us girls, since her seven years have almost flown by.
