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More than Enough

More than Enough

Tiny onesies, wee sleepers, piles of pink and blue.  A collection of infant carseats and other scattered baby items.  Extra diapers in assorted sizes.  I have kept them all.

Even as we prepared for our recent move, I refused to get rid of any of our baby items.  Our second was just over a year, and what a blissful year it had been.  I was shocked to find myself considering another baby.  For someone who once upon a time wasn’t sure she wanted any, thoughts of adding a third were very surprising indeed.  At any rate, I couldn’t make such an enormous decision in the middle of a move.  Slightly embarrassed, I stuck to my guns.  No decision would be made until we were settled in our new home.

And now?  For the most part, we are settled.  We are happy with our move back to our hometown, a routine is slowly taking shape and the two kids we have are happy, healthy and bringing us great joy.

Two years ago, I was about four and a half months pregnant with our second baby.  I was ecstatic to be so blessed.  My first pregnancy, the one that brought us our son, was a road we had walked so easily.   However, the road became distinctly less smooth as we walked it to reach our daughter, our lovely second baby.  We learned how precious the life we were trying to create really was.

I loved being pregnant.  With both my children, it felt like a miracle.  Pregnant with my first, I remember joking “It’s like having a hidden superpower!  I can make people!”

And when our second babe was four months old, deliciously cuddly and sleeping such long hours…well, I couldn’t get enough of her.  She had the perfect peach fuzzy head, and was so content; I thought…I could do this again.  Maybe a third?  What if?  Maybe this was our destiny, a houseful of children.

And yet, here we are.  We have a sweet and smart boy who will be six come fall, so full of imagination and laughter.  And we have a bright spark of a little girl, 19 months old, who charms everyone and makes us laugh like crazy.  They adore each other, and we them.  My mind and heart almost cannot hold how fortunate we are.  I look at them and know that there are no dreams I have that are unrealized, that these two beautiful children complete our family.

As much as I miss that little peach fuzzy head and the sweetness of my babes when they were small; I look forward to our future with these two.  I can’t wait to travel more easily with them and to have them take in all that the world has to offer.  I’d like to talk with them and hear what they think of this big, crazy planet.  And there are days when I’d trade our lovely long afternoon naptime for two kids who could go all day and take in outings longer than three hours.

I do not wish away these young years, yet I wonder at starting it all over again.  Something inside tells me we might have our perfect family already.  Two years ago, at 22 weeks pregnant with our second baby, I looked like this.  And I am left to wonder, will I again?  Or are the two we have more than enough?

22 wks pg

(My only belly shot:  a cute, but fuzzy pic of me taken for friends out of town who were sad to be missing seeing me pregnant.)

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  • http://N/A Susy Q

    Can I just say for the record BRA – FRICKIN – VO to both Kim W and to Miss Mocha for sharing their honest and open sentiments about child birth and the associated fears and/or anxieties that go along with it ! I am a very strong, independant woman, who wears the proverbial power suit to work every day and “loves” her career … but yet in the quiet moments there is every bit as much of me that wants to without question have a family or at least one babe.. not sure if that counts as a family these days or simple a single addition. Either way … even though I know deep in my heart that I do want a wee family there is an uncertain fearful side that worries that there will be those few moments when I wonder ” am I going to love ‘every’ part of it” and if I don’t “love” every single part of it does that make me a bad mom ?? So thank you ladies for sharing your view point and shining light on those of us that have not yet ventured into the sun !

    ps. Truth be told because I don’t yet have any kids I would not necessarily be reading this site had it not been for the fact that my dearest best friend in the whole wide world is the author however I can say for the official record that I did without question learn something here today and for that I’m eternally grateful. You’ve both taken an invisible weight off my shoulders without even knowing it because I was simply too afraid to ask the “will I be a bad mom” question. XO

    • http://littlemissmocha.com jen

      Baby, you are gettin’ an email. Or a whole bunch of texts. ; ) I wrote one reply and it got lost in cyberspace, so for now let me assure you…no one is perfect. No one can do it right all of the time. And a lot of moms want a family, but are scared of the “what if”s.

      I was totally doctor-phobic, needle-phobic, hospital-phobic. I didn’t know what kind of mom I would be. I didn’t know what the future held. I just knew I wanted a family around my table someday and shoes piled at my back door because a bunch of teenagers had shown up for pizza again. All of that comes later. The first step is babies! I never knew what to do with other people’s babies, but I knew what to do with mine. And that’s enough.

      Expect a lot of love, a lot of laughter, a lot of surprises and a lot of sleepless nights. Expect to have your heart blown open when the day finally comes that you are holding your babe in your arms. But don’t expect to be perfect. Don’t expect to love every minute of it. I adore my children, love having them, but I make mistakes, I get frustrated, I roll my eyes and drop f-bombs when my kids can’t hear me. But it’s the craziest kind of love. And all the other stuff just doesn’t matter as much.

      If you want a family, you’ll have one, one way or another. And yes, one babe is plenty, and sometimes 4 isn’t enough. Every famiily is different. Have the family you want, when you want it, if you want it. You’ll be a great mom. But you get there by loving the lovely parts, getting help with the stressful parts, ranting to me when it gets to be too much…and then you’ll be swallowed up by love again. In the end, it is worth the risk 100x over.

      You have a lot of love to give, I can vouch for that. And you are strong, and wildly fun about life’s imperfections. Keep that attitude handy, there’s no place you can’t go. And that includes motherhood.

      xoxo

  • http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/party_mummy Lisa

    I just recently gave away the last of our “baby stuff.” (a few of the items had to be pried out of my clenched fists)

    I look at pregnant women these days with an odd sense of envy. We’re a happy family of four, but I can’t help but wonder “who” a third baby could end up to be…. But like I said, I gave away the baby stuff. Gone. Yes. We’ve made our decision. Pretty much. Mostly. ;)

    • http://littlemissmocha.com jen

      “We’ve made our decision. Pretty much. Mostly.” is awesome. And so true. I felt horrified at the thought of deciding 6 or 12 months ago. I couldn’t begin to think of it.
      Then my second started walking. Okay, I’m kidding. Sort of…
      Honestly, now that I see her becoming her own little person, seeing the two of them together and being reminded that those little pink bundles don’t last forever…well, I think…I feel busy enough. I feel that they keep me happy, inspired, challenged, busy and laughing. I don’t know that I need or want any more than that. Somehow I suddenly feel like this might, maybe, be it. ; )
      Pretty much. Mostly.

  • Kim W

    i could not agree more with what you wrote.

    i too had mixed feelings about ever wanting to have children and i will not lie, but when my husband and i started trying i still had mixed feelings. in fact, when i found out i was pregnant i did not tell my husband right away. i called a friend for support.

    i was one of those women who did not enjoy being pregnant. i was exhausted all the time, had “morning” sickness at night, was uncomfortable sleeping, hated not being able to put my socks on because of my belly and when i heard the heart beat for the first time, i started to cry not because i was happy, but because it made everything that much more real. it was not until when i felt the baby kick for the first time that i was happy. then when he was born, i forgot about all the stuff that came before. was it worth it? hell yeah. lol!!

    • http://littlemissmocha.com jen

      I think many moms have mixed feelings at first, after all, how can someone ever tell us exactly what it will be like? And it is the utmost commitment of your heart and soul. You may love your partner, but you will love and be responsible for your child or children. I know that my personality leads me to want to know all the ins and outs, ups and downs and what will happen before I commit to things…well, I’ve long learned real life is nothing like that. You take a deep breath, you leap and you love. And you do the same thing when you decide about having kids.

      No promises, no guarantees. But the possibility of a whole other world of love coming into your life. Yeah. Totally worth it.

      Thanks for your comment. ; )

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