I'm so Done

On the weekend my family attended a dinner with some of my husband’s friends. One of his good friends has a nine-month old. She’s a sweet little thing, crawling around and pulling herself up.

My husband looked at me from across the room, where he was watching the baby, and says, “Let’s have another.”

Without hesitation, I responded, “No.”

He laughed because he wasn’t serious. We have agreed that we are done. Both of us are happy we had two children and have enjoyed every stage as they grow (at least so far).

I have no desire to go back to the start again.

Two of my cousins and my sister-in-law had babies this year and one of my close friends is pregnant with her first. I look forward to cuddling all those babies when I get to see them. I also look forward to handing them back to their parents and going home.

I lost three-years of sleep between my two girls – literally. If I got more than an hour sleep at a time during the first 18-months with either of them, it was a glorious day. I don’t intend to lose anymore sleep until my oldest daughter hits her teenage years.

Maybe I don’t yearn for a baby because I was so sleep deprived that I don’t remember what it was like except that I didn’t sleep and was a raving lunatic.

My youngest also just started school. Can you hear me cheering? I find four to be a magical age. They are now old enough to be more independent and entertain themselves for more than ten minutes at a time. While she entertains herself, I can do things uninterrupted, and sometimes complete the task, like folding laundry, sweeping or (gasp) sit down and read a chapter in a book. I’m looking forward to getting some semblance of my life and hobbies back.

I also started cleaning out the boxes and boxes of baby items in the attic, passing them on to family members who are having babies, friends and selling some. I have a box of toys at my store that I’m selling as I smuggle them out of the house.

I love babies and look forward to cuddling everyone else’s, but I am done.

(Now let’s hope I haven’t kicked fate too hard by professing all this.)