Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Reality Bites


I went to a baby shower this Sunday for my cousin, Dianne.

Dianne is only a few years younger than I am but this will be her first baby.

While I hated going to my own showers, I have grown to really enjoy going to them for other people. I get away from my kids for a couple of hours, get to eat and visit with other adults! What's not to love?

I am always amazed, though, at how little first time expectant moms know about the changes a baby causes in your life. I don't know why but statements like these still really crack me up coming from the mouths of pregnant women:

Oh, I would never sleep with the baby!

I am not going to sit around and hold her all the time; I have way too much else to do.

Breastfeeding is natural, right? How hard could it be?

I was a clueless wonder when I was expecting the first time, too. I said things to other people like,
My baby is not going to cry as much as that one does and My kid will never act like that.

Yeah. Right.

I still want to kick my own ass when I remember saying those things because God heard it too and he decided to prove a point by making me eat my own words over and over. My babies aren't great sleepers and are as badly behaved as any other kid. I can't count how many times I have prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me whole because of a screaming, fit throwing kid.

I learned really quick not to make judgments based on what you see other people or their kids doing because, most of the time, they are just trying to get through the day.

So, tell me, what was the biggest shock to you when your baby arrived? What words did you have to eat?

6 comments:

Anglophile Football Fanatic said...

For me: breastfeeding was one big shock - I thought it was mind over matter. The other was def. the affect the schedule would have on what I wanted to do; I thought he would meld into my world not the other way around.

Missy said...

I probably said a lot of dumb things, because I know that I was totally clueless. I tried to have an open mind, and I knew there would be some surprises... but wow, was it different than I expected!
I find first time moms irritating just for this reason. It drives me nuts, even though that was me just a few years ago... I know, I am mean. :)

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Oh hell, I'm still eating crow.

Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

Hey hon I am having huge issues. I was gonna comment on your most recent, but it went garbled. And, I tried to respond to your comment to me, but it shot it back. Here's my email to you:
That was the best thing about the pharmacist! He had a tackle box filled with everything you might possibly need. He said it was due to a trip to Egypt where he'd gotten really ill and was so pissed at himself for not taking precautions - and that from that trip onwards, he packed vials of every drug he could think of...and Thank God! Cause that Phenergan saved me. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not a huge bitch - cause I bought Paul a copy of The Parent Trap as a stocking stuffer for Christmas this year ;) He HATES that movie from having to watch it so much while I snored from my drug use.

I think we might take a little trip for our 10th - which is coming up. Stupidly, we took another cruise for the 5th anni and had similar results.

And, here's my comment for your post today. I actually have a cousin named Toni Lynn (odd, eh), so I have never had a problem with your name. I quite like it. I have always hated mine, because people, correctly, assumed it was Holly due to when I was born. I have never forgiven my mother for that.

Melissa said...

Mine was the whole sleep thing. Or rather lack thereof. My kids just don't sleep. Even to this day.

Anonymous said...

OH lets see.

My child would never sleep with me (mmm 3.5 years later and she is still in our bed).

I would never give a paci (just given up in the summer)

No chocolate or junk EVER (what fun is denying treats full stop)

Would breastfeed for at least 6 months but not past a year YUCK (Stopped with eldest a few months before her 3rd birthday) .

Could just go on and on lol