(Yes, that is a witch's hat on the floor next to her, naturally. It must have fallen off when I bent over.)Mind you, it's no surprise to see her there. After all, I am the one that laid her down. But I laugh at how I have changed (many may say adapted) in my nearly 8 years of motherhood.
My first born was coddled. She was held every second of the day. I nursed her until she was nearly a year, tenderly and lovingly. She was nursed off to sleep at bedtime and nearly every nap. She was bathed often. I used to have a rule that babies were allowed to wear their pajamas in public until only about 3 or 4 months old, then they should be appropriately dressed for the time of day. Her binkies were no doubt thoroughly sanitized if dropped on the floor and I never left the house without appropriate hair accessories adorning her delicate fontanel. I'm sure we listened to classical music and went through flash cards every day to build her understanding and vocabulary.
Here is our dear fourth born.
Weaned (against my will) by three months old, lying on the hard wood floor of the kitchen, still in her pajamas at who-knows-what-time-of-day, feeding herself a bottle and no doubt has some kind of crust or mold growing in her neck. Sometimes I forget how old she actually is and I have to count the months on my fingers. One day she'll do something amazing and I'll think "what an intelligent baby" realizing later of course that she is totally developing right on schedule. Heck, I might not even notice when she takes her first steps. One day she'll just come walking into the room and ask for the car keys and I'll say "Do I know you? You sure look familiar."
Is she just as loved? Absolutely.
Is she just as smart? Positively.
Is she just as coddled? You'd better believe it...and by six hands more than the first one.
Is she just as sweet and happy? No doubt.
A little neck crust never hurt anyone.
20 comments:
I love this thanks.
Amen to all that. As I put my fourth born down for a nap today, I was just thinking about how I always had to nurse my first to put her down. I realized that it was obviously something I had taught the first one because number four doesn't need that at all (plus, I just don't have time for it with the other three to herd). But you are right that they are all loved the same.
Poetry.
Sophie fell asleep with dried strawberry cream cheese in her hair tonight.
I was just telling my sister last week that although Matthew doesn't get as much time with me as my oldest, he gets way more attention (nearly every minute of every day) because of his 5 siblings who dote on him.
Hee he! But look how lovely you turned out, and you were the fifth child. And she has her whole life to get back at you...
I am right there with you. It makes me want to check for "neck crust."
Yeah, do you remember the pic we have of you at that age asleep on the floor with your head on the lid of an ice cream container--probably the toy you were playing with? Sigh, that's the lot of #4 or 5 or whatever. Thank heavens kids are resiliant.
My own boys are bathed less and less as they get older. What will I do when I have more? I love it. I love that you are such a great mom to all four of your girls and they will love you for it. Thanks for this post and the play dough comment.
Those fourth-born-children know they've got it good. So much to love... so many to love them.
Hazel is darling, even when she is crusty and lying on the floor.
Sad but sooooo true. My mother used to say she had thousands of pictures of me (her firstborn) but by the time she got to #4, she was lucky if she had the school pictures taken.
love that cute little baby! she is a doll! jake and i think it's funny because jada will fall and be crying or something and neither of us will get up and get her. we say if that had been elle, we'd have been there right away. oh how we change.
I am right there with ya. It is just the way things are, but they know they are loved just as much as any of the others. That is just the way things are too..
she is soooo cute!! i just want to hug her!!! and if only my pajamas were that cute!! haha! :)
i like how she is coddled by 6 more hands. I look forward to that:)
Love it.
What does that say about me what number 2 is like your number 4?
Hey! I only have two kids and this sounds familiar...10am. Dad's doing Yoga, kids are walking around in their pajamas eating a bag of Coco Roos...am I only allowed to relate to this if I have lots of kids? Eliza won't let bathe her without a wrestling match.
Oh, cute, cute, cute baby! I could just fall over at the pain of not being able to grab that chunk of cute lying right there in feetie, fleecy pajamas. Are you bringing her with in April?
I always laugh because my first ate home pureed, home prepared food, my second got the bottles of baby food, and my third got dum-dum suckers to have pacify her until I could find something else. It's just how it goes and they seem to all turn out alright!
I feel the same way!
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