When I was pregnant with my son, I couldn't really conceptualize how my world was going to change. Yes, people warned me about "never sleeping in again" (totally true, by the way), and how I'd wonder what I did with all my free time before I became a parent. And although all those things were true, I never could have imagined the pure joy and unbridled happiness that comes with the gift of a child. My son makes us laugh in new ways every day, brings out the most empathetic and nurturing sides of our personalities, and helps us to take life not so seriously.
As the primary caregiver, I've also had the special opportunity to spend lots of one-on-one with my son. We've developed a really sweet and simple routine, and it's perfect.
But not long after the calendar turns to 2013, our little world will once again change. My husband and I are expecting our second child in the very near future. While I couldn't be more excited and thrilled to welcome a second baby into our family (I've been "nesting" for months!), I know, that just like I had no idea how my life would change before I had my son, I have no way of knowing what it's like to go from one child to two. I'm nervous about some things. I'm afraid of the exhaustion. I'm afraid of not having time to get my work done, or to go to the gym. I'm afraid of not having five minutes to enjoy a meal, or sit down with my children and play without wondering what I have to do next.
And to be perfectly honest, I'm a little scared about something else. Will my relationship with my son change? I know I'll absolutely adore my new child; there are days when I can't wait to meet this new addition. And then there are days when I cherish sitting on the floor and building a tower with my son or snuggling on the couch while we watch a television show, and I wonder, where did this special time go? How did two and a half years go by so fast?
Without a doubt, I know I'll adore my new baby just as much as I love my son. I know I'll find the time to balance both my children. I know this second child will only bring more joy and beauty into our lives, just as our son did. But it's such a huge, huge change. And it's scary. I keep telling myself that it's okay to be a little intimidated by how this new life will, one day soon, make an entrance and in a minute, change our lives forever.
It is amazing, actually. One minute, you're pregnant, and the next minute, your baby is here and all of a sudden, in a heartbeat, everything begins to change. The life you once knew seems incomplete because this new person, who just arrived, wasn't there before.
What a spectacular and incredible blessing children are.
Sarahlynne loves writing for Shine as a Parenting Guru. She also is the co-founder of merelymothers,
where she's written more about her feelings and emotions as she prepares for her second child.