No Sugar Coating Here!

I was watching a mom & her 4 kids at the playground today.  She kept directing them to pose while she took pictures.  She obviously wanted to get a sweet picture of her cute kids, not a photo of her son hitting her daughter because she was stealing his chips while the baby is crying in the background.  I wanted to tell her that the latter photo was much more interesting than the one she was trying to manufacture. It's much better to just tell the truth without the sugar than to convince yourself of a reality that doesn't really exist.

So, here at Peek-a-boo, I'm not going to sugar coat our existence with a new baby.

We love Annie.  Love her to pieces.  Her smiles melt my heart.  I'm eagerly anticipating that first laugh.  But, truth be told, we're not having a whole lot of fun.

Annie cries a lot.  A LOT.  If you knew Jack as a baby, that's how much she cries, especially when she eats.  She cries more after she eats than before when she's hungry- just like Jacko.  Annie won't take a nap unless we hold her.  Not a real nap anyway.  A 20 minute nap, but nothing substantial.  This means no break during the day at all.  And, when she's awake, you have to pay intense, direct attention to little Miss Annie.

We're tired.  We're cranky.  My house feels really, really dirty.  My son is watching way too much television.  I've cooked very few meals since the baby came home.  John & I have spent almost zero time together.

But, all that aside, we love this little girl.  I savor those sweet smiles so I can remember them when she's screaming her head off.  I reassure myself by looking at photos of Jack as a baby- I need to remind myself that this time passes & we're left with a fun, fun girl.  Then, we'll have another one & start all over.  Surely baby #3 is the easy one, right?