It must be in the water...

I was lucky enough to have lunch on Sunday with a friend from high school. She and I were thick as thieves as kids. As we grew up we didn’t keep in touch as we should have, but we reconnected when we were both expecting our first children in May of 2010. It was great to have someone to talk to about the leg cramps, heartburn, insecurities, excitement, dread, nausea, exhaustion, and fear that came along with pregnancy. We kept in better touch and as fate would have it, my husband and I moved to Northern KY just down the road from where she and her husband lived. Our kids are going to be best friends, that is if Lennon can get over his fear of the cute little girl who always has a bow in her hair. During lunch, every time she would make eye contact with my little ‘fraidy cat, he would turn up his lip and squirt big crocodile tears out of the corners of his eyes. She sat in the high chair across from him and laughed and smiled and Lennon just cried and cried. This is not going to bode well for him later in life if he is that terrified of a cute little girl three inches shorter than him.

Anyway, my friend announced to me during our lunch date that she is expecting. Before I even realized what I was saying, I gasped, “ALREADY?!?!?!” She has an 8 month old, two weeks younger than Lennon. Holy-moly! Then after I got home, I got a text from a friend in Lexington that she and her husband are also expecting. She has an 11 year old and has been trying for #2 for years and years. I am so happy for her! It must be in the water.

If you read my last two posts, you already know that Lennon was a huge surprise to us. We had tried and were told that it wasn’t going to happen the old fashioned way, so when I learned that Lennon was on his way, we were shocked to say the least. Anyway, even before he was born, I knew that I was not planning to have any other children. Put down your stones and call off the angry mob. I have already been told how unfair it is to raise an only child. He will have no one to play with. He will be spoiled beyond belief. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love my kid, but I truly hated pregnancy that much. It was terrible. Some women glow, I was green the whole time. Throwing up relentlessly even on the day he was delivered. And bed rest is for the birds!

I never expected it, but I am feeling a bit of envy toward my preggo friends. I would love to be able to justify having ice cream every night (I NEED more calcium). I would love to have an excuse to sleep any time the mood strikes. I would be ecstatic to do all of the planning that comes along with the birth of a child. I never thought I would have these feelings. I have started wondering if I should hang on to some of the toys/baby gear that Lennon is out growing. Cloth diapers are even more economical if you use them for multiple children….

Then I remember the misery of pregnancy, the exhaustion of very little sleep, and my nearly empty savings account. For now I will hold strong as the mother of an only child.