The last doll

In Russian, there is a saying "First child is the mother's last doll".  I never really got what that meant until now.

My husband and I fawn over Wombat, we revel in everything he does, find all things adorable and delight in all of him.  He got things just because we thought it would be fun to buy them for him and see what he does with them.  He only has to look at something to get it, pretty much.  We are lucky enough to be able to provide him with what he needs and what he wants, and I love that.

I worry a little that it won't be the same for Wallaby.  Everyone says it won't.  The novelty of the baby wears off, and the second one just doesn't get all the ooohs and aaaahs that the first one got just for squirming.  I'll have to try and make sure that Wallaby never feels second; Wallaby will be different and special and, may be, he can be treated like a doll too as we continue to play house. :)

I found this post yesterday on Karen Cheng's blog; I thought it was really funny so I'm re-posting the joke here.  What's kind of cool is that Elijah was never treated as "the first baby" in the joke below - he was treated like the second! I wore my regular clothes for most of the pregnancy, I wasn't too fast about washing things before they ended up in his mouth, and I did sort of skip out on most of "labor breathing" training.  So, I guess, if I just treat Wallaby same as Wombat, I'm on track!


The Evolution of Parenthood
Your Clothes -
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes are your regular clothes.
The Baby’s Name -
1st baby: You pore over baby-name books and practice pronouncing and writing combinations of all your favourites.
2nd baby: Someone has to name their kid after your great-aunt Mavis, right? It might as well be you.
3rd baby: You open a name book, close your eyes, and see where your finger falls. Bimaldo? Perfect!
Preparing for the Birth -
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.
The Layette -
1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?
Pacifier -
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
Diapering -
1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
Worries -
1st baby: At the first sign of distress – a whimper, a frown – you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Activities -
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
Going Out -
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home -
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.