The Chance to Do Everything Differently

I have one of the older kids among my friends. Sweetheart is usually one of the oldest when we get together with many of our family friends. I guess that would be because S and I are older than a lot of our friends. Hmm.

Anyway, just because we started before a lot of our friends doesn't necessarily mean we have more parenting experience. I consider someone with 3+ kids to have more experience than me because I only have 2 kids. Do you see how that works? If you've been through it more times than me, you have more experience even if I've been at it longer. And anyone with kids older than mine certainly has more experience in my opinion.

While on maternity leave with Little Bit, I had a chance to go with four year old Sweetheart (right) on her preschool field trip.

But we've had 8 years to re-think a lot of things. I wasn't sure we would ever have another (even though I sure hoped we would) but you still find yourself thinking about things. Things I never even considered when mine were little (like cloth diapering), I've had a chance to think about now. (I'm still not going to do it. :)

The thing is, my life is VASTLY different than it was in 2003 when Little Bit was born or goodness sake in 1999 when Sweetheart came on the scene! I was a full-time working mom back then. We had a nice house that wasn't ever very clean (OK not everything has changed), a boat, 2 jobs, debt, daycare/babysitters to pay, etc. Now I'm a full-time Mom and homemaker. We homeschool. We live in a smaller (read: cozy), older home. We have some debt, but nothing like we used to. I take care of my own children. I have time to help my husband. Things have changed!

Baby Little Bit

And as a result, my parenting can be so different this time! I don't have to worry about waking up in time on Monday morning while I'm in the hospital after giving birth so I can call in my maternity leave. I don't have to deal with disability paperwork or FMLA, or long-term subs. I don't have to find a babysitter or daycare. I don't have to count down every single day of my maternity leave or hide my work ID in my dresser drawer so I don't have to think about returning. I don't have to pump 3 times a day at work. I don't have to pack and re-pack a diaper bag every night. I don't have to wake up a sleeping child at 6:00am so I can get to work on time.

When this baby is born, hopefully, I'll just.....bring her home. And be her Mom. Oh! It will be such a blessing!!

My babies--fresh from the bath. 

And so I find myself researching making my own baby food, and thinking about how many toys a child needs, and considering what needs to be done to baby-proof around here (we need to stop leaving scissors laying around!), and how long I'd like to nurse, and all kinds of things. Life is different and I have a chance to do things differently!

So blessed! Thank you, Lord!