On February 22, 2001 I gave birth to the sweetest little boy anyone has ever seen. From the time he was born, he seemed to always be happy. He always rewarded anyone who looked at him with a huge toothless smile. Even when hungry, he rarely cried, and tears rarely fell from his big, blue eyes. He really was the most easy-going baby I have ever seen. Strangers would comment on how lucky we were to have such a nice baby.
On February 22, 2003, (or thereabouts), my sweet little boy disappeared and was replaced by a whining, crying, never satisfied little boy. I’m not sure exactly where my sweet boy went. One day, I had my sweet baby, and the next he just wasn’t there anymore and this stranger was in his place. I have looked for him extensively and occasionally catch a glimpse of him when I am reading a book to the whining child or when the whining child is almost asleep and is cuddling up against me. I believe that somewhere inside the whining child is my sweet child just aching to get out. But I can’t seem to bring him out for more than just a few minutes. And believe me, I have tried!
The sweet child used to be happy when I filled his sippy cup up with water. The whining child cries because I didn’t give him milk instead. The sweet child used to love to get a cookie. The whining child wants two. The sweet child could entertain himself for hours with a toy on the floor. The whining child climbs all over me and still cries about how unhappy he is. The whining child doesn’t like baths, bedtime, or the yucky vegetables that the sweet child used to love. The whining child sometimes get frustrated and throws things on the floor, and then cries because we take them away. The whiny child wants to walk everywhere and doesn’t like the stroller no matter how long the trip might be.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the whiny child too. It has been an adjustment though. I have gotten used to scheduling my day to make sure that the whiny child is completely rested before I run errands so that he won’t cry in the grocery store. I have grown accustomed to listening to him cry for extensive periods every night when it gets close to bedtime. I’ve learned to keep three hundred and eighty seven assorted toys and snacks in my purse so that if we should have to go out for some emergency during naptime, he might not scream the entire time. Someday, I hope that the sweet child overpowers the whiny child and comes back to live at our house. I miss him very much. I understand from friends that he may not come back to live permanently until he is grown up and moved out of the house.
On July 24, 2003, I gave birth to the sweetest little girl anyone has ever seen. From the time she was born, she seemed to be always happy. She always rewards anyone who looks at her with a huge toothless smile. Even when hungry, she rarely cries and tears rarely fall from her big, blue eyes. She is one of the most easy going babies I have ever seen. Strangers comment on how lucky we are to have such a nice baby.
What will happen on July 24, 2005? I don’t know….but I can tell you this….I am going to appreciate these next two years just in case one day I find a whining, crying, never satisfied little girl in her place.