Saturday, December 13, 2008

I'm Really not a Baby Person

Perhaps one of the most interesting things to me in this whole motherhood experience is that I am not a baby person. It seems that many women possess this inherent love of babies, especially newborns. They coo at them, speak in high pitched voices, and love to cuddle them. They are the ones clamoring the babysit just as soon as the new parent is willing to leave the house. I was never one of those women.

I always found babies, especially newborn babies, intimidating with their out of control movements and large, floppy alien-like heads. They are seemingly impossible to interpret, and I never quite had the knack for calming their cries. The littlest ones even seemed a bit boring as they could not do much besides look around with confused or sleepy looks on their face. Oh and there was always that threat of spit-up as my sister, the baby vomit magnet, can attest to. (Have you seen the commercial for Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and the baby vomit...hilarious!). Granted I have always admired people's babies and usually thought them cute. I just usually preferred to do so at a distance.

Despite this, I never doubted that I wanted to have a child of my own, and I have come to find out that I do love babies...or at least I am very much in love with my baby. I've been enamored with this baby from the very beginning despite her floppy head and screaming fits. I'm not sure what it is exactly that made this particular baby different from all the rest. Perhaps I warmed up to her during the many months she occupied my uterus. Or maybe it is looking into her eyes and seeing a little bit of me and a whole lot of Jeramy in them. Or maybe it is that we are figuring this whole thing out together and that after all these weeks I am the one who knows how to soothe her tears the quickest. It is the strangest thing but all the sudden I find this helpless little being to be the most fascinating creature ever. It seems like every day she achieves a new milestone, and ironically while I would have previously thought this to be mundane (e.g. reaching for a toy) it now fascinates me so much that I could just watch her do it over and over again for hours.

I also find that I take pictures of it all so that I can bore you with every mundane detail also. Or perhaps if you are baby people you find all of this fascinating!

Just last weekend she started reaching towards the hanging toys in her activity gym. Now she can even grab them. Like I said, even the must mundane accomplishments impress me these days!

She seems to like the Mary Jane booties I knitted better than the matching hat.

Here is the close-up. I like these so much that I am knitting a black pair to go with her Christmas outfit.

I never get tired of her smiles. Oh and she does have gorgeous eyelashes...everybody comments on them. She can thank her daddy for that.

18 comments:

Ann said...

I'm not a big baby person either. Yet now, I find myself pointing out to friends all the cute things Tyler does, and expecting that they will find them as cute as I do. I've become what I used to hate!

Jamie said...

You have no idea how much it comforts me to hear that. I am not much of a baby person myself so I have often found myself wondering how a baby of my OWN would work out.

LOVE the booties!

Monica Fayth said...

I've heard of a lot of people who don't like kids much, but absolutely love their own.

Monica Fayth said...

oh, and the booties are really cute!

Sunny said...

I love her smiles, they are so adorable! And those booties are ridiculously cute. Jillian seems to agree. :)

Geohde said...

I think it's always different with your own.

Can I say how much I adore those booties. Wish I could knit!

J

jenn said...

Those booties really are the cutest!

I am very much a baby person- I would want to babysit your kid before you were ever ready to leave, lol! I just got a nice long weekend full of 3 week old! It was great!

Kelly said...

I'm so glad to hear this because I'm not a baby person either. I would much rather look at them from a far or "pet" them on the head while someone else is holding them. The whole head isn't really attached/could fall off at any minute thing freaks me out! I ~know~ it's attached and won't fall off but sometimes it really looks like it could pop off if left with a novice baby person like myself!

I love all the pictures!!

RBandRC said...

She is such a cutie! And I LOVE those booties! How cute are they? :)

Jaime said...

The booties are super duper cute!! However, you have them on the wrong foot Jen! The buckle is always on the outside :)

Anonymous said...

The baby shoes are adorable. I love them! You did a great job on them.

George said...

Her eyes are like little butterflies with those long eyelashes! Gorgeous.

I know what you mean about not being a baby person. I'm definitly not a "someone else's baby" person...but I think I'm pretty impressive with Julian (for not having any previous training) ; )

Barry said...

Alls I know is that ever since my boys were born, screaming babies on airplanes don't bother me anymore. Granted I usually have my iPod cranking...but prior to having my own kids I'd be thinking "For the love of god just shut that kid up!" and now I just smile and think "Ohhh, those poor parents (and I'm glad it's not me!)". Course if it's a 4 year old yanking on the back of my seat that's a whole 'nother story.

Birdee said...

I love that picture of her smiling - she is so beautiful.

Birdee said...

okay and about being a baby person - I'm not a baby person either, nor am I really a kid person. I love them - sure, but I dont know what to do with them, but I sure try - and I sometimes over do it putting all my energy into them when I babysit that it makes me dread babysitting again. BUT THEY ALWAYS LOVE ME!! :)

But there is somehting about my own - it is just different - I'm crazy - madly - In love with him and even love his fits- (yes - even still) I just never seam to get sick of him. Funny how it's this love I'm talking about that I cant imagine loving another person like this - yet I have one growing inside me, makes me excited to meet my new child and feel a love just as strong - but impossible to imagine right now.

Kathy V said...

I have always been a baby person but can I say that those annoying people that constantly talk to a baby in what I will refer to as the Christmas elf voice is really irritating to me. not that a few things can't be said in that voice but do entire conversations have to be done in that voice?

Glas Jillian is doing well and you are doing well with her. It is nice to be able to calm her tears. It is nice that she can start playing more since she can grab for her own toys.

Barb said...

Enjoyed reading your perspective Jen. Thanks! And boy do I love those booties too. And so easy to knit!

BunnyliciouS said...

I'm not a baby person either. Your first two paragraphs really describe what I am. I hope I change for the better when I've my own baby. Your baby is VERY beautiful btw :)