Jealous

The other night as I browsed through facebook I saw a post from a fellow mom. It was a link to a mom blog entitled "Why I'm Jealous of Your Baby." Here's the link. (Yes, there is some off-colored language and perhaps a little too honest, but I found it hilarious!) You'll probably want to read it first to understand what I'm talking about.

http://www.modernmom.com/blogs/teresa-strasser/why-i-m-jealous-of-your-baby

OK, read it? Alright, here we go.

As I read it, I identified with the "good baby" mom. I laughed as I read and saw flashes of some of the babies we've encountered at the store or in restaurants or even friends. I laughed at the creation of other words to nicely describe our baby's temperament. Through our first year, I often used "mellow" to describe Hudson. I, too, felt as thought I was bragging to call him "good." From the beginning he hasn't been overly motivated to be mobile. I often blamed myself at being at his beck and call, but he's tended to sit and "take it all in," quietly watching and playing. He loves to cuddle and will sit on a lap and enjoy conversation with adults. He very much is an oldest or only child. He enjoys the spotlight and loves to entertain (i.e. "ham it up" :).

But, as the days passed since I read the article, my thoughts have wandered. I was amused as he jumped in the dog bowl with both socks on and danced in the water (shame on me for showing him how to jump in puddles last week!). I shook my head as I repeatedly fished dog food from his clenched jaws and I giggled each time (yes, he did it twice) he stood in the bathtub to pee.

Yesterday, after hosting a playdate, I let out a big sigh and fell onto the couch. Suddenly, before my eyes my son had transformed. Gone was my "chill" Hudson that just sat and "took it all in." Nope, he was right in the middle of the action, doing all the things the other kids a year older could do. He was the follower, learning tricks and discovering more things to get into. Hudson and his partner in crime covered the basement. One minute they were here, then there, then, wait, how'd they get there? All the while, their sweet girl friend was sitting playing quietly or coloring. Suddenly, I could identify with the writer of the article and pictured my now "exuberant" son poised with a jar of jelly over his head waiting to strike.

Yes, perhaps I was too quick to judge. Perhaps we all like to think of ours as "good babies." Maybe it's all a matter of perspective. Maybe it just depends on the day. Maybe it's my optimism that clouded my judgment. Maybe I'm now a member of a different mom club. Bye baby Dalai Lama, hello Spazz!

But, as I watched my son struggle to keep his heavy eyes open during lunch following his morning of terror (aka playdate), and his eyelids finally surrendered to exhaustion, the morning events disappeared. Slowly the halo began to shine once again over his sweet little blonde cherub head. I carried my cuddly boy to bed, kissed his soft chubby cheek and thanked God for giving me the most perfect baby in the world.

Yes, I know you're "jealous of my baby". ; )