Baby Thoughts

Here I am, where I often am in the morning, reading blogs and, occasionally, looking out the window. I expect to see weather out there this morning, but I don't. So far today, yet another weather warning is bypassing us. The Weather Network has been predicting freezing rain this morning, but it had better happen soon because morning is slipping rapidly away. If freezing rain doesn't eventuate, I hope that their next prediction does — warmer weather beginning with some normal rain this afternoon. Please may it be so.

Speaking of blogs, I just read Pearl's most recent post, Born That Way?, which was mainly a link to Nordette's, Are babies really born a blank slate? Of course they're not, but these blogs caused memories to surface.

With Smudge's arrival only a month away, I have been wondering what she'll be like. Will she be a placid little thing like her mother or a going-concern like her daddy, or will be be something altogether different? Will she be a quiet, doll-loving girl like Mom, or a more active sports-minded girl like Auntie? The differences between the two are rather remarkable and the type of thing which Nordette spoke of with her two kids.

Saturday morning is not the time to write a complete history, but let me share one difference between mom-to-be, Thesha (which is what I now propose to call daughter #1 who has previously been known as Butterfly), and Althegal (daughter #2, previously Bug or Lady Bug).

When we first got Thesha home on Christmas Day way back then in the mists of time, we were soon totally flummoxed. She wasn't at all happy, and we didn't know what to do with her. Rocking her, changing her, attempting to feed her produced no results. Then, MIL arrived with Christmas dinner and much expertise. That was one time that I was glad to see MIL, and she didn't disappoint. She took the disconsolate Thesha upstairs and came back down alone in ten or twenty minutes or whatever. Baby was asleep. Young parents were greatly relieved.

MIL explained the proper way to handle this baby. Wrap and hold her very tightly and rock her furiously as if you were trying to timewarp her, you and rocking chair into the next century. Strange but true! It worked a like a charm with Thesha. For whatever reason, it was exactly what she wanted. When we'd take her for walks in her carriage, we would furiously bounce it and her up and down ... and she'd be lulled to sleep.

Six years later, baby #2, Althegal, joined our family. We soon discovered that all babies were not the same. When I first wrapped Althegal tightly and began to rock frenetically, her petrified and frantic screaming quickly alerted me that such shenanigans were totally unacceptable. This was most definitely not how she wanted to be treated. Not in the least. No, Althegal wanted gentle cuddling and rocking. Oddly enough, she turned out to be the more active of the two, but that's enough recounting for the nonce.

And so, I eagerly wait to get to know Smudge and learn about her. Will she be quiet or boisterous, studious or rambunctious, musical or athletic? I look forward to getting to know her and appreciating whatever and whoever she is.