First baby vs. second baby

At dance last night a mom was all excited because her niece had just had a baby at 5:00 p.m. and she was going to see it. This was 6:00 p.m. And she wants company already I asked. Yep, says she feels great and can't wait for us to see him. I just had to ask the next question. This is her first baby isn't it? Yep again.

When I had Dancer it was the middle of the night. I could hardly wait for morning so I could call people and tell them she was here and hope that someone would come and see her right away. It was a week day so everyone I knew would be at work until that evening and it was so cold that the governor closed all the schools in the state. I remember the pastor's wife stopped that morning and I was so thrilled that someone, anyone, came so I could show her off. It seemed everyone we knew came to see her and we enjoyed all the company that we had over the next few days and also the first couple of weeks after we got home.

Then it came time to have Spark. Dancer was almost four years old and I had been running a child care for the past 3 and half years. My life was loud and busy. Every time I sat down someone needed something and I would have to jump up. I had forgotten what hot food and silence was like.

Spark was born in the evening. My parents were there because they were going to be taking Dancer back to their house for a few days. They saw him that first night and then that was the end of our company for the evening. I waited to tell others he was born until the next day. I just wanted to sit and hold him with nothing else to do and no one else to share him with. I knew these days of quiet and no one demanding anything of me would quickly pass and I would be into the thick of life again. The nurses would even come in and say "Don't you want the t.v. on?" No, I just want to sit and hold him. And it got better. They brought me hot meals, that I got to eat sitting down, and they came to pick up the dishes afterwards. They brought a snack in the evening, that I didn't have to share. I could take a bath without having to jump out quick to take care of Dancer. Oh, and the luxuries just went on and on. Dad and I got to have whole conversations. It was pure bliss.

The other dance mom came back at 8:00 p.m. with a whole bunch of pictures on her cell phone and talk of their hour and half visit with the new mom and baby. I smiled remembering those exciting, wonderful days of motherhood no matter if you share the baby with the world right away or keep the news under wraps for the first few hours.