>This time

>This time…

I won’t

• be afraid of dropping my newborn the first time I give him or her a bath.
• wait to use the great swaddle blankets that allow a newborn to sleep for longer stretches.
• cry if I have to supplement with formula.
• be jealous of moms with “easy” babies, because now I know how to deal with a tough cookie and still love him as fiercely as if he’d been a breeze.
• think that difficult phases will last forever.
• take on every night shift for almost a year.
• worry that I’ll never get my body, brains, or self back.

This time…

I will

• avoid the going back to work battle when my baby is four months old, and be truly ready when the time comes to reenter my career.
• enjoy as many moments as I can in which I get to just stare at this new little person, even if those moments come when I am exhausted in the middle of the night.
• get out of the house more often in the first few months, or at least invite more people over.
• watch as my babies adjust to each other, solve conflicts, and learn to love each other.
• learn new lessons because this little one is already teaching me that every child is unique.
• remember that “the days are long, but the years are short.”