There are lots of things in my life for which I would like to have a do-over. I won't even waste our time talking about clothes or hair styles because there are tons of those. I certainly wish I had given a 100%, or even 90% in college. I wish I had the opportunity to again take the chances that I wimped out on over the years. There are tons of snarky remarks that I would use if I had a do-over with some folks (which is one great reason why do-overs might not be such a good idea). There are also an equal number of snarky remarks I would love to take back, so it probably evens out.
Right now I'm feeling very thankful for a do-over that I've been given. I get to have a baby in the house and watch him grow. How lucky am I that I get to "do-over" and try not to make the same mistakes with him as I did with mine? Now I know that despite my best efforts, intentions, failures and successes, God is in control and that is so comforting this time around. Knowing that all the fears that I had with my little ones probably won't come true is so freeing. Knowing that even when the bad stuff does happen and your child is hurt, or worse, your child's heart is hurt, God is a strong tower. When I watch my daughter worry about her sweet baby, I want to tell her all those monsters she's ready to fight off probably won't even show up. The ones that creep up on you are the ones for which you can't prepare. The only way to fight them is with a strong husband (emotionally and spiritually) and a God you can cling to.
With tons of practical knowledge to try out from the start and all my parenting pride and self consciousness out the window, how much more fun is this going to be? I'm already getting to enjoy bathtimes again. The family dinners I've missed soooo much since the kids have been gone will soon be a part of my life again, too.
I know this comes at a price, and I would trade it all if it meant Eddie could stay home and experience it instead of me. That isn't an option and I know that I'll probably never have this chance again, so I plan on taking full advantage of it. If you want to come play with us this summer, we have a lot of firsts you can join us in!
Sitting alone.
First Easter
First time to sit at Mamie's table for dinner (even though he didn't eat).
First haircut.
The hairstylist, Lori, has been a friend (and doing my hair) for almost 30(!) years. Her husband is a firefighter with Kenny and Kenny was in their wedding. Lori did my hair for the baby shower I had when I was expecting Meg, gave both kids their first haircuts and did Meg's hair for her wedding. We also share LOTS of stories and secrets. Now we share another generation of firsts.
First next-door buddy.
Notice the clothing. Reid is wearing Crash's hand-me-up and Crash is wearing Reid's hand-me-down. Crash also has on one of Reid's cloth diaper covers. How well do you think it's gonna go over when we tell them they shared underwear?
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