Whenever forced to actually play by herself, Alaina can usually be found taking care of her “babies.” Some of these are actual baby dolls, some are stuffed animals. She soothes them why they “cry”, feeds them when they are “hungry”. She has been discouraged from giving them any more baths, but basically does a great job of taking care of them. I get the feeling that she would be a great big sister.
Unfortunately, she has also recently come to the conclusion that she would make a great big sister, and has been repeatedly nagging us to go ahead and make that happen. She’s pretty confused about the “how” involved in this, but a few days ago she told her mother that if it involved a race, she was pretty sure that she was fast enough to win. Apparently, babies are a prize to be won like ribbons or trophies.
Surprisingly, Kayla is also interested in this, but I think her motives involve having somebody else to keep her sister occupied. There have been times over this winter when I have considered putting “free babysitting” ads on Facebook just to try and solicit a playmate for Alaina. I’d have taken just about any toddler offered for a few hours of peace on non-school days. A little more practice with sharing certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
I’m sure it would be great for both of them. My little brother is three years younger than me. According to my parents, I was always very protective of him as a baby. These early lessons in responsibility helped shape the person I ultimately became.
I can see why many people have another child when their first gets to be Alaina’s age. She is turning into such a “little person” now that it is easy to miss having a little baby. It seems ridiculous that she is going to be four in a few months. Kayla turning sixteen this summer is just as crazy. She wasn’t much more than a year older than Alaina is now when I first met her.
Since starting this blog I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about all the moments we’ve had with them over the years. Looking at pictures like this certainly doesn’t help.
Luckily, I took preemptive measures to avoid falling into this trap. I apologize to anybody that thought this was leading up to an announcement, but you’re going to be disappointed. It’s easy to forget how much of a pain in the ass these little angels actually are. I really have no desire to go back to the days of dirty diapers and up-all-nights. The toddler and the teen combine to consume as much time, money, and energy as I have to offer.
I’ll just buy Alaina another doll, and if occasionally I pretend to burp it, don’t judge me.
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Originally published on Musings of a Thirsty Daddy
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The post Another Baby? Wait, It’s a Trap! appeared first on The Good Men Project.
