Tuesday, December 12, 2006
An update
Ahh… an update… Have been so busy with the “secret project” that just couldn’t find time for anything else. But here I am. And let me say that I survived the get-together on Saturday in one piece. And the house was clean. And take out was great (thank you God for inventing Chinese food!). And the company was excellent. Though I must say that some people have strange reaction to kids. I guess their time will come…
Kiddo was actually on mostly best behavior, considering that in all the excitement he decided to skip his nap. He was extremely shy at the beginning (how did that happen?) and wouldn’t let go of me for some half an hour while he was carefully studying the “strangers”. He then proceeded to make friends his own way, i.e. by giving them all kinds of toys and studying their reaction. Quite a fascinating process, actually. I think by the end he figured they were OK, and fell back into his normal run-around-being-loud-and-happy kid. Which I don’t mind. And if anyone else does – well, that’s too bad… (I think my friends took it in stride… Though it makes me wonder if I contributed to their wanting to have kids sooner, or the opposite…)
It was also strange in other ways… Like the fact that we are all the same age, graduated from the same program, but are now at such different points in our lives. They live downtown, while I live in suburbia. They got jobs and a social life, while I chase a toddler all day. They are not even planning kids yet, while I’m on number two… It’s as if I fell of the program at some point, and now just kind of check in on it.
But there are perks. I keep reminding myself that in just a few years I’ll be done making babies, I’ll get myself back in shape, I’ll get a job again, and I’ll still be only starting my 30s! Those are the benefit of starting early. You get out of the worst of it early too. And honestly, luck of sleep is much easier to survive when you’re younger. There was a time when I thought nothing about staying up all night to cram for a test. Now – if I don’t get my sleep, I wouldn’t even remember what subject I was studying for. And I don’t even want to think about what it will be like in ten years. I just hope I won’t have to stay up all night then. Which is what I’m working on now. Handling the sleepless nights and morning sickness while I can. So that my 30s are a breeze…
Or so I hope...
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Maybe it's the other way around and your friends are the ones not on the program and don't even know what they are missing.
Congrats on the successful dinner party. When we start comparing ourselves to others, it causes us to have feelings of inadequacy for no reason. The truth is that we all go in the direction that we are supposed to go. Fate has a way of doing that.
I'm glad your get-together went well.
It's interesting to see how childless people react to children. I know that I had a very different view before I had Julia.
I have to agree with Daddy Forever, though. I suspect that they're the ones that don't know what they're missing.
I'm also at that age where my friends from college are starting to divide into two distinct camps based on whether they're more focused on family or career at this point in their lives. Sometimes it's really hard to maintain friendships with single friends after you get married; life is just so different. I need to do what you've done and have a party to get everyone together again (although, knowing me, it will never happen - I am so bad at organizing that type of thing).
It's so cute how your son went around making friends by offering them his toys! I would have been absolutely charmed.
DaddyForever: I wonder about that... But it's still strange how different our lives are right now.
Alexys: You're right. Comparing is pointless. But we still sometimes do it automatically... It's not so much comparing, as wondering how different lives can turn out. Or how differently same things can be viewed.
Leslie: Some reactions surprise me. I guess some people have little experience with kids and don't know what to expect at all. Boy, aren't they in for a shock when they get their own?!
Kelley: I just send an email and ask them if they want to get together... That's the extent of my organizational skills. But you're right, maintaining friendships with single/childless people is a bit tricky, cause we are at such different points... I mean, I’ve been so domesticated that I know I come of as boring to people who don’t care about IKEA, grocery shopping, renovations, diapers or toddler proofing…