Babies

I love babies. Fat ones, skinny ones, pale ones, dark ones, happy ones, fussy ones...I love them all! Maybe I should say I love other people's babies. I have one child. I love her dearly. But, she is almost 19 years old now. And, I loved her when she was a baby and I still love her now. But, I do not want to have any more babies. I am 41 years old. I am still relatively young. I am sure my eggs are still fertile. I could technically still give birth to a child. But, having a baby when you are in your early 20's is much different than having one when you are in your early 40's. My brain and my body do not function nearly as well now. I need my sleep. I cannot even fathom getting up several times in the night to feed a baby. Just the thought of it exhausts me! I also couldn't see chubby me chasing around a chubby toddler. I would probably have to stop 2 or 3 times for a rest/water/oxygen break before I ever caught the child!

I guess my questions are this: How do women decide how many children they want to have? And, how do they decide when the time is right to have a child?

Now, I am not stupid. I know sometimes these are not decisions under a woman's control. There is the issue of finding the right man to have the baby with. There are sometimes fertility issues involved. You know, one of my friends said, "I really didn't consciously think of those questions. I just have a really frisky husband." Alrighty then...that works for her. And, yes she has 6 children. I'm still trying to figure out how she found the time and privacy to make more babies with her frisky husband. You know, some things are better left unsaid.

Another friend of mine is in her mid-forties and has two preschoolers. She simply didn't marry the right man the first time around and she was very career driven when she was younger. So, here she is on the verge of menopause chasing two little kids around. Thank goodness she is skinny and in excellent health. She also wears good running shoes.

My brother and his wife tried for 8 years to get pregnant. They finally did invitro fertilization. They had a baby boy and 5 months later my sister-in-law got pregnant again naturally. I guess her body just needed a little jump start.

Since I was a little girl, I knew I would only have one child. Somehow I knew she was going to be a girl. And, I always knew I was going to name her Natalie.

I guess it doesn't really matter how many or when women have babies...as long as they (meaning the moms and the babies) are happy and healthy! I am just excited that women today have more choices when it comes to the whole baby thing!