I want a Time Bubble

Since Ken has been gone for the past two nights I have been putting the kids to bed. He loves to put the kids to bed, and I don't so it has always been their special time with Dad. Of course with the girls I am normally helping him out because 2 over-tired baby girls is more then 1 person can handle. But he does most of the heavylifting like rocking Ginger to sleep and I just get to lay there and get my cuddles from Rose.

Anyway with Daddy being gone Ginger isn't going to sleep in her usual 5 minutes. It's been taking an hour of me rocking with her. And I have absolutely loved it! I love smelling her "baby" scent at the top of her head. Tonight it was a little less so because she walked all over the soccer fields at Nathan's practice. But if I press my nose closely to her fine, silky hair I can still smell her baby smell. Although not quite as strong as it used to be when she was just a few months old. I have just loved holding her close to me an breathing her in and she was so still even though she was wide awake as she cuddled into me. I am so very sad that she is growing up. It makes me ache for a littly tiny baby. Not for a new baby (and we have no plans for one either before I get a million comments:-), but I want my baby to be a tiny baby all over again. It seems like it was just a little while ago that she was born. But it wasn't, she is quickly approaching 11 months old and it's not fair.

I wish there was a time bubble that just magically protected you from life your baby's whole 1st year of life.

My bubble would shield me from:

Schedules- school schedules, reading schedules, sports schedules, all of it. But I would still let Ken have a work schedule (but a smaller one, after all I wouldn't want him to hone in on my time with the baby, you know how he is:-)

Annoying Phone Calls, Solicitors, and emails

Volunteering-No making cookies until midnight, no coloring 30 different types of game pieces, no cutting a whole ream of paper into hundreds of thousands of 1" strips, no concession stand duty, no helping a friend, none of it.

Cleaning-My home would just be sparkling, clean all the time.

Worrying about losing my pregnancy weight- The most strenous physical activity I would do was swimming (because she loves the water) or a leisurely stroll (because she loves the wind blowing on her).

Our lawn would stop growing but it would stay forever green and weeds wouldn't even dare to pop up!

Invitations or Parties- If the world just stopped then I would never feel guilty about missing a party and the different happenings going on.

Church Callings- I debated on this one because some I would still have said yes to, and some I wouldn't have. This didn't happen with Ginger, but I seriously have to wonder about calling an 8 month pregnant woman to teach a Primary Class, and then expecting her to do it a month or so after having a baby all by herself. I will never do that again!

Friends- I debated about this one too, because some friends definately give something special to you, and then others not so much. I definately have benefited from having a friend with a kid with the same birthday as Rose. She got me to celebrate nearly every single month of Rose's 1st year!

Sleep Deficiency- Since I wouldn't have to deal with the annoying details of life while the baby is sleeping then I would be free to sleep myself!

Is it really too much to ask for a year for you, your baby, and your families sake to say no to any outside responsibilities??? I mean in the grand scheme of things you only have a baby how many times in your life??????? For the average American family that means all of maybe 2 years out of like 80 they would be checking out and saying "No, I'm just going to revolve around my beautiful, wonderful baby because she really is a miracle."

**Even though I am complaining I have to say I am extremely blessed, I have never had to work, and the moments I have missed with Ginger I did of my own free will. Well mostly free, sometimes our other children do just have to come first and the boys do still have to go to school. But the other things I did choose. Plus we have been extremely blessed to have Ken working from home most of this year. It has been neat to bond with Ginger together and I can show him all the little new things she does that no one but us (or my parents) would care about. We have traveled quite a bit this year and that has made it like our own personal bubble. All we had to worry about was mainly our children and enjoying our time with them.

Going to Paris with only Ginger and Ken was very memorable and wonderful as we were able to bond with just her and focus on her. Especially since they adored and revered her. Having a baby really meant something to them and they were so very helpful and anxious to serve the baby and her mom. Maybe I just need to move to Paris:-)**