Spring Cleaning and Growing Up

I've been quiet on the posting front lately, because I'm spring-cleaning.... taking my valuable kid-free time, and instead of idling/typing furiously on the computer, I'm clearing out boxes and boxes of stuff, trying to cut down on all those things we've accumulated and put by for when they come in handy.

Truth to tell, there's not much cleaning going on, but there's a lot going out.  Including the baby stuff.

Now that my daughter's a year old, and we have no plans for more children, it's time to say goodbye to the baby equipment.  She's weaned from the bottle, she's out of the infant carrier and into the convertible, she was never in a crib anyway, and I can't remember the last time I put her in the Exersaucer.  The stroller, changing pad, nappies and highchair are likely to stick around a bit longer, but everything else?  That can go.

I vaguely remember how dramatic it seemed as we gradually acquired all the baby paraphernalia at the end of 2008 when my son was born.  This influx of equipment taking over the house, and even after he outgrew it, we carefully put it to one side, hoping we'd get the chance to use it again.  Now it's gradually exiting the house via Craigslist.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that I don't feel many pangs as it leaves.  Since we're ever in danger of becoming hoarders, I always feel a sense of triumph when we get rid of things anyway, but this is saying goodbye to a whole phase of our lives: the baby phase.

Then again, I've never been a baby person, and neither has my husband.  I was talking with another mother recently who has a son the same age as mine, and she said her favourite part so far was from 0-1; I replied that my favourite part was 1-2.  I'm toddler-centric.  I never felt sad about my son growing up until he reached 3, and since then I've often had little flashes of baseless fear that he's going to grow into somebody I don't like or just the overwhelming comprehension that someday he's going to be bigger than me, and that very soon, I'm not going to be somebody he wants to cuddle up to.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I discouraged my son from being carried, knowing that the baby would take over my arms soon.  Now that both the children are a little older, I'm carrying my son more again, knowing that I won't have much longer to do it.  He occasionally likes to pretend that he's the baby, which I'm sure is a normal older sibling reaction.  I've no idea whether that sort of behaviour should be permitted or discouraged, but I'm indulging him, because I still can!

So I've no regrets about my daughter turning one, and saying farewell to such infant staples as our co-sleeper bassinet or the boppy pillow, but I think when she's three, it will be a very different story....