Not a Big Deal

Yesterday I went over to my friend Magdalena's house. This is the friend that also has a daughter named Zosia. It's the craziest story-- Ben was playing with Zosia in the lobby of the birth center, and Magdalena overheard him calling her Zosia, and was like, "No, he couldn't have just called her Zosia." But after a few more times, she went up to him and asked, and they realized that sure enough, both have girls named Zosia. She's Polish too, and her Zosia is the sweetest little Polish speaking 3 year old ever. We've been hanging out, and it's been so nice.

Magdalena just had her second daughter three weeks ago, so yesterday was my first time meeting Ania, who is so tiny and beautiful. I've been seriously nervous about the first few weeks with a newborn in the house, mainly because Zosia is beyond being a "mama's girl" at the moment. She's so overly attached that it's hard for me to do anything without Zosia realizing that she wants and needs my attention and care at that moment. This is apparently totally developmentally normal for a 15 month old, healthy, and fine. And I've been through so many stages with Zosia that I'm happy to go with this, because just like all the others, I know that this too shall pass (and I should enjoy it while it lasts, because soon she'll want nothing to do with me). But I can't imagine doing this and having a newborn.

So going over to Magdalena's house was part to see her beautiful new daughter and part observation, seeing what it's like to have a toddler and a newborn at home. And it was fine! Now, I must say that Magdalena is the most natural mother I have ever seen. She lives in this one bedroom apartment with her husband and now two kids, and it just seems like the most natural thing in the world-- Ania is in bed with her and her husband, and Zosia has a little toddler bed off to the side. They just live in this equilibrium that is so foreign to us American parents. It totally reminds me of the way that my mom was with me and my sister-- totally willing to give of herself, whether that meant sleeping with us (until we were like 7 and 9 or something!), playing with us, whatever. Maybe this is a Polish thing?

But the bottom line is, having two kids at home was not a big deal. Newborns sleep all the time, which I now remember, but had somehow forgotten. So she said she has plenty of time to play with Zosia, and apparently even reads to Zosia while she's nursing Ania. And, newborn babies usually sleep so much that you can get a reasonable amount of rest. The whole thing is just nothing to worry about. Which is a good thing for me to remind myself daily as I'm preparing for April!