Four Children

There is a huge assumption out there that just because I have four children I know what I am doing. To be honest, I kind of thought that is how it would be ;) It is not a valid assumption. At least not for me ;) This assumption started the minute I was pregnant. It seemed when I had my checkups the midwives spent less time with me. Asked less questions. I was in and out in 7 minutes. If I brought up something that was a concern to me it didn't seem to get as much attention. Then when I was in labor most of the nurses were like "You are an old pro." I didn't need as much hand holding etc. I was suppose to know what to expect. Same with the pediatrician's office. For EG's check up we were with the doctor a total of 10 minutes. Not much to discuss, go over etc. I should know it all by now. What brings this up is yesterday I went to church all by myself. Well, not all by myself. Me and the kids. A lady came up and asked me how it was going and I said "It's going OK." And I went on to explain that EG had been a good night time sleeper in the beginning but now is waking up periodically throughout the night. The lady's response was something like "Well, you KNOW it won't last forever." She said it with such certainty because I had been through this before. Yes, I have been through it before. But, I am still perplexed. I am still not sure what is going on. I still can not say with any certainty how long it will last. I am confused and unsure. I ask myself "Will it stop? Does it stop? Wonder if it doesn't fix itself?" You would think I would know when the first smile is suppose to happen or when they are expected to roll over or when they begin to eat solids. How long they should sleep in a day, how often they should eat. Thankfully I have a great book that tells me all of this ;) It has worked out three times before but this time is different than the last time and the time before that and the time before that. And of course, every baby is different. Another dilemma I have is when the baby is crying. There is an assumption there that I know why the baby is crying. Honestly I don't or at least sometimes I don't. I have never been good at distinguishing why they are crying. That is one reason a schedule has been good for me. If she has been fed, has had a little play time then she must be sleepy. Maybe by the fifth, sixth or seventh baby I will figure it out. Just kidding . . .