Baby addict

I am baby crazy. I love everything, okay, almost everything about babies. I love how soft they are. I adore the way they nuzzle against you. I am nuts for the way they smell (when they aren't stinky). When they pout their little lips and suck in their sleep, I melt.

And it's not just the first few months of babyhood that I love.

Jump ahead a few months and I am all about the cooing. The little sounds they make crack me up. The fact that they develop their little personalities so early fascinates me. One of the cutest things of all is when they first learn to clap their little hands and find it so amusing.

I could really go on for a long, long time.

My husband and I have been extremely fortunate in the baby department. Although M and F were both preemies and had to do stints in the NICU, we have had no major health scares, no colic, manageable teething and overall happy babies. This makes my baby addition a little harder to crack.

Here's another thing that makes it easier: I really don't like being pregnant. I mean I really, really don't like it. My pregnancies have not been easy and, due to the premature birth of one baby already, my pregnancy with F was filled with extra check-ups, weekly injections, hourly medication and a whole lot of worrying.

Does that stop me from wanting another one? No, not really.

My father told me once that he thought I was a baby addict, hence my high output of children in such a small period of time. His theory was that once they reached a certain age, I started realizing that they were not going to be a baby for much longer and, before I would have a chance to miss their baby-ness, I would just get pregnant again. I haven't really had time to test this theory until now.

F is approaching the age at which I would normally be getting production underway again. I was in the office the other day and saw a heavily pregnant co-worker and felt a pang of envy. Envy. For pregnancy. Me, envious of that which I detest.

Shit. My dad was right.

So I come before you today to say:

Hi, my name is Laura and I am a baby addict. Hi, Laura.