Getting dinner ready, originally uploaded by mslaura.

My lovely cousin Chandra is expecting her first bundle of joy, and commented on my last post:
"Oh good lord! Thanks for giving me something to look forward to :)"

Well the good news is, you can also look forward to:

Sweet-smelling fuzzy baby head to kiss
Adorable baby smiles
Funny nursing expressions
Cute little baby bird noises, squeaks, etc.
Velvety soft baby skin
Being the absolute center of the universe to an amazing little creature that you made yourself!

Seriously, you will love your baby so darned much...it's just crazy. And impossible to anticipate.

With both J and A, I was excited to be pregnant but when they came out...whoa!!!! Super love blast! And I was never really very into babies at all, never played with baby dolls or anything like that. But your own baby is just an amazing, amazing gift. You'll see! It's sappy Hallmark bursts of gooey, sticky love times 1000.

Kid number two is more hectic, but it's even sweeter baby-wise because you're already a mama and you know what to do (plus you already own all the stuff you need, very little shopping to do). There is a whole lot less anxiety and freaking out and a lot more calmness and relaxed enjoyment.

Well, there is for me anyway...Adrian is about as mellow a baby as they come. As long as he is being held and has a full tummy, he is a very happy camper. This time around I have a collection of great baby carriers, and if I need to put him down I have my rockin' bouncy seat (shown in pic), so the right gear makes a huge difference.

I can't imagine how mothers function without a good baby carrier....what do they do? I wear Adrian around for most of the day and he is happy as a clam, while I have my hands free to do other stuff. It's always nice to sit and hold him in my arms too, but not too practical to do that all day long. Baby carriers are the perfect solution. I am using my wraps (both velour and cotton), my Ergo with infant insert (easiest on my back by far), and my Kangaroo Korner fleece pouch, which is hard on my back but easiest to slip on and off. Good for short little babywearing sessions.

I was stressed about having two kids, but now I mostly feel rich, like I have a million dollars in the bank. Two beautiful healthy boys! When I am snuggling them both in my arms and Julian is kissing his baby brother, I just feel crazy lucky. Not that it's not hard sometimes, it most definitely is.

But what a payoff! Sweet kisses, early morning heart-to-hearts while cuddling in bed, playing games, tickling, belly laughs.

I feel tremendously lucky to have Dan too. The only thing better than enjoying my children is enjoying them with the person who helped me make them! Family life is very satisfying.

Of course, when the kids are both sleeping and Dan and I can talk without being interrupted, just hang out and enjoy one another's company, that's definitely time that I look forward to, each and every night.

On that note, both kids are sleeping now, so off I go...