I am not pregnant. I wish it were "in the cards" for us to have another child right now, but for several very important reasons, it definitely is not. I don't know when it will be or if it ever will be in God's plan for us to be blessed with another baby.
Our youngest is now 4 and he is definitely not a baby anymore. He's not even a toddler. We are solidly out of the baby phase in our home. No more diapers, pull-ups, rattles, cribs, breastfeeding, sippy cups, bibs, onesies, strollers, high chairs, and so on, and so forth.
Ok, I'm depressing myself. Babies are awesome. I love having little ones around!
And I discovered a couple important (silly) reasons why I need another.
1. They're great conversation buffers.
Awkward small talk is excruciating. Trying to think of something to say is hard. But if you've got a small child in your arms, there's always something to talk about. If the other person doesn't jump at the opportunity to start a topic other than the weather by asking, "He's so cute! How old is he?" then the conversation is definitely doomed.
2. They're a good excuse to avoid undesirable situations.
That awkward lady who stands too close and hugs too tight wants to rope you into a conversation which you won't be able to escape for at least 20 minutes? Cut her off with, "I'm sorry, do you smell that? I think this guy needs a clean diaper! We'll have to catch up later. He gets such a bad rash if I don't take care of it right away!"
3. They're like a security blanket.
You know how when you sit down on a couch at someone else's house, you immediately hug a throw pillow to your lap? Just me? It's purpose may be to cover my chub or in some other way make me feel protected. Well, a baby or shy toddler is like a throw pillow or security blanket, only bigger and better (see #1 and 2.)
My kids, as old as 3, all went through a phase where they would fall asleep in the car on the way to every extended family gathering. That meant that instead of arriving at the party and immediately going around the room and saying "hi" to everyone (which I enjoy normally, but sometimes I just don't feel like it, ya know?), I got to relax in the comfiest corner of the couch and cuddle my sweet little one for a time. I could exchange greetings from a distance and when the child was awake and warmed up to the situation, then we could both jump in and have a great time socializing when we were ready.
Babies also represent at least one person who will always love and value me no matter what if I'm having an awkward or low self-confidence day.
What are some other (perhaps silly) reasons to have another baby?
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