Message to You From the Future

To all my friends who are approaching reproduction (you know who you are), I have a message for you:

It's incredible. Excuse me while I gush but it's going to blow your mind. Remember how amazing it was when you fell in love with your partner? It's like that, only even better (none of the "does he love me back?" angst). I knew that it would be good but this is way better than good.

Don't get me wrong, the first 100 days you won't feel that way. The first 100 days you'll be like: "What the hell did we do?" and "How do I send this demon back from whence she came?". If you're female and breastfeeding, there may be times of stupid, crazy pain. If you have a fussy baby, you will spend entire days of your life trying to keep a screaming infant in motion. If your experience is anything like ours, there will be times when you will be tested to your utmost limits and you find that you just can't take it anymore.

But then, slowly, things will start to change. The clouds will part. She will smile and the sun will shine through. She'll start sleeping through the night and angels will sing. And then she will laugh and your heart will explode. You will have quiet moments when you gaze down at her face and you will feel the most complete and happy that you have ever felt in your entire life.

It sounds cheesy and cliched but it's also true. There will always be challenges (bedtimes kill me sometimes) and sacrifices (champagne at a dinner party - it looked so good!) but I find that I don't even really mind it all. They say that this age (4 months) is the "golden age" of babydom - old enough to be fun but young enough that the hard stuff hasn't started yet (teething, attitude, puberty). Even with everything ahead, it will have been worth it just for the experience we've already had.

Enjoy the ride.