Warning….if you are one of my friends, this post is mostly likely about you.

I mean, it’s about me, but it’s about you.

So one of my closest friends just had a baby. Her name is Brooklyn Tatum McCool and yes, she’s adorable. I could ooh and aah and coo and drool if you want. Because some babies are cute, and she is. And one person having a baby is cute and fun, however, one of my other friends just got pregnant. Not to mention my sister-in-law just had another baby and another friend is expecting baby number 2 in a few months.

And I’m thinking, “AH! It’s a pandemic explosion of baby fever! Don’t get too close, I’ve heard it’s catching!” 

Seriously though, what’s with all these babies?

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Technically, that’s not a serious question. I know what’s with all the babies, it’s just that time of life. Most of my friends are about my age and they’re married and they’re ready to start a family. The thing about it is, I’m not ready to start a family.
And you’re thinking, that’s ok Vida, you don’t have to. You can wait a few more years until you’re ready to start popping out kids. I know you’re thinking that, because that’s what I’m thinking. I said I’d wait until I was 30 before I begin to seriously think about having kids. I think that’s a good age considering Zach and I, and it’s totally possible I may never have kids. Whatever the case maybe kids aren’t in the foreseeable near future.

Let me temper that last paragraph with two little asides:

Aside #1. If you tell me it’s the people who profess to not wanting kids the most that end up having them the quickest…I’ll shoot you. As you can see from the litany of babies, we know what causes it and we’re pretty well inoculated.

Aside #2. Even though kids are on the iffy side, I do already have names picked out. Pandora or Siren for a girl and Angelus or Hezekiah for a boy. Weird I know, but I love the names.

Back to the point. Well, how about what’s not the point. The point is not that I don’t want kids, even though I don’t. And the point is not the rampant baby fever, even though it’s clearly here. The point is that while my circle of friends is technically widening due to procreation, it’s actually getting smaller, or at least really different.

Why, whatever do you mean? Just because people have a baby doesn’t mean they’re any different. They are the same people they were before, just with a baby.

Right.

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Let’s take a small example, Summertime activities. I wanted to get together a group of people to go floating, but that’s not something you can do with a baby, whether or not it’s still in the womb. Ok, not floating, how about going to Fiesta Texas? Nope, no babies, no pregnant mommies. How about wine tasting? No way. There’s a bunch of stuff I could list, but really I was just struck at how different things are.

If I wanted to be fair, which I don’t,

I could list 5 times as many things that moms with babies or moms with pregnant bellies can do. I’m not trying to say a person’s life stops, because I don’t think it does. All of my friends are the kind of parents that want to take their kids out and still do fun things, still enjoy life as young adults, young parent adults.

The thing is, it’s not just wine tasting and roller coasters. I know that once children are your main focus (and let me say for the record, if you have a child, it better be you main focus….oops, not it, he or she) other things start to change. I’ve been around people before who have kids and as a non-baby person you often don’t speak the language. You thought you were having a normal conversation and then all of a sudden it’s binky this and ti-ti that. I don’t know a ti-ti from a wee-wee and you just lose me when it come to child rearing stuff, so I can envision what will eventually happen when more and more of my friends have kids.

What’s my point?

Yeah, I don’t know.

I guess I was just struck by how different thing were going to be. For me I mean. They knew things would be different, but I’m not gaining a baby (babies), I’m losing a friend (friends) Please insert boo hooing and crocodile tears here.

Ok, ok, enough with the histrionics. It’s not really that big of a deal. And yes, I love all the new babies, blah blah blah.

What I’m really saying is that if I know you, and you aren’t holding a baby in your arms or in your stomach, please keep it that way for a little longer. I’m too busy having fun with you to stop because you want a greater purpose in your life vis-a-vis a child.