Baby Fever...Or Maybe Not.

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love babies. Always have. From the time I was a little girl, I've always been drawn to little ones. I adore rosy-pink baby skin and their sweet baby smell and their soft, cuddly baby bodies. (But you're not supposed to tell boys this, at least not right away. More on that in the next The Single Girl Files post...)

I was two when my brother was born, so I don't remember what it was like to have Baby Lukey around. I only remember him as a toddler and beyond. From the time I was five til I turned turned twelve, I used to beg my mother to have another baby. I would've loved another new baby sister or brother.

She never had another one. And so, for all these years, I've been pining over other peoples' off-spring, and dreaming of one day having my own.

Luckily for me, lots of people around me have been popping out the kiddies over recent years. My niece and nephew, of course, are the closest I have to my "own". But I also have an amazing group of close girlfriends who have been re-producing lately. And quite a large crew of them were all gathered in one spot on Friday night!

My friend Hollie sent me a text last Thursday to invite me to her parents' place for a "girls night", just like we used to have when we were teens. I knew right away that all the babes would be there, and I lamented to my mom that I would be the only one there without a child. She told me to bring one of my old dolls.

Haha, very funny.

In any case, I didn't need to bring one of my own. There were plenty to go around. Hollie's twins Kaylee and Jessica, Sheena's son Bryce, Vicky's toddling little Cameron, and Caryl's infant Leah were all under the age of one. Also ripping around the house were Stacy's 4-year-old Maddy, Vicky's two-year-old Julia, and Caryl's 5-year-old Gracie.

I hope I didn't miss any.

And man, was that one busy house!

I wish I had pictures or videos to show you of the extreme cuteness that was in one room. I mean, watching Bryce do "the worm" on the floor was enough to make my night right there.

And then there was my main man Cameron. Cameron and I bonded back when he was just a little tiny baby, and I've always had a soft spot for the handsome little guy. On Friday night, I discovered a new way to win Cameron's heart: Cheesies. Everytime I pulled one out of the bag for him, he'd squeal and smile as though I'd just found buried treasure. I loved it.

But where there is Jill and children, there is usually calamity too. After feeding one of Hollie's girls, I made the child spew up her bottle and the Baby Advil she'd been given for her cold. Then I knocked over my own can of pop. And spilled another baby bottle. Next, I accidentally stepped on Maddy's hair while she was lying on the floor and made her cry.

When I left at 1 AM, Hollie and Caryl were both still up, trying to get their babies to sleep. And I was pooped.

I get baby fever a lot. Everytime I hold one of my friends' babies, or when my sister's kids are around, I start yearning for my own. I want a little person to want me the same way I see other people's babies wanting them.

But if there's one thing I learned last Friday night, it is this: Babies are a lot of work. Okay, I already knew that, but it really sank in that not all babies go to sleep at 8 PM and stay there all night. Not all babies stop crying when they're dry and fed and being rocked.

Babies are exhausting.

So my admiration for all of those ladies in that room went up a notch.

All of their children are absolute stars. And I'm glad they let me hang out with them so that I can get my baby fix.

It should keep the fever at bay, at least for another little while...