Sadness and Relief

For the last several months we have been taking care of a baby for a friend who was working for a few months before beginning stay and home motherdom. Today is our last day with baby J, his mother has worked out her two weeks notice and will now be a full time mama. I am happy for her, but in some ways we will miss the little guy. I won't miss the early arrival time, the screaming baby times, the inconvenience of the baby carrier etc. I always thought I would have at least four children. Right up until I spent a week in the hospital after Jo was born, a week I barely remember and was life-threatening enough to send my husband to the urologist to prevent future episodes of pre-eclampsia. We are and have considered adoption, and since we have done the baby thing twice, I am quite content to adopt older children. I would want to wait a little before we do that so my girls are a little older so we still are in the research and prayer stage. J is a pretty good baby, but he is a baby, so that means he doesn't communicate very well. I have to guess which of the many discomforts he is experiencing, hunger, diaper, boredom, tiredness, pain, etc. I won't miss that. I will miss the cuddling, and the way he stays put when I put him down. Although since he recently learned to roll over, moving is far away. His mother is quitting to stay home at just the right time. He is awake more so that will be fun for her. I am sad in some ways to loose J, and the small income from watching him, but mostly I will be glad to have my schedule back to normal and less difficult manuever about.