I am gaga for those who goo-goo.
I lock eyes with mom after mom and smile to appear non-threatening, because I know every single one of them is put slightly on edge by the way I lovingly gazing at their tiny human.
When my boyfriend and I go out and he catches me smiling at something behind his back, he sighs and asks "do you see a baby?" When he loses me in Wal-Mart, he turns and heads directly to the baby clothing section because he knows that's exactly where I'll be. I'm constantly tugging at his sleeve because I saw another pregnant woman and "oooh, she must be so excited!"
My sheer joy at seeing one of the fresh additions to the world often prompts him to call me a baby.
If I hear one crying, my head snaps up in search of the howling. If it doesn't stop, I crane my neck until I am sure that the child is being cared for and wasn't left in a basket for some pedestrian to find.
People my age think I'm insane. They question how I could even be thinking about motherhood at my age, but I just can't wait.
One of my closest friends has a screaming, squealing, sleeping, real live baby girl, and I adore her. I'm so wild for babies, though, that when I first met my friend, I was so excited to get to know her and her unborn baby that I went slightly overboard and freaked her out.
Word to the wise: Ask before you touch the belly.
She, along with my other girlfriend and I, talk about babies like it's our job. We ogle at their little hands, discuss nursery themes and plan long in the future baby showers. Pinterest does help.
This is more than just the maternal instinct supposedly pre-programmed into women. Babies are something I have adored practically since I was one myself it feels like, so much so that my part time job revolves around them. It isn't just a maternal instinct for me, it's a lifestyle.
I've held a baby for a total stranger in the store before when her young child had wandered off and she was in search of him. If you're walking in front of me with a kiddo peeking over your shoulder, I will make faces at them until they giggle and prompt you to turn around and realize there's a teenager making faces at your offspring.
Don't get me wrong: I am in no way ready to have one of my own, but when the day comes that I am expecting, I know I'll be ready then. I have so much to do before I worry about introducing another whole person into the world, but I truly am eager for when I get to.
What am I not looking forward to? No caffeine while the little monster is cooking in my belly.
