So my baby nephew (8 months) and sister-in-law (age I cannot share) just left this yesterday afternoon. I am in deep withdrawal of Zubin my nephew. I did shed a few tears. I do admit to sniffing unused baby butt wipes to get his scent. I also had some Cheerios near midnight. Hanging out with him has changed some of my views. Previously I really liked small cars like Mini Coopers. Now I still think they’re adorable but I don’t think it’s manageable for us anymore. Zubin weighs around 20 pounds and is around a foot tall. It’s incredible how much stuff he needs in order to get around. It’s very disproportionate. He has his massive stroller, heavy diaper bag which holds many things other than diapers and car seat. If we did groceries with Zubin in a Mini Cooper he could drown in Basmati rice. I had previously wanted twins in the future. I thought it would be efficient. Zubin is a fairly reasonable baby boy (aside from teething and diaper rashes when he screams like a banshee) however even when he’s in good spirits he’s a handful. As a result, two babies at once are no longer a goal. Lastly, I may change my mind on this one… but I don’t think I ever want an epidural. I have never been fond of needles. The idea of a needle up my spine never seemed pleasant but I thought the crazy idea might not be so bad if I could feel less during the worst pain naturally inflicted on humans (I must emphasize naturally b/c I don’t know how it compares to Guantanamo) . However a few women including Nahar my sis-in-law have confided that their back has never been the same after an epidural and it really concerns me. Now, of course new moms do a lot more lugging around too so perhaps epidural isn’t necessarily the cause. However… seriously… a frickin’ needle up the spinal column? Can we please come up with something better?