Running from the Law: The Second Time

Monday, February 22, 2016

The Second Time

To My Second Child
You’re not my first; that much is true.
I loved another before loving you.
I’m a different mother this time around.
More calm and confident I’ve found.
With your brother, everything was new.
I was focused on his every move.
Each tiny smile was photographed.
I changed my ringtone to his laugh. 
Since you came, there’s a new dimension.
Two children now want my attention.
And sometimes you’re left in your chair,
Whilst I play with your brother over there.
 I cannot watch your every move.
Or, when you cry out, jump to soothe.
I don’t panic every time you sneeze,
And dash you off to A & E.
Your rattles and teds are hand-me-downs,
(And some toys may have lost their sounds.)
There’s less concern if your blanket’s scratchy,
And your baby book is a little patchy. 
I know what the next months have in store.
And each phase you reach, I’ve seen before.
This doesn’t mean I love you less.
This time the feeling’s more complex. 
I’m pleased to see you learn and grow,
But it also pulls my heartstrings so.
I was so excited first time ‘round.
This time I want to slow things down. 
Your ‘firsts’ will all be ‘lasts’ for me.
Last crawl and last to ride my knee.
Last nappy, breastfeed, spoon of mush.
Last rock-to-sleep, last cry to hush.
 You were not my firstborn this is true,
But the last child I will have is you.
You’re the last lullaby I’ll ever sing.
And ‘lasts’ are a special kind of thing.
*poem by Emma Robinson

27 comments:

  1. ok, seriously with the feels this morning?! 😭 (do emojis work in comments?) *crying emoji*

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  2. What a sweet, sweet post. You can feel the love in every verse.

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  3. Well I'm just a teary mess over here. This is so, so true.

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  4. Wow. This made me tear up and brought up so many emotions about raising my second child and coming to terms with the fact that she will be my last. Thank you for sharing this poem.

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  5. Ugh...way to bring on the tears!! So sweet and so true! I may "baby" Stella a little more than I ever did Wyatt.

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  6. Oh, those second born babies..!! This has me a little choked up. :)
    Beautiful pictures and in love with her little curls, as always

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  7. Ummm...tears! Seriously why do you do these things to me? :) This hit me right in the heart because that's Emmy! We are finished and I am really struggling with how quickly she is growing up. Mim is one amazing and beautiful little girl. Black eye and all. Ha ha

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  8. So sweet! The lasts are definitely super special! What happened to her eye!?!

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  9. This is so lovely! I hope one day she hears this poem and loves it!

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  10. Well, thats a tear jerker!!! So beautiful and completely true. How gorgeous is little Mim?! I have some curl envy.

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  11. She's so precious! This is incredibly poignant. It's always hard to have the second child because you don't want them to feel left out since they are the second and not everything is the same with that second child.

    liz @ j for joiner

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  12. I don't even have two kids and this hit me hard. When I had Mason, I assumed there would be another, but everything we've gone through, I don't think there will be, which makes me sad because I didn't fully take advantage of the newborn stage. And while there are some things I definitely don't miss, there are some I definitely do. This is so, so sweet and so heart felt!

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  13. Oh how I love this. Luke is our last and I can relate to all the feelings!

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  14. Gah, I love this! 1. Mim is adorable. Those curls!!! 2. Beautiful poem.

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  15. Awww, so sweet, the poem & your last. She is so stinkin' cute with those curls & her poor lil eye.

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  16. Oh man, this got me a little choked up. Avery is our last too. Mim is so adorable and these photos of her are so good.

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  17. Oh man, this totally got me. And now I'm crying at work. Loved this post!

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  18. All the tears! So sweet, Sara. You sure do have some precious kiddos.

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  19. It's like my jumbled mess of thoughts were suddenly put together all organized and coherent. This is exactly how I feel this time around. And this also puts the whole middle child syndrome into better perspective ;) Adorable photos, as always. I just want to hug Mim with her black eye.

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  20. Awww - did our chat last week give you all the feels? Awww, so cute...now maybe I need another one! :)

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  21. And now I'm sobbing.
    What a sweet, sweet poem.

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