Even Though We Ain't Got Money

I've wanted to have kids ever since I was 14. Maybe I wanted them before then, but I don't really remember. When I was in 8th grade, my little brother Seth was born. From that day on I decided that being a mom is the best thing in the world. I woke up every morning (he was born in the summer time) and ran into my parents' bedroom to take Seth away. I would rock him and snuggle with him. When I turned 16 and could drive, I took Seth anywhere my mom would let me. My friends and I would take him to the mall, park, and the grocery store. I liked to pretend that he was my own kid, and I didn't care that people thought I was some horrible teen mom. Even if he was mine and I was a teen mom, I was a good one!

So of course when I got married, I couldn't wait to have kids. I definitely wanted time that Matt and I could enjoy being newlyweds, but after a couple years, we were ready! By ready I mean emotionally and spiritually, not financially. I also sort of mean I was ready, not we. Matt was a little scared for the whole kid thing. However, he is now the most amazing dad in the world, but that is a completely different blog post. Anyway, we (I) figured if we waited until we were perfectly financially ready for kids, we would never have them. Several people I know with kids have said to me, "If you wait until you're ready, you will never have them. Nobody is ever quite ready to have kids." So going with that advice and the fact that Matt is still in school, we decided that waiting until we had everything in "order" would take forever. And now we have our little perfect Swen. He is the cutest, most fun, and most expensive miniature person in the world. Oh and to top it off, I'm not going back to teaching next year. Why pay over half my paycheck for day care and the other half to attend therapy for being so depressed from leaving my baby all day? (I know many women don't mind going back to work at all, and I think that's wonderful. I am just not one of those women).

Kids are expensive, yes, but I thought we had that all planned out. Both Matt's and my parents have been so amazing in helping us get ready for Swen. We couldn't have done it without them. They have gotten us all the big things that we would need for him. Then my amazing friends at school threw me a wonderful shower, and I got even more things like his bassinet and tons of clothes and blankets. I went through all the lists online of things we would need, and we were set! Maybe kids are expensive, but babies aren't.

Yeah... I'm sure people with kids knew that those "getting ready lists" are all lies. Let's start with just the hospital bill. Swen's total cost was over $40,000. Even with insurance we owe over $3,000. Then since Swen was a preemie baby, we had several doctor's appointments after bringing him home. Every time I went, I had a $20 co-pay. Those add up quite fast. Then with the HELLP Syndrome, my recovery was harder, so I had several appointments myself after coming home, each one with a co-pay.

The doctors' and hospital bills are the things that we really HAVE to spend money on. Then there are all the things that I just really feel I need... even though I don't. When we found out Swen would be a boy, the shopping spree begun. I'm pretty sure my  mom and I bought out the entire Carter's store. I thought that would be enough. Technically, it is enough actually. But now that Swen's here, shopping got even better! Every time I walk by a baby store, I go in it and think how everything would be so cute on him. Then I buy everything. Finally, I told myself no more clothes. It worked for a couple weeks until I found this adorable store that puts one outfit on sale every Tuesday for 40% off. And every time, it is one of its cutest outfits! So now I limit myself to just one outfit a week. Well, one outfit a week unless it is a special occasion like his first Sunday at church. Then I need another new outfit. Needless to say I have a shopping problem.

DIAPERS! Yes, another big expense. Twenty-five dollars for a box of diapers will last me a couple of weeks right? I wish! Swen loves to use his diapers up as fast as he can. His favorite game is soiling a diaper right after I put a new one on him. We go through a pack about every 3 days. It's adorable and expensive. 

After reading this, many people would say that we should have waited to have a baby. For many people it would work best for them to wait, and that's great! Everyone is different. For us this was the perfect time to have Swen. He has given us more joy than we ever knew possible. At least 90% of Matt's and my conversations consist of "He's even cuter than 10 minutes ago" or  "Oh my gosh, look at what he's doing now!" I send him constant streams of pictures while he's at work, and he still gets home and runs right to him. When we're both home, it's a constant battle of who gets to hold him. We hold out on going to the bathroom or eating so we don't have to give him away. So even though we ain't got money, we are rich in every other way. That was a little cheesy, sorry. Here are some more pictures of him being perfect. One is with my brother Isaiah, one is in his new sling (another expense) at the mall shopping, and the others are just some of my favorites. I'm new to this blogging, so I haven't figured out how to put them throughout the post.