What To Do Next?

     Alex had just given birth to Flynn four hours earlier when she looked up from her hospital bed and, in all seriousness, asked me, "What are we going to do here for the next 48 hours?"
     I broke out laughing.  It was so like her.
     Go into labor.  Check.
     Get to the hospital.  Check.
     Give birth.  Check.
     Okay, that's done.  What's next?
     Admittedly, she was probably still under the influence of her epidural and almost certainly still had an adrenalin rush.  And, as a first time mother, she likely didn't fully understand how much she was going to need both sleep and pain medication over the next 48 hours.  Still, for someone who had worked right up until the day of her due date, I would have thought that the idea of 48 unplanned hours would be something to look forward to rather than something to fill.  Especially since free hours were going to be in short supply all too soon.
     It reminded me of a coworker I once had who insisted that when he had kids, they'd have to fit into his life rather than he into theirs.  I laughed then too.  I knew that kids tend to take the front seat in your life whether you want them to or not.  There are pacifiers to find, cheerios to pick up,  mini-vans to shop for, tantrums to tone down, and t-ball games to coach.
     And it doesn't even stop with the busy stuff.  They also dominate your thoughts.  I certainly hadn't intended to write a second blog post about Flynn or grandmotherhood--at least not so soon.  Yet here I am.
     It's like the poster I bought for Ellen years ago when she had four small kids running around, all wanting to ride shotgun. It shows a picture of a woman with kids growing out of her head like frazzled hair, and the caption, "My head is full of children."  It hung in Ellen's kitchen for over twenty years and was taken down just recently when she remodeled.  With her own grandmotherhood looming, I think I can safely tell her to hunt it down.  It's going to be true again soon.
     As for Alex, she's proving to be a natural mother, perfecting swaddling, feeding, and diaper changing like a pro.  All the while cuddling and marveling at her new son.  Her days and her head are filled, and it's unlikely that she'll be asking "What to do?" any time soon.
     More likely, her next question will be the same one I had as I watched my first-born hold her own first-born.  "Where did the time go?"