Who's raising baby?

One of the standard arguments against gay parents is that "children need a mother and father in their lives." Taking out the percentage of kids raised by single parents, I realized the other night that this still doesn't make sense.

I may be totally off in my chain of logic, but this is how it sounds to me:
Children need a mother and father, as in, they need one parent of each gender in order to give them proper role models and input into their lives. This implies that there aren't any other significant people in their child's life. Doesn't it? The old saying that it takes a village to raise a child seems to fly out the window. If a village were involved, would it matter so much whether the child was living with two women or two men, since he or she would have an entire village of people at his or her disposal?

I'm confused. When V and I have a baby, or more than one, we want men in her life just like she'll have us. We want strong "uncles," or whatever we decide to call them. (Side note: I always use "her" when talking about our future baby. Power of positive thinking?) She'll have lots of close relationships with men, in a way having more than one father (just without the title and living arrangements, which frequently don't exist anyway), just as she'll have more than one mother. She'll have other women beyond us, too, because everyone knows sometimes you need someone other than your mother(s) to talk to.

Am I anywhere near right in thinking that the idea of raising a child with one mother and one father as the only way is exclusionary to everyone else in the child's life? Yes, our baby will live with us, and we will pick her name and her school and her first Halloween costume. But she will be surrounded by other adults, of any and all genders, who love her (almost) as much as we do, and are just as invested in her life.

I'm tired

On a normal week, I watch Patrick and Lilly three times - usually Monday, Thursday, Friday.

This week, it's been Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, today, and tomorrow.
This week also coincides with them hitting terrible twos.

I really don't want to babysit tomorrow. Really. I'm good with not seeing them for a bit. Love them, but not now.

At least I limit myself to seven sentences of complaining? Some of which aren't even sentences.

The past few days

The twins were getting on my last nerve this morning. My very last one. The kind where I just stare at them, then walk out of the room for a minute until I no longer feel like kicking something. (I said something. Not someone.) I watched them Monday, Tuesday, and today, and I have tomorrow and Saturday. They can be such two-year-olds!

As I was driving around with Timothy and Tessa today, we passed two moms, one with a full double stroller and one walking a dog, with two more kids trailing them. Timothy made a comment about how that was a lot of kids, and I said it was probably two moms with both their kids. His reply was, "Or they could be married." Did I mention that T&T moved here from Vermont? Love them. Told their mom about V's and my engagement the other day, and she gave a resounding "Good for you!"

Oh, strep returning... Well, only sorta. Timothy came down with it on Tuesday, but seemed to make a full recovery by that evening, and today shows no sign. Good thing, because the family is going to Disney on Sunday for a week! I'm jealous.

I need to update

And I will. But for now, V and I are trying to figure out where to go to dinner. It's been a lovely day of puzzles and pajamas, printing off contracts, clearing off the kitchen table, and now going to dinner.

All of which has nothing to do with kids. So, later, I will write about yesterday, and the Return of the Strep.

Leaves, nature's greatest toy

There are few cuter sights than a two year old boy and girl tromping around in leaves. We played outside for almost an hour, throwing leaves up (they made great faces), moving them across the driveway (their idea; I call them the reverse leaf-blower), and ripping them up (finally, something they can rip up, unlike their books).

And that's all, because I'm exhausted. But I told the twins' dad I could watch them tomorrow morning as well. Weddingcartravelloans.

Thank heaven I have a bathtub.

Day Off

Dishes done, clothes put away, puzzle finished, internet scoured, breakfast eaten, kitties entertained, phone call made, daydreaming completed.

Bring on a date with V!

I made a friend!

My CPR class was much better than I thought it was, mostly thanks to the awesome and adorable pregnant twenty-five year old who I chattered with and went to lunch with. She wants to be a lactation consultant; I told her that V is interested in being a doula. She has a two and a half year old, and I want to see her again. We had fun in class, which is definitely more than I thought I'd say.

After a two hour break, one of which I spent seeing V at her job, I watched Seth and Isabella tonight. I love those kids. They're happy and relaxed and Isabella has the most amazing grin. And they both can say my name!

So now, I'm exhausted. I have a day off tomorrow. Halle-freakin'-lujah.