The law of averages...

(Note: Doug and I were Juno and Paulie Bleaker for Halloween this year. Felt right.)

I've never been someone who considers myself average. For better or for worse, I've always thought that there are some things that I'm better at than most (vocabulary, for example) and some things I'm worse at than most (like restraint). I found a career I love at a relatively young age (above average), but am terribly undisciplined (below average). And while not ideal, this life of extremes has always worked quite well for me (though not always for my wallet or my waistline).

So imagine my surprise to find out that when it comes to first time motherhood, I am, in fact, the portrait of average. 

As I posted when I first learned I was expecting, I feel entirely too young to have a baby. I realize rationally that that's probably not entirely true - but we certainly seem young. We've only been married for two years and we're not all that responsible. After all, Doug still can't remember to return videos to blockbuster and I generally do laundry when we've run out of clean underwear. We eat meals at home approximately twice a month - not exactly the portrait of stable family life. When I first told my best friend I was expecting, I felt a little bit like Juno calling her BFF on her hamburger phone.  

Six months later I've gotten used to the idea, settled into making plans and gotten really excited about meeting this amazing little girl. Still, as I clumsily plod along the road to parenthood, not much about it seems average. (Besides the pregnancy, which has gone like clockwork, thank God.) So imagine my surprise to learn...

• The average of a 1st time American mom is 27.
  
• The average mom expects to have 2.7 kids.*
  
• The average couple spends over $13k on baby during the first year... lets just say that we're well on our way.
  
• The average new mom plans for a babymoon and a push present (check, check).
• The average new mom (or at least the majority) plans to work after having kids.

* Note that I'm rooting for 3 kids and Doug wants 2. I'm a little more persuasive than he is, so I'm guessing 2.7 bambinos is the average we're leaning towards at the moment.

So in fact, I'm not so special and not so unique after all. Not quite sure whether I should find that comforting or frightening. Maybe everyone goes through a freaked out cycle of 'am I really capable of doing this well?' before baby is born. Maybe no one feels adequate, or old enough. Maybe.