subsequent children

[houseelf]

Well, it has been nine months since we've gone from one to two and so far, here is what I've learned:

1) You REALLY can love another child just as intensely. It is amazing how much more love you can find when you thought that your first born was it;
2) But....along the same lines, just because you have another new baby doesn't mean that you don't mourn the passing of stages for your first born;
3) They really are all so very different. Just because you figured out how to parent one child doesn't mean that you'll be prepared for the issues of the next;
4) In many ways, it is easier to parent the second time around. Things that kept me up at night with my first practically get shrugged off this time around. Besides, I know that I need to hold on dearly to every single stage because it goes so quickly;
5) It takes awhile to acclimate to being responsible for another human being. As in, Oh...shit...I forgot one of them.... :
6) For me, the career is much, much harder to hang on to now that I have two. I don't regret this truth, it just is;
7) It is a lot of fun to watch your kids interact;
8) Daycare which meets the needs of both kids is like searching for the freakin' holy grail. Especially when there is a larger age gap like mine (4.5 years);

Any other pearls of wisdom out there?

Kelly

[Rapunzel]

What is always amazing to me is that with every baby the "former" baby suddenly looks like a GIANT. I know that Sophia is currently getting her last few days of being "the baby" in and so we've been really spoiling her because once Eleanor gets home Sophia is SO not going to look like a "baby".

Jennifer