And Baby Makes Three

Some have heard and some have not, but soon my burgeoning belly and plump face will be undeniable; I am again with child, in a family way, bun in oven, knocked up, pregnant, expecting, or my favorite that I’ve recently come across that tickles me pinker than I usually find myself these days- “in a fix”. Yes, we are delighted to say that we are in quite a fix and will be welcoming our third little human at the end of August. So, to answer all the usual nosy inquisitiveness, not that it’s anyone’s business but our own, but I guess I don’t mind sharing at the moment (if this post ends up deleted then my brief open moment of sharing has come to a close), but yes, this was not unplanned in any way and we are thrilled probably against our better judgment about having a third child.
Most people these days, especially in this economy if they have children at all, stop at one or two. However, there seems to have been a recent resurgence of families containing three children or even more and according to an article I read in the Washington Post online, it seems that a general consensus on the matter is that families that decide to contribute extra to over populating are just show-offs in a sense; look how many children we can afford? Furthermore, I have read (and I believe it was in one of those magazines at the hair salon, so forgive me for not mentioning it by name) that because of the baby boom in Hollywood, young women have taken to the “fad” of child rearing. In my opinion this grossly ignores the intelligent, informed sector of young women who did not decide to procreate just because Britney Spears and Posh Spice decided to make having babies look easy and fashionable. Because it’s not easy. And no matter how many maternity stores now have clothes that look just like the clothes you were wearing previous to your blessed gift, I don’t see how joining the ranks of motherhood is, in and of itself, particularly fashionable. So, we are far from rich show offs, we are not poor, nor Catholic, nor are we fashionistas swayed by every new, new thing that flies in from the West. We are just us and this is what we want.
I’m not going to lie, though. Having my daughter kept me busy and after I had my son, I did have a slight breakdown the evening we brought him home from the hospital when both the children were crying and I had a moment of panic thinking my life would forever be imprisoned within that moment of exhaustion with a crying infant and two year old. It wasn’t. We worked out our system and busy is busy. And now for the next one. We have all heard (or at least I have) mothers say that once you’ve had one or two children, the rest is just gravy. You already have the stuff. You are already busy. You already have not slept since your third trimester with the first child, so really, what’s another little person to love and care for? It’s funny because in some digging about the number three (3, iii, III), it seems that in early civilizations there were possibly words for describing what amounts to or the quantities of one (1) and two (2), but anything after that is just “many”. It’s as though they started creating a mathematical system, a way of counting, and got to two and said, “Eh. That’s enough. Anything after the second one? It’s just a lot, it’s just more. No need to bother counting, you can all go home now.”
Of course, Baby is still very much easy to handle at the moment as long as I stay fed and get to go to bed at about 8:30, but pretty soon, the precious little one will be here and I am sure I will be singing quite a different tune about children in general and myself for being not as bright as I could have been in the heat of the moment that particular night. I do hope I remember when those nights of endless feedings and the days filled with driving everyone to school and appointments that I did ask for this and I will do my best to be thankful, mostly because I really am!
So, our family is once again growing and we are looking forward to a wonderful year filled with life and love and Baby 3.

And Suddenly I Awoke in 2011

My Gracious Friends,

It has been quite some time since I last wrote to you.

I could write one of those overbearing update blogs about how much the kids have grown, how busy I have been with them and family time and cooking, reading, cleaning, and holiday/birthday/general merriment, but frankly, I haven't the patience. And if I don't have the patience to sit and write it, then I wouldn't expect anyone to have the patience to sit and read it. Blah, blah, blah, am I right?

*Sigh*

So, we find ourselves here (or wherever you are), moving constantly forward. It's the New Year, a time of new beginnings and of shaking off the things of the past year that did not agree with us and a time to find resolve and determination. At least, that's how I look at it. I always seem to look back to the past year and feel as though I had accomplished nothing, as though I have nothing to show for myself, but it's far from the truth. Hopefully, we all have not only grown older, but wiser, more prone to smile, laugh a little easier, let the little things go and become more confident that those bigger things will truly work out for the best.

As cliche as it is, it is so for a reason, because it holds some truth. Life is far too short to live with regret, weighed down by circumstance. Take solace, My Friends, in each breath, find medicine in each laugh and the laughter of your children, find humor in the petty (and even the not so petty) annoyances and I think 2011 will be off to a very pleasant start!

Keep reading, keep laughing, keep loving!

I know I certainly will... More to come.