The Raft

Lots of preggos in my life right now. Good ones, too. Not just "oh, a girl I work with" - real friends who's babies I will love and hold and squeeze and smooch and sniff.

My friend, Kim, just delivered her second baby boy. I don't actually "know" Kim. We met online at CafeMom. We clicked right away and our friendship did and does feel as real as if we went to school together and then moved far away from each other - or something to that effect. What I am mean is, it doesn't feel like we've never met.

My friend, Kimmie, is pregnant with their second baby. We will be camping next weekend and I can't wait to see how that hard tent floor feels on her sensitive, pregnant body!

My best friend, Belle, is pregs with her second baby. Her boy, Ben, just turned 1 in March. She knew they'd have more babies, one right after the other, and here they are, on turn 2.
Her sister, Jess, is pregnant, too. A few weeks ahead of Belle.
And then I found out that their sister-in-law, Emily, is also pregnant!
All 3 sisters will have their babies within 15 weeks of each other!
What an amazing blessing that is for their entire family.

So, it gets one thinking... Right? When do you know you're done?
I hear this a lot:

"You have the perfect family."

And I do.
I have a lovely home, a gorgeous husband and 2 healthy, gorgeous kids - 1 boy and 1 girl.
Who could ask for more?

But I do wonder about more... maybe just 1. Or making it even and having 2 more...
Every woman does it.
Admit it...
"if I got pregnant right now, I'd be due in (insert month of interest here)."

My husband recoils in horror at the prospect. He loves our "perfect family" and his contentment is palpable. Let's just say that the Mr. has no interest, absolutely ZERO interest in any of the following:

a) sleepless nights full of crying and unending dissatisfaction
b) hormonal crazy wife
c) needing a new car becasue the Bu won't fit another carseat
d) needing a new house because 131 is full
e) needing even more money than we have now while already working as hard
and as long as the man possibly can.

So, while all of those are good points made by my Mr. I can counter with these:

a) the nights were not nearly as bad with Wyatt as they were with Abby because I was much calmer and knew much more what to expect. I knew that those nights don't last very long and my tiny baby boy would not need me to hold, nurse and rock him forever.
(I do have to caveat here, for a breast-fed baby, Wyatt has more poop issues than you can even stomach to hear about - it made life a bit difficult at times...
like any time I had to be anywhere other than home nursing him.)
b) I can handle the hormones, I swear.
c) I want one, anyway
d) see C
e) I don't worry about money. I worry about my husband worrying himself to death, but I don't worry about the day to day - I have faith in the system, my husband and God.

Then I think, "boy or girl?"
Well, a boy would be awesome. It would leave my beautiful Abby as my only girl.
My precious, special, angel princess.
And we would have 2 little monkeys running around. How crazy and fun would that be?

But, a girl would give my daughter the gift of having a sister. Need I say more?

Then I think "but I got rid of everything."
Everything.
I am not kidding.

But, ya know what? After having 2, I realize, you really don't need most of that shit.
If Wyatt were out of his crib, I wouldn't need to get one and since Wyatt would need a new bed anyway, there's no added cost. Boy or girl - I have the bedding.
And if he were still in his crib, my sister, Christine, still has her 8-year old daughter's crib that I also used for Abby. I would just need to buy a mattress.

Changing Table? Got one.
Highchair? Always hated them - I have 4 boosters, though.
Got the Pack & Play & Stroller. My brother is currently in possesion of my Infant carseat. I could get it back when they're done, or I could just buy Abby a new booster ($40) and shuffle the seats we have around a bit.

Clothes? I have given everything to Michele. I can get it back - either after she's done with it or before she uses it, depending on whether she has a girl or boy this time.

What else is there? People buy you gifts when you have a baby - toys, trinkets, picture frames - so that aspect would be covered.
(I always hate that the first baby gets all the presents, I buy presents for all the babies.)

Really - I could have 2 more babies right now.
I might go a little mad - but I would be the happy, singing kind of cookoo - not the head-banging, sad sort.
Jay might go a little mad, too, but he would come around - and I have never seen a Daddy love his babies as much as my man loves our kids.
He's very practical. He's very logical and "logistical" - it's what keeps me grounded. So, he's right - we should be done.

But, in my heart - I feel like it's a little early to call it.