Last year, when I was pregnant with my third baby, I wrote about some of the thoughts I had about starting over with baby number three. As I mentioned at the time, there is quite an age difference in my kids. The oldest two are now 12 and eight-years-old and my youngest is now almost one.
As we approach my baby’s first birthday and I have almost a year under my belt as a mom of three, I am revisiting some of the thoughts I had about adding another child:
- I still don’t need all the things I needed with the first two. I have still been selective with what I have purchased this time around. I have managed to stick to essentials and really think through everything I bring into the house.
- Yes, the older two have been great helpers. The older two kids were very excited to have a younger sibling, but they have exceeded my expectations. Both have helped so much from bringing me diapers to helping prepare food, pushing the baby in the stroller, reading to the baby, and even keeping him entertained when he wakes up from naps.
- My expectations were realistic. I didn’t expect to have as many slow days at home or baby play groups with my youngest because of work and obligations for the other two kids, but I have had more time than I thought I would. Even with activities and busy schedules, I tried to make sure to savor every baby moment possible because I realize, more now than ever, how fast those moments pass.
- I was a more laid-back newborn mom (sort of). When I was pregnant, I thought I would be more laid back with a newborn the third time around. This was somewhat true, but I also worried about different things than I worried about with the other two. I had some concerns at the end of my pregnancy and delivery, which contributed to some of my worries. Almost a year in, I do feel more laid back with this one.
- I survived (most of) the sleepless nights. The first few months were a blur and I feel like the exhaustion lasted longer than it did with the other two. To be honest, I am just now starting to feel like myself again. I am very thankful that the baby is a pretty good sleeper, but he does still wake up in the night sometimes. I don’t want to pretend the first few months weren’t hard because they were, but I did survive.
- Working and adding another baby isn’t easy. Now that I’m back to work and the baby is on the move, it isn’t easy. I am very thankful that I’m able to work from home and I have a wonderful and supportive boss and co-workers, but I often feel overwhelmed and pulled in multiple directions. I am constantly looking for ways to be more productive and work around nap times, early in the morning, and at night, but that has its own challenges. I just don’t have the energy that I had with the younger two.
- I have let some things go. I have simplified as many things as possible, from meal planning and prep to house cleaning. I try to stay on top of it as much as I can, but I have to remember that this is just a season and I can only do so much. My husband and kids help a lot too, but some things just aren’t going to get done and I have to be OK with that.
Starting over with number three has been what I expected in many ways, but it has also been so much better. I had to relearn a lot about taking care of a baby, but it has been so worth it. He has brought so much joy to our family and I can’t imagine life without him.
