What a difference a baby makes.

The differences between the first pregnancy and the second are astounding. First, it’s a totally different experience in that it is not as all- encompassing as the first time and also I feel sick almost constantly. But more than that are the reactions from people. Family seems barely aware of the new pregnancy most of the time. I feel like I can’t complain or milk it in any way. The first time, people are really excited but the second time people act like you’re in a dysfunctional relationship that you keep going back to over and over again and they’re sick of hearing about it because now you’re just asking for the drama and what the hell did you expect to happen? Maybe that’s my hormones talking.

But the biggest difference is from friends and acquaintances. Sometimes I get a ‘congrats’ on its own but I almost always hear some kind of judgement or questioning of my mental health. To be fair, a cursory glance at my family’s mental health history warrants the questions but somehow I don’t think that’s what everyone’s getting at. I understand when people who don’t have kids think I’m “crazy!” or “insane!” or “completely insane!”’ or “crazy insane!” for having another so soon but I can’t believe how many people with kids say it? Are their kids terrorists? Are they in a dysfunctional relationship? I mean, is it so crazy to have kids 18 months apart? Or is it crazy to wait so long that you’re starting all over again, forgetting the things you managed to do right, and having babies and toddlers for years and years, stretched out so you never feel like you’re out of that phase??

You know what is crazy? Two summers in a row without one mojito.

SpawnS

Maybe it’s because I couldn’t handle the new sense of freedom that I was experiencing from Spawn? Maybe it’s because I didn’t want to keep trying to lose those final pounds? Maybe it’s because I thought my Creation was getting too uppity with all the attention a baby gets? Or maybe it’s because biology has cornered me again? Either way, I’m having another baby! Finally, I will have the answer to the age old question, “can you love your children equally”? Here are some ideas I have to keep SpawnS on their toes:

* a chart that looks like a horse race track, each child being a horse and forever moving them forward one at a time depending on their goodness, helpfulness, talents, etc. The race track, of course, is a circle which really speaks to how they will always have to continue to try to be better than each other and win my love.
* picking days of the week for each child to be my favorite so that they each learn to try and please me and how see how bad second place feels.
* spearheading a Take Your Kids To Work plan at my Associate’s work so I can never be home alone, out numbered by SpawnS.
* Since my children will be about 1.5 years apart, I will expect, from day one, that kid #2 will be exactly like kid #1. It would just be easier to plan activities and meals that way.

That’s all I have for now but I have nine months and about one hour for labour and twenty mins for pushing to figure out the details.