for mothers who are worried about having baby #2

Recently at supper, JJ and Lyd had some sort of making-noises-at-each-other goofiness going on.  Curious J, not to be left out, joined in and made similar noises.  They were all laughing, happy, and having a marvelous time together.

I wasn’t part of the laughter, but with a smile on my face and a few tears wetting my eyes, I watched the silly spectacle.  Lyd, feeding off her sister’s imitation of her, was being as goofy as she could while laughing uproariously, which encouraged Curious J to ham it up even more and laugh hard herself.  JJ tried to keep up the game, but he succumbed to giggles himself.  It was an idyllic family scene, filled with love and laughter.  It made me realize how truly blessed I am.

I used to worry how a second baby would affect our family.  I worried if I would be able to love a second child as much as my first.  I worried if my first would feel cheated or left out once baby #2 arrived.  I worried about when the second baby would arrive, about the timing.  Once I finally got pregnant, I worried that at four years apart, my girls would be too far apart in age to be good friends.

But that night was a visceral reminder that baby #2 has been nothing but a gift and a blessing to our family.  My girls already are friends.  J idolizes and copies her big sister as much as she can, and Lyd enjoys being admired and plays with her sister.  Lyd already talks about how J is her “best friend,” and how she’s so happy to have a little sister.  I’m glad to have been gifted with a moment to realize this, because as I start to contemplate baby #3, some of those old fears about another child are trying to re-surface.

When I see how well everything worked out with baby #2, it makes me a lot less worried about baby #3.  Furthermore, as I start to worry about the timing and when the Right Time actually is, it also reminds me no matter when the baby arrives, it will arrive at the Perfect Time and will be the exact right baby for our family.

That’s something to look forward to.