Rave: worry-free #3

(Okay, not completely worry-free, but...)

I am *loving* this third baby pregnancy! I do not have any of the

• Will I be a good parent?
• Will I break him?
• What if I do something wrong and really screw him up for life?

fears that go along with the first baby. I do not have any of the

• How can I possibly love this baby as much as I love the first one?
• How will I possibly take care of the first kid when there's a new baby who will need all my attention?
• Is the first baby going to be so jealous that I'm screwing him up for life?

fears that go along with the second baby. I know that

• I will be the best parent I can be. I am far from perfect, but I try, and most days I do OK. (Then there are the days where my kids get bananas and cold pepperoni for breakfast, and it goes downhill from there. But, hey, I'm pregnant and exhausted, and that is not the norm!)
• I probably, probably won't break him
• Chances are good that I will not screw him up for life. At least not any more than any other average parent
• There is enough room in my heart for however many babies I am blessed with, and I will love each one just as fervently as the first AND the last (and any inbetween there!)
• When included in "ownership" of the new baby/given responsibilities for helping care for the new family member, and when given adequate attention so they don't feel neglected, even an older sibling who is still a baby can be a huge help, and won't harbor jealousy
• The older kids have each other to entertain themselves when baby-care is an urgent matter (unlike the first who only had me to entertain him)
• We will all figure out together how to make sure everyone gets taken care of. We are all vocal and honest enough with each other (at least at these ages!) that nobody could possibly be forgotten.

In the absence of all the fears that accompanied the last two, I am just giddy with anticipation for this blessed addition to our family. And have been for most of the pregnancy. At least when I wasn't too tired to notice. :)

(On a related note... I have heard some people say that #3 is the hardest addition of all, because then Mom & Dad are outnumbered... All I have to say to that is - these people must expect misbehavior in children to be the norm. And if they do, I pity them. Because all children live up to what's expected of them.)