1st baby: You begin wearing
maternity clothes as soon as your ob-gyn
confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your regular clothes
ARE your maternity clothes.
The Baby's Name:
1st baby: You pour over
baby name books and practice pronouncing and
writing combinations of all your favorites.
2nd baby: Someone has to
name their kid after great-aunt Mavis, right?
It might as well be you.
3rd baby: You open a name
book, close your eyes, and see where your
finger falls. Bimaldo? Sounds good to me!
Preparing for birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing regularly.
2nd baby: You don't bother
practicing because you remember that last
time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask
for an epidural in the 8th month.
The Layette:
1st baby: You prewash your
newborns clothes, color-coordinate them
and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make
sure the clothes are clean and discard only
those with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can
wear pink, can't they??
Worries:
1st baby: At the first
sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up
the baby.
2nd baby: You pick up the
baby when her wails threaten to wake your
firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach
your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Activities:
1st baby: You take
your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swim and
Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take
your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.
Going Out:
1st baby: The first time
you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home
five times.
2nd baby: Just before you
walk out the door, you remember to leave a
number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions
for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit
of every day watching to be sure your older
child isn't squeezing, poking or hitting the baby
3rd baby: You spend
a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
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