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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