Oh, it's true...

We received confirmation this morning that our newest little edition will join our home in late December/early January. The thing is, as much as I feel like I am ready to do it all again... who really is? Parenting requires hard work! Especially if you do it right! The scary part I am facing the realization of now, is the selfish part.. My prior pregnancies have destroyed any abdominal muscles I worked so hard to recreate after each pregnancy. With the third, its nearly IMPOSSIBLE to hide because you will begin showing before MOST people even know they're pregnant. (Worst part of this is that my cousin and I are expecting literally days apart, and she with her first... yet I look 2-3 months further along)! By theory, I am supposed to be more tired and more achy with this pregnancy than ever before. It's partly because I'm a bit older, it's partly because I'm taking care of two little's while trying to grow another one, and it's partly because subsequent pregnancies are harder. The clear advantage is I am definitely not scared of the unknown. It's do-able. I clearly won't have as much anxiety about the baby as I did before, either. Maybe this is why third children tend to be mellow. The older kids will push on your tummy at least eleven times a day, and most mom's will be convinced that the new baby will be born with bruises from head to toe. (I'll let you know in December whether or not that actually happens). All of my friends will be dieting, and training for the next BIG fitness THING and here I go again again adding additional pounds to burn off in a few months, and more areas to tone and tighten and HEY even in record time. BREATHE! I AM excited, I really am! I just wish someone in ANY of those expecting or parenting manuals would address actual real thoughts of those moms who are expecting their third or fourth or even fifth baby... I mean everything changes when your expecting, again. On the third pregnancy, other than the questions about multiples, or baby size since mom is so big so early, its pretty inevitable you will hear comments about the dreaded middle child or snide remarks if you already have one child of each gender. BABIES ARE BLESSINGS! I sometimes have to remind myself of this, like when I am super tired and need a nap! Although I may want to I fight hard not to "neglect' the two current children through the exhaustion of growing the third. I have the advantage of having two healthy eaters in my house, so when every I feel a little fatigued or sick, I can break out the carrot sticks and VIOLA ENERGY for all! The BIGGEST challenge is getting the household stuff done, which clearly wont get any easier with a third craving my undivided attention 24/7. Here is where I find the time to instill in the children the value of hard-work and dedication to home and family... Since they could grasp the concept I have been explaining to them that a family is a team and we all need to work together to get everything done. Usually that everything rests on my shoulders, but as I get bigger and weaker and more tired it will be time to pass it on.