Baby Lust Vs Sanity Seeking

My neighbour and friend had her long awaited third child on Tuesday. He joins his two older sisters to round out their family of three children. I watched my friend go through her pregnancy from the first announcement, to the 444am pin saying they were in the hospital. I saw him 4 hours after his birth, still unwashed and fresh from the brief hospital stay. I saw the joy in the first meeting of the siblings. People gathered and the excitement of welcoming this new little guy into the world was almost palpable.

As we sat around our dinner table that evening, my children began their usual refrain, except with more fervor now. "Can we have a new baby in OUR house?" "We want a baby brother or sister!" "It's not fun just the two of us!" And from my youngest, "I can never be a big sister if we don't!! I don't want to just be a little sister!"

I've heard many a Mom say that when your family is complete, you'll know it. And I do. I've felt it since about the first year of my second child's life. I don't want a third child, I don't want a boy, I don't want to be a family of five instead of four.

But sometimes, just sometimes, when I look at my daughters baby photos and I see how truly exceptionally stunning they were (hey, it's a Mom's prerogative!) I get that little niggling doubt. For a brief instant I think, "awww...but look how SWEET." Other times, when I see a pregnant mom, or a friend with a new baby, I ponder my pregnancies past or what life would be like with a new little one to snuggle.

And then I realize that you know what? I'm all good. I have absolutely NO desire to potty train or get up in the night or do immunizations or worry endlessly about every single aching moment of a little ones existence. (well, anymore than I already do that is)

I'm totally happy and at peace with my two little precious ones. Our family definitely feels complete when we all sit around that same said dinner table.

Besides which, the end of this month brings a final close to this conversation. Woohoo for me! Not so much for my husband, perhaps.

As the popular saying goes, "it's time to stop having them, and start raising them."

Amen to that.