To 3 or Not To 3

That is the question. Or rather, to be or not to be a family of five. 

It's a question that's not easy to answer. And one that I flip flop on about every other day. Yes! It would be great to have another. Babies are so cute and cuddly. And mine are growing up so fast. No! After a day like today, I never want to have another baby ever. 

And my hubby thinks I'm crazy for going back and forth on this issue. He just laughs at my hormonally induced mood swings. He has basically left the decision up to me since I'm the one who has to carry the baby, give birth, and do most of the caring, especially in the first few years. Now you might wonder how we got to this point in our family...

Lucas is our first and definitely a planned pregnancy. Before he was even one, I was already missing the baby stage and we were starting to talk about another one. I think we always knew we would like more than one. But before we could really start planning (or trying for) another baby, Elena surprised us! In fact, we announced our pregnancy at Lucas' first birthday party. It really was kind of crazy. So before Lucas was 20 months old, Elena was born. And there were times during the pregnancy when I wondered just how I was going to cope with these two. (read more about their completely opposite birth stories here)

And yet I remember how wonderful it is; the excitement of a pregnancy, feeling your little one moving around inside, holding them for the first time, cuddling and swaddling and bathing and just resting with this tiny bundle of love who has all their needs met in you.

But I also remember the morning sickness, fatigue, blood tests and doctors visits, not to mention labor and delivery, recovery, breast-feeding, (I love breast-feeding, but the initial days/weeks of getting used to it can be painful) sleepless nights and dirty diapers.

And to do all this again with two pre-schoolers running around. Hmm, definitely not a decision I want to make lightly.

But come on, look at these two cuties. Who wouldn't want another one running around?

snack time! 

making a mess (they are particularly good at this one)

One girl, one boy - by Brazilian standards, we are set. Why would we need another? Others have said, "they're so cute, you should have more."

We've got a boys and girls set of baby clothes and shoes, strollers, toys, car seats, everything we need. Quite unexpectedly we moved to a bigger house and got a bigger car. Hubby says now it's time to expand the womb.

Some days I think I could handle it. Another baby to care for, another mouth to feed.

Other days, no. way. These two are sometimes pretty challenging. And have I mentioned I'm an introvert?

So here's my plan. Get a calendar. Mark each day with a check (I'd love another kid) or a cross (no way josé)

This is kind of how I feel things would be about now. Most days it's a no, a few days I feel like "Mom of the Year" and some days start out great and would get crossed out when bedtime turns into a waking nightmare.

Of course, it's not just another baby we're talking about; it's another toddler, pre-schooler, school-ager, tween, teenager.....it's a whole other person! (I know it sounds obvious, but sometimes we forget what babies turn in to!)

And we have time, of course we do, and we don't have to have a third right now, but I kind of think I would like to get the baby stuff done all at once, and have the kids grow up together. I already wonder how a third would fit in with the older two being so close.

So then maybe we need to have two more....

(Please don't take this post too seriously - obviously a checked off calendar is not the way to make a decision about growing your family. We feel very blessed to have our two kiddos, we love our family and the crazy ride that is parenthood. We also believe God has a plan for us and our family (including future children) and while we may dream and prepare, we are trusting trust in His plan and timing.)

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