Your Clothes:
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 pore 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 eighth month.
The Layette:
1st baby: You prewash your newborn's 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.
Photography:
1st baby: You photograph every second of the poor kid's existence.
2nd baby: You photograph the kid on birthdays, Christmas or other holidays.
3rd baby: When grandparents ask for a photo, you retouch one of the others.
courtesy of Joe Horchak