Second Child Syndrome

Judi sent this funny email out today, which I had to copy here, because it goes hand in hand with my story of the day. 

The Birth Order of Children:

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 maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_______________________________________________
Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
_______________________________________________
The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones 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 the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
_______________________________________________
Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you ! put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
_______________________________________________
Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
_______________________________________________
Activities:

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, 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 cleaner.
_______________________________________________
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 everyday 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.
_______________________________________________
Swallowing Coins:

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

_______________________________________________

In my case, I should have something like this:

Immunizations:

1st child:  Religiously schedule immunization appointments 6 months in advance.  Spend hours of time on the internet researching the potential side effects or future repercussions of said immunizations.  Remember 30 minutes prior to appointment to spread LMX on injection sites so the pain will be lessened.  Take rest of day off to be with child for comfort and fun.

2nd child:  Forget entirely about immunizations.  There’s a 15 month checkup?  An 18 month checkup?  Call randomly to pediatrician’s office for another reason at 20 months only to realize you’re behind by 2 check ups.  Panic and schedule a combination appointment and feel horribly guilty about it.  Realize that you’ve packed the LMX and you have meetings all day of the checkup. 

3rd child:  In a moment of great clarity you realize you are already failing at raising 2.  Send husband for vasectomy.  End of story. 

Posted June 09, 2006 in Parenting • (0) CommentsPermalink

Comments

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Submit the word you see below:


the slice

I'm a 40-ish (which is the new 25) mother of girls born 23 months apart. Originally hailing from the frosty throes of Northern Michigan, I now live in the humidity pit of the universe - Virginia. Read More...

your slice

Login |Register

toasted


BlogHer Book Club Reviewer


just popped

www.flickr.com

Sassy Monsters

Nap Mats and More

still hot

BlogHer Reviewer
Run Like a Girl

feed me