Rolling with the differences

They say the first child is always the experimental child. After all, you spend more time preparing to get your driver's license (and you have to pass a test!) than you spend preparing to become a parent. If you were as clueless as my husband and I  when we took our oldest home, then you know the kid is nearing three on what amounts to a wing and a prayer. It never ceases to astound us the differences that stack up when child number two (or in our case two and three) arrives on the scene.

Child number 1 (#1) learned the hard way to cry it out in a dark room so that Mommy and Daddy could resume sleeping as soon as human(e)ly possible. He's a great sleeper now.

Children number 2 and 3 (#2/3) are nearing ten months of age and still get rocked to sleep every night, then to be placed in their cribs with soft music and a nightlight. Needless to say.... not such great sleepers. God forbid they cry it out.

#1 could tumble and barely had time to start quivering his chin before he was scooped up and consoled.

#2/3 mean you listen to the thud and hold your breath waiting for the cry.... No crying, no problem.

#1 has the most beautiful head of curly hair. We swore that we would be the parents to let it grow and grow until he rebels as a teenager by actually cutting his hair.

#2/3 mean prior to one year of age, we are already plotting the first haircut.

#1 could only watch kid-friendly, educational type shows. Think select Nick Jr, Sprout and PBS.

#2/3 have worked it so their older brother now runs around declaring "TBS. Very Funny. "

#1 got a bath every single night of his infancy.

#2/3 mean three kids. three baths. three times a week. Unless they get super dirty.

#1 started going on outings before he was a week old. He happily traveled the East Coast with Mommy and Daddy.

#2/3 mean we barricaded the door for a good six months before we felt brave enough to run to the corner store with all three.

#1 got homemade gourmet baby food until he started eating what Mommy and Daddy ate for dinner.

#2/3 got three batches made before we through in the towel and called our dear friend Gerber to help with the mealtimes.

But what everyone gets is two parents who love them all more than anything in the world, as imperfect as we are. Sure, we stumble from time to time, laughing about how our poor kids got stuck with amateurs. But who of us doesn't feel their way through parenting, learning as they go?  We have a older child who loves his younger brothers and will tell us how he needs to play with "his babies." We have three children who laugh constantly. They are thriving.

Oh, and the drop-off on pictures between kids? Not a chance. Picture taking still going strong.