My girl is getting big!
 

So, how many of you go on to have two??
I've gotten an IUD for myself since the pill failed on me. I didn't want to have one child, now that I have her....YES, you were all right, I can't imagine life w/o having ever gotten the chance to meet her. Here's the thing...I drove past a park-I have a few pictures up on my MySpace site:
http://www.myspace.com/yorkiek9trainer
while at a dog show in Kentucky and saw a little girl sitting by herself while her assumed Mom and Dad were tooling around w/ the food and tent. I then drove past another portion of the same park and saw a little boy and his assumed sister rough housing and playing while their assumed Mom and Dad did the same as the lone little girl. One just seemed more happy a time than the other.
I wanted to know how many ladies here recommend the "even number of children" rule? My Mom does and thinks that they should be no more than two to three years apart. Anyone else agree? Have different thoughts?
Keep in mind that I didn't want one, but having another doesn't seem so scary now and I certainly would just go ahead and have my tubes tied at that point.

I Love this little girl...so much. She's just simply amazing. Being a single Mom, while tough, is so rewarding! And I could've never done it w/o the assistance of my own two parents.

Well having two boys myself, I love to see the relationship they have. It's like no other and I'm glad they have eachother.

HOWEVER, I will say that having two is much harder as a parent.

She is soooooo cute! Look at that beautiful smile :) !! I agree with the even number of children... usually from what my only-child friends have told me.. although they were loved (all attention on them :p) they say that they definitely have felt lonely a lot without a bro/sis growing up.. BUT of course they learned to deal with it by making more friends..etc.. my older sis and I are 4 years apartand we get along great. I have another sis and we are 11 years apart and we get along great too.. I guess it depends on the personalities of the children to determine if they will get along or not :)

Apparently I'm lame. ;) Here's some pics!
 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ETHISBUNNY.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r.../LookMommy.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...7atBestBuy.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...or12July07.jpg
(My older brother playing w/ her)

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...teyedbunny.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ingfingers.jpg

Awwww, She's precious!

Thank You.

I was just thinking that once my parents are gone...and I pray that's no time in the near future! That it's nice to know that I have siblings. While my family is close, I don't know that it's the same to not have a brother or sister to turn to. If even just to reminice (sp?) on the times shared and enjoyed that no one else was around for but you and them and perhaps your parents. Know what I mean? It's a wonderful sense of security and even a sense of pride that those memories continue on through you and a sibling.
I dunno.
I cringe at thinking about being pregnant again, doing another c-section (although both were relatively easy) I'm just selfish and worry if my body is going to be able to hold up to another pregnancy. I got pretty darn lucky w/ the first! But even still I wonder if it wouldn't be beneficial to my little girl if I didn't go ahead and have one more within the next two to three years and then get my tubes tied, just so she has a brother/sister to help learn from and even teach and then I also have the two because I love and wanted that.

Okay, it's late and I'm thinking too much. I'll chat w/ you ladies tomorrow! ;)
*hug* thanks for chiming in!

Your daughter is adorable, Leslie! :D

~Marly

OMG she is so cute....I just love her beautiful smile and BIG eyes....WHAT A DOLL!!!

You are SO blessed!! :)

I have 2 sisters and know I would have adjusted wihtout them but I honestly could not even IMAGINE my life without them. We are all 3 SOOOOOO close not to mention very close with my mom too. My hubby has 3 brothers and they are super close too and I am VERY close to them as well so coming from a big family I have to say it is nice to always have them around.

your daughter is beautiful!

She is so cute! I think you should have another! It's def. less lonely with a sibling in the house. My half sister who is 8 is an only child in her house and she sometimes complains that she is lonely. I have a brother but I always wanted a sister around my age to grow up with.

You just hit the nail on the head for me. I am an only child and so was my mom. I have no relationship with my father and am not close to his family, what's left of it. It definitely has its benefits -- but I don't think they outweigh the rewards of having sibs.

I had a cousin growing up who was my "pseudo sibling" and I was his -- but then he got a brother when we were 11!!! My cousin died and I was lucky enough to have high school friends that I don't think I could love more if they WERE my sisters ... but there is still something that will always be missing. I see it every time my friends are with THEIR siblings.

I ALWAYS wanted to have two kids. I NEVER envisioned having just one. So I guess that's why it's just as well that I have NONE as I watch that door prepare to slam shut because I don't know how I'd handle two and I wouldn't want just one!

I would do it before your little one gets TOO used to the whole limelight. Once they get beyond 6 or 7 years old, I don't think they bounce back as easily from having to share it, though there are exceptions to every rule.

Besides, you did so well with THIS one (she's gorgeous) how could you resist trying again?

First of all your daughter is beautiful. Although I wouldn't recommend having another child just for a sibling for the other, here is my advice. You have to consider other things that you want in the future.
I was 20 when I had my son, but hubby and I were in the military. My husband LOVES kids and as soon as he held his son in the hospital he said, "I'm ready for my daughter now!" I was like, "No way!"
Being in the military it was already tough to have one kid. I told my DH that we would both have to be out of the military in order to have the next kid. That ended up being 5 years later.
So now my son is 5 and a half and his baby sis is 8 months and is too young to play with him. There are no kids in this neighborhood and he breaks my heart because he wants to play with other kids. His cousins live 4 hours away.
I know that in the future he will never see his sister as a playmate because she will always be 5 years younger than him and basically on a different level. I know that he will love her and be protective, but he'll always view her as a baby. My son is practically and only child.
I don't live with any regrets though. I don't think I could have handled 2 kids in diapers while in the military. My son is VERY well mannered and smart for his age. He helps me out so much with his sister too. I just try to steal my friend's kids or my nephews as much as I can.
Here is a pic of my little blue-eyed monsters.

GREAT post....BUT I really think you will be surprised at how close they will become later in life. My younger sister is 8 years younger than me and 10 years younger than the oldest and we all are so tight now. I am 29 now and she is 20. Your right growing up we had very little in common and were not that close but now we are inseparable

By the way your children are adorable!! :D :D

I have 3 children an 11yr old, 6 yr old and 5 yr old. when my second was born my first was already 5 1/2 years old. she was just as in love with with as I was ;) right now shes going on 12 and hes goin on 7 and they both love each other BUT they do not play. some days she will color with him and play games but for the most part he is mostly with his little sister. shes 5 hes 6...perfect right? well when they are not fighting lol. They are so close in age i feel like i sometimes have twins! It is alot of hard work. i guess what im saying is that its hard either way but so worth it! I feel like I spent so much alone time with my oldest it was great, now shes alone with no sibling her age I pick up my neice who is 10 so they can hang out and do what preteens do:rolleyes: , and my 2 little ones we usually do group projects and we play together and its harder to divide my time equally between them to give them each alone time but they have each other to play with...I might have confused u guys I feel like im rambling on lol

They are both adorable! That is sorda like me and my older brother. He is 4 yrs older than me so I was always too young to play with him, so he would play with his friends and I would play with mine. Actually his friend is 2 days older than him, who actually has a sister that is 1 month younger than me so it worked out perfectly. They lived in my building and we all grew up together. But I still always wanted a sister my age, a yr or 2 apart :( My mom's close friend has 4 kids that I would go to her house a lot to visit I also grew up with them. She has 2 boys, about 2 yrs apart and 2 girls, 1.5 yrs apart and the girls are inseparable. I love those girls, they are like the sisters i never had and i always feel like the 3rd sister when im with them. We are that close.

True, that can be also. I have an 8 yr old half sister and we get along great. I am 12 yrs older than her. We always talk and she acts older than she is :rolleyes: She looks up to me so much, I love her and I hope that we stay close.

I have an older brother that is less than two years older and we've always been quite close.
Then there is my younger brother who is SEVEN years younger than me and he had no one to grow up w/ because while we lived in the same household, my older brother and I were always out doing what kids our age could/would while he had to hang back. He really did grow up an only child and now he's kinda viewed as the odd man out...the odd ball if you will. He is virtually nothing like us, except for morals. His temperment and even some developmental factors, some days it's like he's nothing like us and belongs to the milkman. Terrible I know, but it's true and when I didn't want children it was easy for me to say that IF I ever did and changed my mind, I'd just have one. NOW?
Yeah....I can see the benefit of having another.
1.) Having a sibling for the sake of having a sibling close in development.
2.) When I pass and all the family older than I has gone, she will have someone close that she knows to go to.
3.) I might have a boy which would be interesting...
4.)Okay, thinking about having another c-section is very nerve wracking. While it went well as well as the recovery, I still cringe about that darn spinal block! lol and am having second thoughts.
5.) However, 1-3 are still factors to outweigh 4.

*sigh*

IF I did it, again, I'd want to try within the next 2-3 years I think.

LOVELY CHILDREN! Thanks for postin' up those pics! ;)
(btw, I grew up a Navy brat so I know all too well what you're talking about- my Dad did 30 years and my Mom only like 4 before getting preggo in the 70's where they "encouraged" you to get out if pregnant)

Even though I have a sister and brother, I was raised totally alone by my grandparents. I was so lonely that I would cry myself to sleep many a night. I swore when I grew up I would have lots of babies who would always have someone to play with. I had six sons. :D

Awww, wow 6! My mom was an only child and she told me to have A LOT of kids when I get older cause it is so lonely to be an only child

My dtr was raised as an only child. I had a full brother to her that I gave up for adoption 36 years ago and just reunited with in May. I definatley think it is lonley for her at times, but she has had a lot of advantages she wouldn't have had if we had moe chldren. I have 2 brothers and a sister and when my Mom passed away a few months ao it was nice to have them to go through it with. I did worry about my dtr having no siblings to be there with her as we get older. Now that my birthson is in our lives I hope they can have a relationship and be thee for each other. I also think sometimes you don't miss what you don't know.

I totally understand where you are coming from. I only have one brother, we are 3 years apart. When we were younger we were best friends at times. Now that we are older we are not nearly as close. :rolleyes: We just live two very different lifestyles right now. I just had a baby last January and he is my world. Before I had him I wanted 4 children, hubby wanted 3. I also don't want an odd number. I remember inviting two friends over for a sleepover as a child and someone always felt left out being 3 of us. So we will either just have my son or one more. :)

Leslie, your daughter is absolutely GORGEOUS! You are indeed so blessed!

As far as siblings, I am the oldest of 3 girls. I'm 23, then I have 2 sisters who are 21 and 17. We are all three EXTREMELY close! Of course, I have more in common with my 21 year old sister at this point in time, but I love that my youngest sister looks up to me and we are close nonetheless. It is definately comforting to know that when my parents get old, and even before they die, I will have 2 sisters to help take care of my parents and when they pass, I will have 2 sisters to help grieve in their passing and rejoice in their memory. I love having siblings. I want to have many children so they can experience what I have experienced with my sisters.

My sons I think had all the advantages that an only child would have plus more. They all went to college and have become great adults. What I do miss though is not having a daughter. I find that daughters come home to visit their folks more often than sons do. :rolleyes:

i don't really believe in rules or anyhting like that..i believe god will give you a blessing when he feels you are ready :)

if you want another one go for it :) ...

we're expecting #2 so i'm happy about it. :D

I have three kids ages 14, 12 and 9...two boys and a girl respectively...

My boys play together as so my 12 year old son and daughter...the older one dosent bother with the youngest one too much and she always wishes she had a sister...my whole family is filled with boys and she is the only girl...BUT she is also spoiled rotten too lol...so I had three kids in 5 years and dont regret it at all...I was young and dont regret that either...cause Ill be a young grandma too hehe...

Dawn

I have 4 boy's ages 13 1/2, 12 1/2, 11 , and 10. I was glad that they were close together. They have alway's been real good at sharing things with each other. I also likes that they were all potty trained one right after another instead of doing it say every 3 years! But that is how me and my hubby wanted it.

*yay*
 

xtine-
CONGRATULATIONS!!! ;)

*hug*