3

I get a lot of the "how is life with 3 kids" question, which has made me think about some of the differences in having 1, 2, and 3.

First baby:
Baby was always dressed to the nines, even if we were staying home all day - hair bow {check}, pants {check}, shoes {check}, picture perfect {check}

Second baby:
Baby is still mostly dressed well....most of the time, bow on {most of the time}, shoes {only if leaving the house}, pants {sometimes}

Third baby:
Baby wears a white onesie {always}, pants {occasionally}, bow {only if I remember, and only if leaving the house}, shoes {what? babies wear shoes?}

I have about a zillion and a half pictures of Lauren.  I wanted snapshots of every single moment - every spit bubble, every funny face, every nap, every smile.  The camera was never more than an arm's reach away for fear of missing something priceless.
With Mya I was too busy trying to keep her from crying and Lauren from having crazy 2 year old tantrums, so I don't think I got more than a handful of pictures of her until she was about 6 months old.
Jane, poor Jane, only gets her picture taken if we are in a "perfect storm" situation.  First, I have to remember where exactly the camera is, and by the time I run and grab it {trying really hard to not get distracted by kids or something that needs to be picked up/put away}, whatever cute thing she was doing is now gone and she has a sister about an inch away from her face, wondering why she is getting upset.

There are also good differences. 
With Lauren, there was so much trial and error.  So many mistakes {who forgets to send a bottle with their baby to the sitter??} and learning experiences.  So many questions about so many things.  So much reading of baby books and online forums.  So much second guessing.
Mya was so different from Lauren - so much more complicated.  I was more confidant than with Lo, but had a whole new personality to learn.  All on top of dealing with the terrible two's.  But way more sure of myself as a mother and my decisions.
And now I have #3.  I thought it would be so much harder - and in some ways it is.  But in other ways I feel like I've sooooo "got this".  Going to the store is an ordeal, and I have to give myself a pep talk for an hour before we leave, but sleep training felt like second nature.  There are times when everyone is crying at once, and I think I'm going to lose my mind.  But I feel like such a mom now {you'd think that would've happened before having #3}.  I know which things matter and which things don't.  I feel like I can be much more flexible about things, like our daily schedule, and know that everyone will still be fed, clean, and happy, and the world won't end because we are "off schedule" :).  Cleaning the floor isn't as important as laying on the floor with all 3 of my girls and making ridiculous noises at Jane to make her smile.

So, how is it having 3 kids?  It's crazy.  Insane at times.
But it's also wonderful.