I Will Always Want One More … I Think

I am blessed and lucky enough to have two children. A son and a daughter. Do I want a third? Or is my family complete?

I will always want one more…I think

I’ve asked my friends who have decided their families are complete and they all agree that when you’re done, you know. I haven’t reached that place yet. I can have the most hellish parenting day possible and once the kids are in bed you can find me on the couch scrolling through their baby pictures. If a diaper ad with a newborn baby comes on TV, I dissolve into a puddle of feelings. Even if the dog is barking, my husband is away, and the kids are both screaming, I’ll find myself thinking “well, another one wouldn’t be THAT bad, right?”

I loved the newborn stage for each of my children. My son was premature and his birth had some traumatic elements for me, yet I still soaked up every squishy moment with him. I had slightly less one-on-one time with my newborn daughter, as I had an energetic toddler to keep up with, but I still spent the majority of my day snuggling her. I loved everything about the baby stage with them! Even clogged ducts and blowouts weren’t that terrible, because they met a purpose. I could totally have another, right? I mean, at this point, what’s adding one more?

Then I remember how much I like my sleep. I like getting dressed for the day without selecting easy-access tops or adding absorbent pads to my bras. Coordinating schedules around naps and feedings, finding a sitter for OB appointments, wrangling two older kids at newborn well-visits, imagining preschool drop-off with a newborn and two toddlers, and what would I do for a larger car?! Plus, I’m not getting any younger. Practically speaking, a third baby just isn’t it.

But, still. Another baby! Maybe I’ve romanticized it in my head too much, but it just sounds so sweet to me. Would I still feel this way when my third was entering toddlerhood? Would I want yet another?! What is the saturation point for me? I know that realistically, a third baby is probably not in the cards, but that doesn’t stop my heart and mind from wondering.

Have you decided your family is complete? How did you know? Let me know in the comments.