Preparing...

It's amazing how much preparing there is for a second child. Most of my preparations include getting Joshua ready for the big change. Every day seems like a new lesson in independence for him which makes me so sad. I want him to be my baby forever and now I have no choice but to have him be more and more independent. He is now totally in his big boy bed and I would venture to say potty trained. I'm working on getting him to not have me carry him everywhere and get into his car seat by himself.

I know I am not alone in the apprehension of the change of going from a family of 3 to 4. We have such a rhythm now with the 3 of us and now everywhere I go I try to imagine what it will be like when I have to tote 2 kids instead of one. Simple tasks like running into the store for a gallon of milk won't be quite as simple having to lug a baby and a 2 year old. But really I'm also a little sad that we will have to share our attention with another child. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled about the new baby, I'm just sad for Joshua as I know he will have his world turned upside down. I'm sure he will be excited at first, but I know there will be lots of adjustments for him and I'm sure he will have times when he wants more attention then we will be able to give him. In the long run, I know he will gain so much from having a baby brother it just seems almost like the end of an era.