Younger Children

Our first two children, Beth and Matt, were born just 14 months apart. I basically raised them as twins. By the time Matt was a few months old they did everything together. They ate at the same times, played at the same times, and napped at the same times. As they got older they started playing sports and doing other activities together as well.

Next in line was our little redhead Carrie. Carrie was such an easy baby. She instantly adapted to fit into the schedule our family already had. She was happy to nap in the car, in the stroller, or at home. She liked being on the go and was just a very easy addition to our family. We didn't even have to really childproof because she never got into anything, and was content to just watch her older siblings play. As she got older she also joined them in many activities. She is 21 months younger than Matt, and just shy of three years younger than Beth.

After Carrie's babyhood I felt like we have the parenting of multiple young children down to a science. I thought that any future children would also just naturally fit into our family fold. So we went ahead and had number four, our little sweetie Katy Ann. After her birth, the realization slowly hit us that Carrie had in fact been born with her easy going personality. That old nature versus nurture debate, remember? Katy however, is not easy going. And she wants a schedule. She would have been a good firstborn. She is eight months old now, and she hates being on the go, has a meltdown if she is late for her nap, and gets into everything! She does love her older siblings though, and is already very anxious to get in on the action.

Right now I am finding it a struggle to balance the older kids' school, t-ball, AWANA's, and just day-to-day activities, with her need to be home and on some sort of schedule. It honestly was easier just to have a house full of babies and toddlers....this mix of little ones and school aged kids takes some juggling.