first vs. fourth ...

hi all! it's me ... jen of coconutbelly fame ... i offered to give pamela a little bit of a break while she was "cranking out number four" (her words ... not mine.)

and then i managed to make myself apparently invisible. (well ... now ... we've since realized that to each other ... we are just considered spam.)
and so not the spam of minnesota heritage. (really ... that link takes you to spam dot com ... no joke ... there's even a spam fan club. now we know. life can go on.) really what i'm trying to say ... is not about spam ... i got sidetracked ... which people totally understand on my own blog ... but this isn't my place ... so i'm sorry ... it's about how we couldn't get in touch with each other. and then she had her baby and i totally stressed that she was thinking i was ignoring her request and i was thinking that maybe she didn't REALLY want me to post ...
but now ... we're all good. whew. and i've decided to give you all a few examples of a first born little in comparison to the fourth born little in a family.
and i absolutely claim to have no true knowledge of this ... i'm the oldest of two and i only have two little girls ... so this may be complete falsehood. you've been warned. please consult a medical professional with any questions. these results are not typical. please eat and drink responsibly. and look both ways before you cross the street. the end.

ah. the first child vs. the fourth child. so many differences.
in stages.
'cause that's how i roll.

during pregnancy –
first … after weeks and weeks of waiting (not-so-patiently) you FINALLY feel a kick at about 20 and some odd weeks.
fourth … you are lying in bed, roll over to your husband/significant-other/one-night-stand and mention, “well, i think we’re gonna have a baby … i just felt the little peanut kick.”

first … you take the time to rest WHENEVER possible. full out nap sessions each afternoon, ‘cause by golly … i’m growing a baby in here!
fourth … rest? never heard of it.

first … you spend hours gazing at baby room brochures and figuring out that PERFECT color scheme and pattern for the baby nursery. crying over the fact that the quilt you picked out only comes in fuchsia and NOT the perfect shade of magenta.
fourth … you cram together all of the crap gathered over the years and throw together a crib in the corner of a previously unoccupied room … husband is disgruntled about losing his office.

during labor and delivery –
first … fear of the unknown pain that is bound to come.
fourth … (still having) fear of the pain that is most absolutely bound to come. just faster.

first … husband lovingly stays at the hospital with you at all times …
fourth … you send husband home to take care of the other three and you LOVE the fact that you get a few nights at a swank hotel ... errr, i mean … hospital … where people are constantly waiting on YOU!

new baby! –
first … full out scrapbook (coordinated with the aforementioned baby bedding) highlighting every moment of your baby’s life until the second baby was born. “yay! you blew your nose for the first time this afternoon!”
fourth … mentioned in the first born’s scrapbook which has dwindled to a peel and stick photo book filled with family pictures ... “yay! you are becoming a big sister for the 3rd time!”
or, more likely, in this digital age ... an SD card with a picture of a chicken scratched note mama wrote to daddy on the morning she found out so that he could see it when he woke up before leaving for work indicating ... "pregnant".

first… pictures of EVERYTHING! approximately 52.4 pictures per hour … for several days.
fourth … “where did the camera go? WHO TOOK THE CAMERA?”

and finally ... a positive ... (as if there really aren't a thousand ...)

first ... new baby has the love and affection of a terrific mommy and daddy.
fourth ... new baby has the love and affection of an entire already-put-together family ... and is loved beyond measure.

welcome to the world little one. and congratulations to the entire family unit.