Does Lightning Strike Twice?

I don’t write this post to be boastful; it’s just something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, especially as we prepare for baby #2.

I think that Chris and I probably hit the baby jackpot with Averie. 

She was a great eater – didn’t care where it came from; if it was food, she was good.  

  

Her only health problem as an infant was a bout of bad jaundice, which is pretty common, and we got through that. 

  

She slept through the night when she was two weeks old, and before that, slept 4 to 5 hours at a stretch.  She took marathon naps in the day – regularly 3 to 4 hours as a newborn – and still slept at night.

  

She met all her developmental milestones on time, if not early.  The only one we’re behind on is speech, and even then, we’re starting to see some big improvement.

  

When I decided to stop nursing and weaned her at 9 months, she went right to formula with no difficult transition period.  

  

We were done with bottles before 1 year.  

  

She almost never gets sick.  There’s been plenty of times that I thought she had an ear infection (thank you, otoscope, for saving us all those trips to the pediatrician!), but she’s only actually had one and a cold in two years.

  

She is so independent!  I’ve noticed this particularly over the last 4 weeks as I’ve been battling the sinus-infection-that-wouldn’t-die.  She can almost dress herself completely (some of her shoes require a little adult help), she feeds herself, shampoos her own hair in the shower, and helps put away her toys.  And as much as I love playing with her, I love watching her play by herself just as much.  She is so imaginative!      

  

As a 2-year-old, of course there are days that she makes me want to pull my hair out.  But generally?  I don’t think we could have gotten any luckier if we tried. 

  

I just wonder if we’ll be so fortunate with our little boy.  Will he be a perfect sleeper, too?  A great eater?  I'll admit I'm especially crossing my fingers for another good sleeper -- Averie has certainly spoiled Chris and me.  Will he struggle with development?  Will he have major health problems?  I hope not, of course.  I do kind of think that there's just no way two parents can get this lucky more than once and that makes me a little nervous for the future, but we'll see!

  

We’re less than 3 months away from D-Day now – let’s hope he is more punctual than his big sister! ;-)