Another Baby Bump: When to Go for No. 2?

Like most moms in the world, I consider myself pretty busy. My planner is full of deadlines, ballet classes, birthdays, reminders and various appointments.
When I start flipping through the days, I can’t seem to figure out where to write “Have Another Baby.”

Knowing we wanted more children was easy, but then we realized we actually needed to decide when.

It sounds so exciting, but the logistics can be daunting.

My husband and I started going over all the ducks we needed to have in a row before we could start trying for Bump Number Two.

How are our finances?

Are we comfortable enough to provide all the diapers and childcare an infant would need?

Our bank statement kept us from considering more kids for a long time.

What about timing?

What about our trip to Disney World next year? Can’t be due too close to that. I need to be able to ride the Spinning Teacups!

It sounds silly, but I know plenty of people who hate having birthdays near the holidays. So should we plan around that? Is that even feasible?

What about the difficulty of actually getting that egg fertilized?

Seriously, Google how many things have to work out, how the stars have to be aligned just right to conceive a baby.

It makes you wonder how MTV made an entire franchise of teens making this happen accidentally.

Finally, is our First Born ready for the changes a new baby would bring?

Is she emotionally ready to share the spotlight, and is she independent enough to handle me focusing on another child?

I’d like to say yes, but there are too many books on sibling rivalry to make me think it’s that simple.

Wanting another baby and actually trying for another baby are two completely different things.

One was an exciting, intangible idea for the future. The other is a slap of reality and a reason to examine our lifestyle.