Bobby!

Look at him, acting like I have nothing better to do 🙂

I’m basically eating one-handed at this point. Things aren't just going to tidy themselves up, you know? The house isn't going to clean itself while I'm busy... Hans and I split the load, but when he's asleep, the Baby and everything else is all on me. And honestly, do you have any idea how hard it is to satisfy someone with an Obelix-apetit 🤷

Obelix doesn't even need a magic potion.

We really need to watch what Baby is eating. Don't want him getting too chunky. Maybe try getting his diet on track? Is he already sitting at the table with a bib on to keep things clean?🤔

I’m honestly starting to worry about Grace Anderson3 if Baby is going to be that much of a glutton; she might end up completely dried up

Yeah, she’s definitely going through it. She’ll probably have to switch to bottles pretty soon, for sure. ☕

Grace Sanders24 said:I wish people would watch what the Baby eats. We don't want him getting too chubby. Maybe try to get things under control? ...

Sometimes we misread the situation. We think the little guy is crying because he's hungry, but it's actually just gas or pressure in his tummy—or he just wants attention. Babies are like tiny lions; they'll take whatever milk is offered, even when they aren't actually hungry. I still have to explain this to Hans. It doesn't help if you force him to nurse again after an hour of feeding if he hasn't even burped properly yet.

Once those first teeth start coming in, he might lose interest in eating for a bit. That's why it's actually good that he has some extra reserves right now.

Walter Baker2 said:I'm starting to worry about Grace Anderson3 if the Baby is such a glutton, she's going to run out of milk!

We'll start managing his portions as he grows. We're in America, after all; we don't need him turning into a sumo wrestler. But honestly, it's way too early to make any real predictions.

I once knew a woman whose kid was such a little glutton he practically sucked her dry; honestly, even the kid and I couldn't see eye to eye on that one.

I try to stay ahead of things by nursing whenever I feel a clog coming on, provided there’s still enough milk in the tank.
I once knew this woman whose Baby would grab at her shirt the second they got thirsty. It made for some pretty awkward moments in public. The kid was just over a year old at the time.

I once knew this little guy who was just two years old, and he’d spend his whole day screaming "Mama!" at the top of his lungs

Jesus... I don't know how she survived two whole years.🙏 It used to kill me, and my kid is still tiny—I can't even imagine the nightmare when the teeth start coming in..

And the moms dealing with twins? Absolute legends.

Grace Anderson3, I can see you’ve got everything under control—watching, planning, and executing perfectly.

🙂

The eldest was breastfed until she turned two—we actually ended up having another child shortly after she stopped 😁.
The middle one nursed until about a year old—my wife was already pregnant by then, so we had to scale things back a bit.
As for the youngest, she’s already two and still nursing.
To them, nursing is just another comfort object, much like a favorite toy or a pacifier 🙂
Generally speaking, they don't put on extra weight from it, especially if they're constantly running around and staying active 😁

Seriously, once that Baby starts walking, they’re going to be stripping off clothes like it's a summer heatwave in Phoenix , though I'm pretty sure Grace Anderson3 was shedding layers just as fast trying to keep up with him

Nicole Myers said:Grace Anderson3, I can see you've got everything under control—observing, planning, executing.
🙂

I really need to get my act together and give Hans some encouragement, especially now that he's realized his family isn't going to step up the way he hoped they would.

Anthony Nguyen81 said:The oldest one nursed until she was two (we actually had another kid on the way right around the time she stopped 😁).
The little guy nursed until about a year old (my wife was already pregnant then, so we had to cut it short a bit).
And the youngest turned two and is still nursing.
To them, nursing is just like having a favorite toy or a pacifier 🙂
Generally speaking, they don't gain weight from it, especially if they're constantly running around 😁

You guys have really managed to keep all the kids on the same page. 😁
I honestly admire your wife for sticking through all those years.

Walter Baker2 said:Yeah, once the Baby starts walking, they'll drop the nursing habit , but even Grace Anderson3 dropped hers while she was busy chasing him around

I'll istesati my progress 🙂 at least...

How exactly do you think Hans can manage without being able to rely on his own family?

Grace Anderson3 said:You’ve really coordinated those kids to be side-by-side. : D
I have to hand it to your wife—staying sane through all those years is quite an achievement.

Yeah, for the last seven years, it’s been one of two things: she’s either pregnant or one of the kids is nursing 😁
There's about a two-year gap between them—though for the oldest, it feels longer (over two years and nine months), while for the younger one, it’s closer to eighteen months. Sometimes they even act like twins, though 😬...
If we go for a fourth, that age gap will widen a bit since my little girl is already two 😁
If we don't, I have a feeling there's going to be one hell of a party—my wife will finally be able to grab a drink after a long, long time 🤣

It’s funny how 😁

Walter Baker2 said:How exactly do you think Hans can expect to rely on his family?

She probably meant a babysitter from time to time.
That’s certainly a huge help—though, let's be realistic—it isn't always like seniors are physically capable of putting it all together themselves.

My mother—or more accurately, my mom—was the oldest child in her group during those first three years of life, and she remained the eldest after finishing preschool.
The first two years of my son's life—everything leading up to the pandemic.
Everything has changed now that we’re dealing with COVID. 👎
Jean’s people really couldn't have done that much to help.
In certain matters, you really need to bring a diplomat to the table—it’s always such a sensitive area. 🙂

Walter Baker2 said:How exactly do you think Hans can rely on his family?

Anthony Nguyen81 said:She probably just meant having some help from the grandparents every now and then.
That’s a massive help, really, but let's be real—it's not like seniors can always pull that kind of setup together on their own.

My mom—or more accurately, my Baby—was the oldest one in her group during those first three years, and she stayed that way throughout preschool too.
The first two years of my son's life, before everything went sideways with the pandemic.
Everything changed once COVID hit. It's a whole different ballgame now. 👎
Jean's people really couldn't have done that much to help.
You need a diplomat for some of this stuff. It’s always such a touchy subject. 🙂

We knew from the jump that we wouldn't be getting much out of the grandparent service, unless my folks actually come visit us here in the States. But honestly, there’s a silver lining—it means way less outside interference.
When I talked about Hans's family, I was mostly referring to his mother. Jean would love to come visit us, but she’s had to cancel twice already—likely because of the constant friction with Hans's father. Honestly, that man can be pretty condescending and struggles with drinking. He just had a birthday, and he was really banking on Hans showing up for him.😕 It’s a ninety-minute drive to get there, and we had just been discharged from the hospital. I was still recovering, and the little one had only just finished therapy. It honestly feels ridiculous if Hans's mother starts skipping visits to see us just because of him. It hurts seeing Hans look so disappointed, but honestly, it didn't surprise me. At least, it didn't surprise me.

Anthony Nguyen81 said:Yeah, over the last seven years, she's either been pregnant or someone's nursing 😁
The gap is about two years, though it feels bigger for the older one (over two years, plus nine months), whereas for the younger one it's closer to a year and a half, so they sometimes look like twins, but 😬...
If they go for a fourth, the gap will widen since the little one is already two 😁
If not, I bet there's going to be a massive party once she can finally have a drink after a long, long time 🤣

It's funny how 😁

You guys are truly fascinated by this. 😁 Did any of the older kids get jealous when a new baby was coming? A friend of mine has two sons with a two-year age gap, and the older one was incredibly jealous for a while, constantly making scenes for his mom. But after six months, he turned into the little guy's protector.👍

Just make sure his wife doesn't dive straight into the bourbon after all those years of sobriety. 🤔

Who cares about that crowd! All that matters is that Baby has the best mom and dad ever. Honestly, it’s probably better being solo anyway—just the three of you taking on everything together! 😍