Your parents do love you. I promise. Just as much as they love the 1st one. I know this. I'm a mommy to a 2nd so I'm kind of an expert.
I have a confession. I was Baby 1. So I don't know exactly what you 2nd babies go through but my middle brother has serious 2nd child syndrome. Well- he's kind of grown out of it... Kind of. But I learned from watching him that all you 2nd children think you are deprived.
No baby book.
No pictures by yourself.
No one cared if your pacifier hit the floor or You ate a little dirt.
You weren't the first and you may not even be the baby.
No significance whatsoever.
I'm going to tell you a secret. We love you- we haven't forgotten you. We are just. So. Tired.
Two littles is waaaaaay more than one. No one prepares you for that.
Two means there is one for each hand. Two means:
someone is always awake.
Someone is always hungry.
Someone always needs a diaper changed.
Yesterday was my 2nd child's 2 month birthday. You KNOW what that means. Sticker pictures! With my first I had those monthly sticker pictures marked on the calendar. I knew exactly what cute outfit and headband would be worn to coordinate with the colors of the sticker. My whole day revolved around taking that sticker picture.
And then it was my darling 2nd baby's turn. I didn't forget. I knew alllll day it was her 2 month birthday. The 2 month sticker mocked me from the corner where it waited for its photo shoot. But that moment never came. There was never a lull in the feeding, diaper changing, cleaning up, grocery shopping in the torrential flood routine. And then there was... At bedtime. But Mommy was so tired. And baby 2 was snuggled in her pj's already. And we just decided to wait 1. More. Day.
But you know what? There are perks to coming in 2nd.
Look at Baby 1's pictures. You will probably find a whole bunch of blurry, boring pictures. Everything Baby 1 did was (apparently) the cutest thing ever and your parents got a quick picture of it. Every. SINGLE. Time. Now look at your pictures. There may only be a third of the quantity but I bet your pictures are full of character and flattering angles (no more up the nose, 57 chins shots).
And you get to have way more fun burying and digging cookies up in the yard and still getting to eat them. And running around barefoot. And missing bathtime every few nights. And getting to join in on pretty much every privilege your older sibling had to earn.
So I'm sorry your baby book is empty and we missed a blurry picture of your 1st, 17th, and 32nd smile. I apologize we call you the wrong name and stick a paci in your mouth at 4 am when you start crying before rolling over to fall asleep again.
But I promise. We love you just as much. We were just as excited to meet you. And we think you are just as adorable... But this time your pictures are actually adorable too.
