On Adding to Four

As you probably know, because you are probably either a cousin or my mother, we are expecting our fourth baby.  The reaction from the general public on the arrival of a fourth child is very different from times one through three.  The breakdown looks like this:

1st child.  Pure delight.  Multiple baby showers.  Sweet, handmade blankets and heartfelt cards.

2nd child.  Excitement, but the new season of Mad Men just started, so....  you know.  There is also a kind of, Well.  Of course you're having another!  You don't want that poor kid to be lonely!  It's expected.  Any baby gift is accompanied by a new big brother gift as well.

3rd child.  Wow!  You're going to have your hands full!  The general public neither requires, nor expects you to have a third.  Two is plenty.  Three...  Wow.  Good for you.  Better you than me.  Hands.  Full.

4th child.  This is the magic number.  The number that changes everything.  There is an invisible line between three and four.  Instead of the delight that comes with number one, the expectation that comes with number two, or even the, "Wow.  I'm impressed." that comes with number three... you get the, "What??  Are you out of your mind??" with four.  Because normal people just don't have that many children.  Three is actually pushing it.  But four?  Come on.  Just exactly what is it you're trying to prove, lady?  Are you trying to get your own reality show??  No baby shower.  No handmade blankets.  No big brother gifts.  (There are three of them now, for Heaven's sake.  And have you seen my house? We do not need any more toys.)  Just wide eyes followed by head shaking and a lot of blinking.

It's cool.  I've been getting wide eyes and head shaking for a long time.  Totally okay with it.