When Can I Have Another Baby?

June with her grandma and cousin.

Lately I've been thinking about going and getting June a sibling. 

Truth is I've pretty much been baby hungry since the moment I had June.  Having a baby was so much sweeter and so much more fun that I ever could have imagined and now I just want to have babies forever.  Lots of people told me that I would grow out of it- that it was just a phase.  But so far the phase has stuck to me like glue.  "When can I have another baby?"  I ask myself.  "When is the soonest possible time I can have another baby without tearing out my hair and chasing away my husband and burning down the house and signing over my soul to bottles and dirty diapers?"  It is a very legitimate question, you know.

Now that June is one I feel like I can entertain the idea more than I ever let myself before.  Before a baby turns one it feels totally crazy to think about having another one; after one it just feels semi crazy.  I'm okay with semi crazy.

Of course, there are things I love about the stage we're in and part of me wants to revel in it as it is for as long as possible.  I love being just the three of us- mom dad and baby. June sleeps through the night, is weaned, and can play independently.  She is fun and spunky and doesn't need her parents' constant supervision and care like before.  We can easily leave her with other people.  Part of me wants to just sit back and enjoy this awesome and fun stage my little family is in.

The other part of me wants a cuddly newborn in my arms stat.

A big part of the equation is how the spacing will affect my kids' lives.  If I wait too long June will have a long gap in between her and her next sibling.  Who knows what the perfect spacing is for children?  Two years?  Because if so Greg and I need to get cracking.  Three years?  Possibly.  Four? I might die if I have to wait that long.

My siblings closest to me in age are Dennis, who is three years older than me and Mary, who is four years younger than me.  My sister was my very best friend growing up, but I would be lying if I said I didn't sometimes wish we were closer in age.  My brother, too.  I was never in high school with any of my siblings.  My friends and my siblings' friends rarely crossed.  I was never in the same stage of life as my sister or brother.   (Actually that's a lie; I played Barbies until I was 14 so we did enjoy a good long Barbie run together.)

What I'm wondering is what is the perfect age gap between children?  Those of you who have multiples, what has been the best for you?  I am talking how difficult it is for you when they're babies, but also how the spacing affects kids later on.  My friend who has girls two years apart (Hi Vanessa!) says it's totally nuts and to never have them that close.  While I can see how it would be a zoo for a couple years, I also think it's so awesome that those girls will have a built in best friend for their whole lives.  Is it worth total craziness for a few years to have kids who can be good buddies all growing up?  Or is better to wait and savor the years with each individual child?

Tell me, when am I allowed to have another baby?!


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(PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:  From today until Tuesday I have six, yes SIX sponsored posts scheduled for this blog.  I obviously suck at spacing and planning and saying no.  I promise I am working on it.  Greg and I are both teachers so we're not exactly bathing in money, and we rely on the income that sponsorships bring in.  I don't feel like we are in a place financially where I can turn down a lot of these opportunities, so I ask you to be patient with me while I figure out the balance and spacing of  sponsored posts.  Every other blogger in the world seems to be able to space out her sponsored posts in an appropriate manner so I don't know why I can't catch on to the system.  All that being said, after Tuesday we will go back to totally regular posts around here.  If you are one of those people who want to throw things at your computer and threaten to stop reading forever every time you see your favorite blogger being financially compensated for a post then I suggest you tune in here again on Wednesday.  For all the rest of you, I really do try to make my sponsored posts fun, interesting, and relevant, so hopefully you will still check in.  Thank you ALL for putting up with the blog craziness and supporting the brands that support this blog.  It means the world to me and my family.)