Hello World! Renee and I are pleased to introduce to you our newest addition in the making! We and the kids are super excited and can't wait to meet little A5! She is due January 24th, 2018. We just went for the 20-week ultrasound yesterday and yes, it will be our 4th girl! Athan was a little disappointed that he wasnt going to have a littel brother, but Audrey was very pleased! Lol!
Grandma (my mom, Susanna) said, after Anne was born, that if we have a 5th, she would quit (佢話佢唔撈)! But so far, she seems to be quite pleased as well! Lol! I guess we don't have to make any decision quite yet, but Renee turning into a stay home mom is quite possible. Perhaps a hiatus from work for a few years, until all kids are in school, would make sense.
I've always thought that Renee's artistic talents are somewhat going to waste...so if she does stay home, I will be encouraging her to paint regularly and sell her paintings.
A Car Has 5 Seats
When we had 3 kids, I remember thinking to myself that it was quite nice to have 3 kids and it was because of a very silly thing: seating in a car. We wouldn't need a minivan if we only had 3 kids. So, now that we have 4 kids and a 8-seater minivan, I always joke to whoever asks how many we're going to have that we can now have 6 kids!
Further, here's another idea. I've got a Tesla Model 3 reservation, and in a year or so, I should be getting it. It's eventually going to be capable of self-driving, which means I actually have 8 + 5 seats. I can be driving the van and the Model 3 can be following from behind (or in front)! 13 seats = 2 of us + 11 kids?! LOL. Ok, that I'm really kidding!
After 3, It's All the Same
One thing that I also get asked is, "People say that after 3 kids, it's the same amount of work. Is it true?" So, for the record the answer is....yes and no! Is it the same amount of work when you have 4 versus 3...no, there is more work (for sure). Unless your oldest is a teen and is super helpful, being able to take the load off you, there will be more work. However, the experience that you have is that it is not more work. Why is that? It is because that the incremental amount of work becomes less. Going from no kids to 1 kid is the biggest change, but going from 3 kids to 4 is at most a 33% increase. Furthermore, it's now your 4th kid, it's safe to assume that you've learned a thing or two about taking care of kids. Lastly, your "care" level with your 4th kid inevitably drops as well (sorry, Anne!). When your first picks up a piece of dirt and puts it in her mouth, you go crazy, but when your fourth does the same...oh well, she'll spit it out on her own.
So, in absolute terms, yes, it's more work, but experientially, you could say it's the same...or even paradoxically less?! For you considering having more, go for it. "After three, it's all the same"....except the happiness you have increases exponentially! We, as a society, need to see kids as a source of joy rather than a burden.
