Don't ask

Would you ever go up to someone while they are running a marathon and ask if they've planned their next marathon yet? While they are in the thick of it, running and panting, just ask when they're going to do their next one.  And if they think they're going to do another one, why? Isn't three marathons enough?

That's how I feel when people ask me if I'm having another baby.  Although I've never run a marathon, I'm guessing it's similar to being pregnant/having a new baby.  It's exhausting, grueling, and your body hates you for it, but in the end it's rewarding and a very good experience that you will probably want to repeat.  Just not immediately.

But for some reason, people always ask about my family planning right after I've had a baby.  First of all, it's not your business. If you have questions, I'll refer you to this pie chart:

Secondly, this is not even a discussion that Brandon and I frequently have.  Our babies are not planned out years or even months in advance.  Our family planning basically consists of one step: I decide I would like to have a baby, and Brandon doesn't object.  That's it.

But I mostly don't like to talk about it with people I don't know too well because people don't really understand the desire to have big families.  I realize I am not exactly the poster child of good housekeeping.  I look stressed and frazzled sometimes, but hey, I enjoy it. And besides, I JUST HAD A BABY.  So if I told someone I might like to have 4 or 5 kids and they look at me like, "Seriously girl? You can barely handle three!" I might just punch them in the face.  Of course I can barely handle things-- that's what having a newborn does to you!  I'm not saying I want 4 or 5 kids delivered to my doorstep all at once tomorrow.  But eventually things settle down and you get to a point where you might consider doing it again.

So next time you see me at the grocery store about to lose it with all three kids, just don't ask.  Three is a good number for now.