Just A Baby...

When we told someone we were expecting our third baby last week we were met with a surprising response.
"Isn't it funny that with the first everything is so exciting, but by the third, it's just a baby"?
JUST a baby?! I disagreed with him and told him so. On the contrary, by the third baby I am more aware of what a baby MEANS.
I know what it feels like to finally hold a newborn on the magical day of their birth. I know what it means to snuggle, smell and love a brand new person. I understand more fully the miracle it is every single time a new baby makes their arrival. I know what being a mother means. I know the fullness of joy that comes with watching a baby learn and grow. I know how the heart stretches and pulls to accommodate all the love I need for three. I am aware of the absolute preciousness of a small baby, how close to God a new Mother is as she holds one of his little ones, fresh from his arms. I know how uniquely wonderful the love between siblings is. I know they have someone to love, protect and kick under the table for life. I know how my husband glows and I fall in love all over again as he looks into the eyes of our child for the first time and smiles to me.
I am confident that I know how to Mother my children. The third baby gets parents who finally knows what they are doing. I know that parenting small children can push and pull you every day. I am better for it. Grateful for the lessons they teach me about myself and life. I know how fleeting and awesome it all is. I remember to savor it now. I am privileged and blessed beyond words to experience the best that life holds all over again.
My third little one. She is a bright spot of joy in our life. She is already a part of our family. We talk about her daily and are anticipating her arrival. She is our hope for the future and a third reason to be positive, hopeful and faithful when life gets hard. Someone that has already done all this is hardly "just a baby", on the contrary she is a wonderful, amazing, miraculous baby. Though I believe, they all are.