Is three the new two?
November 12th, 2009
I’m pregnant with number three. Wow!! Call me crazy, but we’ve always wanted three children; this is 100% planned and not at all unexpected. To have a tiny new baby in my arms again — such joy! (Although sometimes I wonder what the heck I am thinking — another pregnancy, another birth, more nappies!) Our children are about as excited as we are; you should have seen our 4-year-old’s face when I broke the news. Loads of our friends have had a new (third) baby recently, so she has seen her little friends with their baby siblings, and the anticipation of having her own baby brother or sister made her beam with joy!
Lately I keep hearing the phrase ‘Three is the new two’. Must be the proof I’m a trend-follower instead of a trend-setter! The stats are proving it: since the late nineties more and more parents decide to go for a number three, or even a number four.
It is nice that people have apparently re-discovered the attraction of larger families! I guess mostly because of the changed attitudes in business life, mothers nowadays seem to be able to combine kids more easily with their (on hold) careers: maternity leave or working part time is slowly becoming more accepted, especially here in Europe. And obviously dads being more involved in the household helps too; in the Netherlands it’s quite common for fathers to work four days a week and have one ‘daddy-day’ with the kids… (I must admit I haven’t personally convinced my husband of the benefits just yet.)
I’m not sure how I will cope with three kids, my work as an architect and co-writing this great blog, but I’ve decided I’ll deal with that later. First I’m going to enjoy this last pregnancy!!
xxx Esther
(Picture from Flickr)
Entry Filed under: Baby, For Ourselves, Parenting, Pregnancy
26 Comments Add your own
1. Hiskia | November 12th, 2009 at 8:32 am
gefeliciteerd!
2. Sara | November 12th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Esther, that is amazing news! Congratulations!!!
Yes, I would agree that 3 is the ‘trend’ these days – here in Australia too!!!
As for me, given my awful pregnancies, I won’t be venturing there – but I am very envious ( I love the newborn baby stage)
xx
3. daniela | November 12th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Wonderful news Esther! many congratulations and my best wishes for an easy ride
Daniela.
4. Mari | November 12th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Congratulations!! Three definitely is the new two – in Norway as well.
5. Nina | November 12th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Dear Esther,
My heartiest congratulations! I am not-so-secretly jealous about your pregnancy! I would have gone for 3 myself if pregnancy wasn’t such an ordeal (and if I was as well-organised business woman as you are).
Surely, Sara & Pim would be delighted and I can imagine Tamar and you are excited to hold another van de Paal!
Enjoy it!
Love, Nina
6. Siobhán | November 12th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Congratulations! We’re definitely going to go for three also – just to be different
Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy x
7. Joslyn | November 12th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Congrats indeed! A recent study was done that deemed larger families to be happier than smaller ones. Looks like you’re on your way to being uber-happy then!
xxx
8. Carmen | November 12th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Congratulations!
As a mother of three (aged six and younger) I am a firm devoted to large families; I would even try to go for the fourth (my eldest son keeps on talking about it) although my husband does not seem so keen with the idea but I am soooo longing for the tiny baby age….
Enjoy your last pregnancy and, please, tell us everything about it! Since I started my obstetric history, developments on ultrasounds, tests, advice and the like seem to change from month to month!
Congrats again. Besos desde España!
9. baballa | November 12th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I’m totally agree with you,yes here in spain too 3 is the new 2… in my case I think 2 is my number!!
xox
and congratulations!!!!!
10. Natasha Smith | November 12th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Congratulations Esther!
I always felt there was one little person missing from our lives so we decided to try for our third baby. Our little boy, Luca, is now 15 months old and has 2 big sisters (nearly 7 and 3 years) who absolutely adore him. It seems like quite a few of my friends in Western Australia are now having three (or four) children. The dynamics of 3 is really beautiful!
Enjoy!
11. Catalina | November 12th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Congratulations (felicidades)
12. Tina | November 12th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Congrats!
13. Courtney | November 12th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Welcome to the ‘dark’ side! Three is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxoxox
14. molly | November 12th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
You are right, all of my friends are having 3 too here in the U.S.! Congrats, and since I’m pregnant also with our third, I can now watch your website for great things to buy, etc. with a third!
Congratulations again!!!
Molly
15. peggy | November 12th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
great! congratulations and enjoy
We want 3 as well even though I say that I want to see how it will go when no 2 is born (march)…
5 is just a good number for a family
16. Christine | November 12th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Congratulations!
Our 3rd is just 3 weeks old and while challenging, mostly because my days pass in a fog of little sleep, it’s so precious to hold my newborn and feel her relax into sleep, completely trusting and innocent. Her big sisters are so excited and are always asking if they can hold her. So far 3 is great!
Best wishes for a easy pregnancy and uncomplicated delivery.
17. linn | November 12th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Wat een leuk nieuws en ook om zo even te lezen. Van harte gefeliciteerd. Een hele fijne zwangerschap en veel geluk met z’n allen. Groetjes van Michiel, Linn & Bor (Bichelaers)
18. Emilie | November 12th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
yey to a new babyccino baby! It is such exciting news!
19. Hayley Blease | November 13th, 2009 at 10:54 am
congratulations! We are also going to have number 3, I have a one year old boy and an almost 4 year old girl. They bring me so much joy, I could not imagine not having another one to join our little family!…. so we will follow you to the new trend.
20. dana | November 13th, 2009 at 11:00 am
All the best, congratulations….! And i keep my fingers crossed that you will not feel like me at any point: sick as a dog.
Have a great pregnancy!
xxdana
21. Anna-Aliza | November 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Congratulations! Wishing you a healthy pregnancy!
22. Natalie | November 14th, 2009 at 8:07 am
That’s fantastic news. I’ve always wanted three children namely because I’m just one of two and larger families always look like they have so much fun. Enjoy x
23. Heidi | November 14th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I always thought I would have 4, which I think is a fantastic number. However, it was such a challenge to even get to number 2 that we will stop at that. Honestly, I am so greatful that we have 2 little angels and enjoy our time together tremendously but somewhere there is a little sadness that we will not have more. So I hope you enjoy having number three and wish you lots of happiness.
24. Justyn | November 14th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
congrats from the six of us to the , soon-to-be, five of you!
25. Mo | November 17th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Congratulations Esther!
3 is defo the new 2. Like 30 is the new 20 (and that said 40 is the new 30!).
I definitely want 3 (or more but I think my husband won’t allow more). I think for me it comes from being an only child. I had a wonderful ideallic childhood but I really wanted brothers or sisters to share it with and now as an adult I miss having brothers and sisters even more (no one to share that horrible feeling of your parents getting older).
I think it is so important for your kids to have siblings for the obvious reasons of learning to share and be considerate of others but also for when they’re are older to have other people to rely on for unconditional love than their parents for when their hearts get broken or they have difficulties with work or other things that their parents might not relate too. I desperately miss that in adulthood.
Anyway good luck with the pregnancy.
Mo. x
26. Claire | November 17th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
How exciting. I’ve just recently had a third–and we LOVE it. Also live in NL (in Den Haag). Thanks for such a great blog!
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