Confessions of a second-time mommy

Everyone knows that babies aren't born with handbooks. However, second children come with a little bit more than the first: confidence... for the parents. With Ryan, I felt like every decision we made for him needed to be validated by at least 2 other people. I wanted to be the best of the best mommies for him. Of course I called the doctor's office for everything, but on top of that I made sure I followed "the rules" to the T. It was a must that Ryan slept on his back, had his diaper changed every 2 hours, had sterilized pacifiers, was never introduced to any sort of solid until 6 months of age, and had his clothes washed separately from mine and Brett's in baby detergent. I'm sure there were more requirements, but I can't think of them at the moment. As for Liam, well, I guess he's the typical second child. Of course we love him no less than Ryan, we're just more laid back and confident in our choices for him. He sleeps on his stomach for naps, *GASP!* and he's gone up to 4 hours without a diaper change. I dropped his bink on the ground at the park, picked it up, wiped it off and stuck it back in his mouth. I put rice cereal in his bottles and his clothes are washed with the rest of ours and not in baby detergent.

My babies are formula fed and I am in no way ashamed to say that. There is so much pressure put on mothers to breastfeed their babies. Point blank: I don't want to breast feed and I have no other reason than that. No one should be concerned with how Brett and I feed our children as long as they are being fed, are healthy and happy.

My children go to daycare (well, Liam will start on the 25th). Even if I wanted to and was financially able to, I could not be a stay at home mom. I am a better mother when I have the opportunity to exercise my mind outside of the home in a profession that I enjoy and Ryan is happier when he is able to go to school, play with his friends and learn from the preschool teachers who were trained to teach him. However, that doesn't mean the learning stops when he leaves school. We are forever teaching him at home about everything from cooking to colors to manners. I do my best to make everything he does a learning experience, but I am no teacher and could never offer him the education and socialization that his preschool does.

These are my confessions. I am far from the best of the best mommies that I set out to be when Ryan was born. However, I'm the best mommy for Ryan and Liam and that's good enough for me and I no longer need anyone to validate it for me. I am thankful for that!