Why does it seem as soon as the baby arrives, people start asking when you'll have the second? For some reason this is not considered a personal question anymore, because any virtual stranger will ask, not just friends and family. And I can just about guarantee that whoever asks will have an opinion about how long you should wait or how many kids you should have, as if they have a right to direct your child production.
Last night I saw my friend P. We've been friends since elementary school, but since she lives in Utah now I only see her once each year. In 2005, her son was younger than Autumn is now and Autumn was 2 months old. Now, her son looks and speaks like a "big boy," Autumn is running around and saying words, and P is pregnant with her second child.
P's children will be three years apart. I've known other people who have had children as young as 16 months old when they had the second and others who have let years, sometimes decades, pass before they gave birth to the second.
I don't know when we'll be ready for a second child. But I do know I want Autumn to understand what's going on. As time continues to pass between her and another child, she might be able to understand why she can't just push the baby aside and climb on to Mommy's or Daddy's lap. She might be more happy than jealous and she could even act as Mommy's little helper.
The time will come. But it's not today or tomorrow. And it most certainly wasn't as soon as I gave birth. When all three of us are ready, then we'll start talking about another child. Until then, we're just going to enjoy our time as a family of three.