Jeannie: I guess environment can never be identical even within the same family as circumstances changes over time. I've read also that 1st borns have certain character traits, 2nd born, 3rd born, etc... Understand from readings & friends' sharing that 2nd borns are more demanding & assertive. I do find that #2 is more determined than #1. Used to think #1 is very head strong, but #2 is even more so. When she wants something, she goes all out to get it. HB says she's like me... incidentally, I'm 2nd born too... hee hee..
Yes, #3 is due in Jan 09. Which is what worries me a little. Wonder if #2 will develope the middle child syndrom. I don't think I have that cos my younger sis was born 3 yrs after me... then again, I have many younger sisters such that I'm not 'middle' anymore... hee hee... I'm more like 'first few borns' hee hee...
As a FTWM, with a fairly demanding career, I honestly do not have as much time (as I'd like) to spend with the children... which is why I decided to step back in my career to focus on the family a few years back. I had trouble conceiving after #1 & gynae kept telling me to step down... which I eventually did... good thing is, #2 came along within a year of my stepping back & #3 soon after... so we are very happy now with our 3 princesses. Am considering whether #4... is feasible... ;-p
I used to work more than 12 hrs a day & the family never got to enjoy the sunlight together! But ever since I stepped back, we've had a much more balanced life. The children are happy & we spend our entire weekends together... even if it means shuttling kids to enrichment classes... in between & on weeks where there are no lessons, we have other activities... =D Teaching is done more incidentally than purposely. We pick on teachable moments during our daily activites like journey to cc, meal times, play times, etc... no dedicated 'lesson' time for the kids... =D Well, we put #1 in Gymboree as she wasn't crawling at 9mths... she picked up quite quickly with the environment & other kids... for #2, we find that she's very agile... so putting her in Gymboree would be more like a pre-trial on whether she's suitable for gym later in sch... I like Gymboree (or there are many other schs out there) for their equipment which I cannot set up at home. So basically, I love the safe environment where my kids can really crawl & climb safely. The song & activities also help them along with their interaction... I'm currently trying to find time to send #2 for regular lesson... cos #1 has already taken up most of our weekend slots with her art, ballet, cathechism... & she's not willing to let go of any... so we can only find in between slots for #2... and later #3... hee hee...
Going for lunch now... then marathon work till 6.30pm... have a nice day mummies...
Iso: Yes, any fall is dangerous for babies... so always keep a close watch over them...