I find as the day of Williams' birth draws near (only 4 days from now), I am contemplating how different each pregnancy was for me on an emotional level. Now like with every parent, there are those base worries like "Will my child be healthy?" and "When will it sleep through the night????". But along with those questions come others and those are the emotional ones that I find have really changed for me.

With Patrick, it was mainly the "What" questions like. "What do I do if he's crying?" and "What do I do if he's sick?" and "What do I DO?!?!" Never having been a parent before, very little can prepare you for being solely responsible for anothers' life! It was terrifying! But in the end... Deb and I both came through it and now have a terrific son whom we cherrish.

With Kathryn, the new question was "How". And foremost of these questions was "How do we Love another child as much as we Love the one we have right now?". That was such a scary question and it kept me up several nights while Deb was pregnant. But once again, things sorted themselves out rather quickly. I think it was feeling that first kick that cemented my feelings for Kat. Another "How" question though that scared me was "How are we going to divide our time so that both kids get the Love and attention they both want and deserve?". This worried both Deb and I so much it brought us to tears on some occasions. But like most things in nature, it sorted itself out on it's own. Deb and I purposefully make time for our kids on an individual basis but more so is the fact that our kids will tell us if they need more attention. Even before they could talk, you could see it in their eyes when they needed or wanted something. As a parent, we just had to learn to look. I Love them both so much.

And now for William. I must say, I think with this pregnancy, I've felt most calm. I know the basics already and am looking forward to seeing William grow and hit those milestones. I know without a doubt I will be able to Love him as much as my other two and have time for all his wants and needs without affecting the others. As I write this, I truly have no worries about what things will be like after he comes because I know... he'll have 2 fabulous older siblings to help teach him things and look out for him... and 2 adoring parents who Love each other immensely and will do their very best to show him what Love can really build...

A Family

Nothing is Easy!!

I should just accept it and move on. I'm a McLaren and with that title comes certain truths. One of the main being that NOTHING IS EASY!

For example... I got the kids climber for the backyard. It came in 5 big boxes and said it would take a couple people about 14 hours to assemble... it took my father and myself nearly a solid week!! One of the last steps (assembling the slide) took a day in itself!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!

And... while cleaning up my tools, I thought I would flick my brand new pool pump GFCI breaker to test the pump... and I blew an entire phase in my panel. A 5 second test cost me several more hours of trouble shooting (I did eventually get it fixed).

AND... speaking of electrical, I spent an entire day putting up new lights for around the pool. Had to string new cable and install junction boxes... flicked the breaker and hit the switch.... POP!! Blew the breaker. I've got a short SOMEWHERE in the 60' of cable, 2 junction boxes, 2 lights, and a switch. NO idea where. UGH!!

I can certainly see why people turn to drinking.