Major Announcement

Inspired by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (that's probably a phrase I never thought I would write), I'm proud to announce that he and his wife are expecting a second child to join Ben Jr. Actually, that's not the major announcement. My wife and I are also expecting a second child in April! That's the big announcement. Maybe the kids will be friends and Roethlisberger will get me free season tickets. I think I'm getting a off track.

I'm really excited about a new baby, but I'm a little scared. Just when I thought I got this dad thing figured out, a second child will make things a little more tricky. This is a huge change in defensive philosophy. When I'm alone with my kids, I need to shift from man-to-man (1 on 1) to a zone defense (1 on 2). In addition, when I'm with my wife, we will have to switch from a "comfortable" zone where one of us can take a quick break on the sidelines to a tight man-to-man D.

I totally blocked out the first few months of my son's life. I don't really remember the lack of sleep and the seemingly constant spit-up. However, he slept through the night at around five months and in hindsight was relatively easy. Sure there have been (and are) rough days where he will throw a tantrum for no apparent reason or not eat well or dump his toys all over the place, but basically, he's an easy-going kid who is cautious and is able to concentrate on an activity (such as playing with blocks or his cars) for much longer than your average kid. I have a feeling that the second child will be much more, um, challenging.

The late night feedings and the lack of sleep will be back. I'm sure I'll start worrying about making sure my new child eats enough and also keeps everything down. Back to the days of bottles and cleaning bottles. Two car seats! How do you take two kids out of the house by yourself?

I think the key here is my current child. Hopefully, by April he will be fully potty trained and able to help change diapers. Maybe he can take some late night feedings too!

While I'm sure I'll figure all of this out by April, if you have multiple kids (or even if you don't), please feel free to share any tips or lessons learned.