Their kicks may be missed all day long as you chase around a toddler, but it doesn’t make them less meaningful. They may not be consuming your every thought, but they still are in all you think about. You may not be reading every book and every blog, but it doesn’t mean you’re not rehearsing everything you learned the first time around. You may not be sitting for hours doing nothing but dreaming about her, and spending hours preparing for her. In fact you may realize it’s three and a half months away and you have not one nursery item and barely any clothes for her. But she is not less thought of, or less important, or less anticipated. As you’re playing with her brother you imagine what it will be like when the two play together. Every time you walk into what will be her room, you picture her in it. Every time you pack away another too small item of her brother’s, you thank God for blessing you with another small one to hold soon.

Oh the second baby, the second baby is oh so different. There isn’t time to think about her 24/7. There isn’t time to plan for her 24/7. There is a toddler you’re constantly chasing around demanding all your attention. But never once is that second baby unappreciated. She is loved more than she will ever know. She is loved in the stillness found in the chaos of a busy toddler. The glimpses of quiet you seldom find yourself in. When you imagine how she will fit right into the family like the piece you’ve always been missing. When you lay down at night, the toddler fast asleep, and she begins to move and flip and dance within and you think, there she is. Gently reminding you of the blessing within. She may not be all you think about, she may not be consuming every second, but she’s dancing her way through every thought going through your head as you picture her in this already crazy busy life of yours.

Her kicks mean just as much to you as the first ones you ever felt. They remind you of the miracle that carrying a child is. The love that is produced the moment you hear that life is present. The overwhelming love that will saturate you when she breathes her first breath. Just because you may not be counting every kick, doesn’t meant you’re missing anything. You’re constantly reminded of the blessing within as you see the blessings right in front of you. She’s your second baby. She’s your treasure in the midst of the already so busy. She’s your sunshine on a cloudy day. She’s the miracle, the heart beating life within you. Her life is just as important as any life that God entrusts in your hands. Even if things get a little busy, and a little chaotic. She is loved. From the top of her head to the tips of her toes, she’s your second baby.