AJ: Thanks for the idea of similar action shots across multiple years. Lots of baby books recommend the same posed shots, but those tell so much less about the child than the ones you offer here. The timing couldn’t be better as we’re about to take newly 2 year old Ranger to a local amusement park.

GeekMan et al: I live in community where most people give birth in their mid twenties. We’re definitely in the freakish category for having our first after 30, It’s scary, not because we’re older, but because we’ve all taken time to contemplate the whole “with kids” experience.

And that makes us more introspective, less reactionary parents. On the whole, we already know who we are which gives our children more stability and room for independence.

Read Mellor’s “Three Martini Playdate” and get a copy of the great reference book “Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5″ by the American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.amazon.com/Caring-Your-Baby-Young-Child/dp/0553379623/ref=sr_1_2/002-6921486-7797608?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187875733&sr=8-2

Welcome to 30s parenting! Revisit the roller coaster photos above as an apt metaphor for the next few decades.

AJ:
Thanks for giving me ANOTHER thing to worry about! :)

The thing to remember is that life doesn’t happen all at once. You have time to meet all of the challenges ahead. Well, the one exception is preschool. If you want a good one, you may need to get on a waiting list by the first birthday. Aside from that, have fun!

@GeekMan: if you’re worried about doing a good parenting job (and you’re reading websites like this), then you’ll probably do just fine. I was the same way before my first and I liked it so much I agreed to have another.