h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We had our half-way scan this week and I caved in to outside pressure and agreed to find out the sex of the little wriggler who has been constantly kicking me for weeks now - he is a little boy, so The Boy is going to get a little brother to play with

This led to the realisation that I am going to have two hulking great, smelly teenage boys in my house in just over 13 years

And in the consultant appointment afterwards my new consultant was very supportive of me trying for a VBAC provided everything is favourable at my 38 week appointment Am delighted by this news and can stop worrying for at least 17 weeks. He said everything looks great now and he won't need to see me again until then so that is good news too.

k and

"This led to the realisation that I am going to have two hulking great, smelly teenage boys in my house in just over 13 years"

Better than having two bitchy, self-obsessed, sexually active teenage girls...

B

If you think only girls are self-obsessed you never had a brother - think that tendency is included in the description "teenage".

I do have a fashion-victim brother, as it happens. He tends to keep that to himself.

A little demonstrative anecdote: a few years ago, it was quite fashionable to divide English classes into genders: research showed that it raised attainment in both sexes.

I was on Teacher Training at a school that trialled this (thankfully, nowhere near the English department), and then rapidly gave up on it because every single member of the English department (male and female) wanted to teach the boys' classes and refused point-blank to have anything to do with the girls' classes.

You're lucky; trust me. There's no evil on earth like a 14-year-old girl.

B

Kelli, I'm delighted that things are going so well. Yay!!!!

Hyp (survived 3 teens - one of each)

I think that last parenthesis might require further explanation.

B

I have three step-children, all of whom lived with us. In order of age, a female, a homosexual male and a heterosexual male. I never knew if I had two daughters or two sons. The gay one is actually my favorite of the lot.

Planning to adopt a lesbian?

B

Dear Kelli
So glad it's all going so well.
If you have half as much luck with your two smelly teenagers as I've had with mine, you too will be smiling reminiscently in 30 years time.

Not forgetting that your two have a fantastic mother.

Kelli! Half-Way already?

I'm getting a little worried now - i have daughters who are about to hit puberty.

Nah - yours will be alright: schooled in German ruthlessness.

B

Is two your limit?

J's not too bad as a teenager, but I do really feel what B is saying. I hated girls when I was a teenager and always hung around with the boys (not the THAT reason - I was a late starter in that respect!). Even now I hate being around gaggles of girls/young women.

" I never knew if I had two daughters or two sons."

Reminds me of a comment a friend made, when his second wife fell pregnant a second time (he had a daughter from his first marriage, and they already had a son) he joked he already had one of each so he wasn't sure he was ready for a hairdresser.

Great to hear all's well hunny

I have three sisters, my sister had a girl and I have a girl. I think next time I get knocked up it's going to be a girl - I want a boy!

It's all men in our families so a girl would have been a nice change (excepting the teenage years) but it isn't to be - I will be outnumbered and dwarfed - husband is 6'6, T'boy is at the top of the charts for his age and also looking to be a giant and #2 is longer than T'boy was at this point! Still, I will never want for somebody to get something down off a high shelf

Two is probably it for us Mina - hubby is already talking about getting snipped so it is unlikely there'll be any more. It all gets far too complicated when you have three, they don't all fit in a normal-sized car for example - so I think this one will be the last. But never say never I guess... until he really does have the snip!

And I have NO IDEA what we can call him - we really struggled for boy's names last time and have (obviously) used up our favourite one so are a bit stuck this time.

I know a few families with four kids and they do complain about having to drive people carriers, especially as to get one for luggage as well means they are even bigger!

Oh for the days when you could get four kids across the back of a Maxi (http://www.augustcamp.net/classiccars/800px-Austin_Maxi_1980.jpg), or chuck a couple in the back of a van.

My dad was supposed to get the snip after me, but it didn't happen until mum was pregnant with my younger brother.

There are lots of boys in my family too - but one cousin and each of my brothers had a girl.

Good luck with names, I still like Stan.

My all time favorite male name is David. I also like Charles and Christopher.

Another issue when you go from two to three is that you have to go to a zone defense. One on one just doesn't cut it.

A friend of ours, with 5 kids, says once you have 3, you might as well have more, since you're already outnumbered

Blimey, B. You know how to scare people - teutonic ruthlessness?

*packs bags*

We had 4 kids and a normal car, initally a passat and then a polo. We would go in the boot of the hatchback (oh the days when that was allowed) and then when we got the polo, well we just didn't go on family holidays by car any more. Not with all of us, but by that point my parents hated each other, so my dad would take three of us one week, and my step mother would take the other one another week.

Fortunately my real mum as agrophobic so refused to go out, which was good, because there was no room for her anyway. Actually it was terrible for her, and she felt really left out.

It seemed to work. Bizarrely enough. If on the rare occassion we all wanted to be in the same place we'd borrow another car off a neighbour.

Mind you we never had trouble fitting three in a normal car, and two adults as well.