High tolerance

No doubt about it. Our second child is going to be much tougher than our first. Abby's one tough cookie, but Caleb has to put up with more in a day than she ever did.

We were so careful to make sure Abby always had age-appropriate toys available to play with...soft toys, toys that couldn't hurt, poke or otherwise offend her. Caleb spends most of his time playing with a wooden toy hammer, or the top of Noah's plastic ark. He rolls over blocks, eats pages of books (he prefers Dr. Suess), and fends off goldfish crackers Abby thrusts at him with careless little toddler fingers.

And at the park...well, there'll be no easing him into outdoor play. Because when you're swinging with a soon-to-be-two-year-old who's learning to pump, you're swinging on her terms. And her terms are high. Or as Abby puts it, "super high!"