Should we have a third child?

This is the question that has suddenly crept into my heart and is looking for some resolution. We have two beautiful daughters who fill our lives with such happiness and they are both at an age (5 and 3 years old) that we can start doing more activities as a family. So why would I want to rock the boat?

When asked in kindergarten what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer wasn’t the typical astronaut or fireman, I knew at that early age that I wanted to be a father. In grade twelve I had to write an essay and I chose the topic of success. I didn’t write about the millions I planned on making or about the luxuries my life would be able to afford me. I wrote a simple tale about building a family and loving them with all my heart. So I share all this because I think I’ve been hardwired since the beginning to grow a family.

Why not stop at two? Life is good right now, and with the two girls under our wings, I can see that trend continuing throughout our lives. Vehicles, vacations, and restaurants all cater primarily to a family of four. Once you start changing that equation, a lot more forethought has to go into everything. I don’t think it is impossible and where there is a will there is a way. But it is a major consideration which deserves asking; Should we have a third child?

While my heart is in the right place, I need to make sure every aspect of my life is on board too. This means that my wife is going to need all the help she can get and I’ll be the number one source. We're worried that things could get too crazy, that she would end up home alone all the time once I'm back at work, and she won't have enough time to work on her crafts and blog - craftycucumber.com. Those are fears based on our previous experience which I'll have to do my best to erase that memory from her mind.

This is the 'Jack Austin' logo I made when we
were expecting our second child.

I'll be honest with you, I would love to have a son. I didn't have my dad around when I was growing up and sometimes feel like I was robbed of something I didn't know I was supposed to have. So I feel like this might be my way of reclaiming that experience. There are no guarantees that the third child would be a boy and if it ends up being a girl, I'll still be happy. Plus I won't be sparing any expense when renovating the bathroom in the basement as the thought of three teenage daughters make me shudder. 

So to answer should we have a third child? I don't really know. I would love our family to have one more member as I know it will be truly amazing once they are all older and we're past the diaper days. I'm happy with two but I can't get the thought of three out of my head, plus the possibility of having a boy really excites me. I need to prove to my wife and myself that she won't have to sacrifice anything and we'll share our fears with our family to see if they could help us our more if we were to do this. 

Am I crazy? Should we have a third child? I'm all ears to any comments you'd like to leave.