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We're more relaxed this time around.

I knew things would be different with the second child. "Oh, you'll be so much more relaxed this time around!" people would tell me. "Suddenly flash cards and Baby Einstein aren't as important when you have a second baby."

You know what? They were completely right. The first child is where you throw all of your anxiety, and you're neurotic over the smallest details for fear of damaging them forever. Like dressing them in mismatched socks one day and feeling like the worst parent ever. However, you get through all of those worries, those fears, and those hard days, and you learn that even when you're not the best parent, your kid still survived, and seems to be OK. So when the second child comes along, you're more relaxed and ready to go with the flow.

I sometimes joke that Mira is neglected because she's the second child. If Cordy slept longer than normal as a baby, I'd wake up in a sweat and dash to her room, convinced that she had somehow stopped breathing while I slept. If Mira sleeps longer than normal, I roll over and go back to sleep, thankful for the extra time in bed.

The latest difference has been in starting solid foods. With Cordy, I followed the recommendations of pediatricians and books to the letter. We started with single grain cereal only for over a month, then progressed slowly into vegetables and fruits, introducing only one at a time and waiting a week between new foods to check for any food allergies. It was a painstakingly detailed process.

Mira, though, has shown a love for all things food, and I let her eat practically anything she wants, as long as it's safe for babies, of course. We did start with cereal, and then progressed to fruits and veggies, but she ate so much that I would run out and have to go to the next food before enough days had passed with the first. Then there's the issue of my food - when I eat, she flails and grunts and makes it clear that she wants what I'm eating. I simply shrug my shoulders and pinch off tiny pieces of my food to give to her.

We went to the zoo tonight, and she sampled the bun of my chicken sandwich, several tiny bites of chicken, and a few bites of french fries. She loved it all, and would have eaten more, except that I was hungry, too, and thought that french fries probably aren't the best for her diet.

I spoke with her pediatrician about Mira's eating habits at her six month check-up last week, and she had no issues with our feeding schedule. Surprisingly, she laughed and said, "She's following the traditional second child schedule. My own second child never waited days between new foods, and he ate off my plate all the time." She told me that when you're busy with two kids, doing whatever works best is the most important thing to remember.

I have to say, I like this more relaxed style of parenting. It's so much easier!