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My desire for another kid is strong, firmly planted and something I've kind of always carried around. Two of my friends who have (or will have very soon) two kids of their own just outed themselves to me quietly as having intentions to keep going and have a 3rd or even 4th child. I am thrilled beyond measure but find it odd to feel this happy about someone else's family planning.

Growing up with 3 kids in my family, we mostly hung out with other families who had at least 2 kids. It was a special kind of mayhem when we got together - we could field whole teams for games, fill a field with tents on a camping trip, and take over restaurants. But it also created enough space so that one could disappear and finish a novel or sulk in peace and not attract much attention, which is a luxury. The instant community that occurs when large families get together is comforting to me.