How many children fit into my lifestyle?

This is an interesting question to ask yourself, your friends, and to listen to reasons why and how a certain number of kids ends up in a family.  My brother and I area 18 months apart, and we are still close to this day, for many reason my parents decided not to have more, although my mother was quite fertile, and I thank her for passing on that fertility to me.  When they decided to leave Russia to give us a better life, they realized it would be tough with no language and no money.  They are both very highly educated, but in America it was starting from scratch. 

I feel like I must have done something really good in my past life, to deserve the amazing and blessed life I have had so far.  Sure I have made bad decisions, but overall the path has been magic.  I am so grateful to my parents for raising us like adults, teaching us, but letting us always make our own decisions.  I have said before that my father married at 33, so I decided I would think about it at 33, but until then I wanted to travel, have fun, and enjoy being single.  I never dated anyone seriously, and honestly never met anyone that really fit until I met Sam.  Right before I met Sam I made a decision that I was a happy single, and if I did not meet my other half in this life, then I did not want to have kids alone.  For some people having a child really fulfills them, but for me I knew it would be very emotionally and physically intense, and I could not do it alone.  I really admire single parents that for whatever reason have to go at it alone, their strength, energy, and commitment is remarkable.

I definitely wanted two kids, because I feel it is not easy being an only child, my husband has a brother and a sister.  Thank god we were blessed with our boy and then our girl, so our decision to keep having kids until 40, made us hope for one more.  My older two got all the features of the Russian genes, and my husband and I look like our fathers, dark hair and dark eyes.  I really wanted a tall, dark, and handsome like my father, brother, husband, and father in law, who is from Romania.  My father was born in Chechnya, which the Soviet Union took over, but there is nothing Russian about it.  It is actually a Muslim country near Turkey and Iran, there were a handful of Jews living there back then, but none are there now.  This area is called the Caucasus because of the mountain range of the same name, and the Jews from that area are called Mountain Jews, who date back to Purim times.  My grandmother Zina, who my daughter Ziona Sofia is named after as well as my mother in laws mother Sofia, she spoke a language that was a mix of Hebrew, Farsi, and Turkish.

Thank you god for my tall, dark, and handsome Matisyahu, we are all enjoying him so much.  The Rabbi of our Synagogue has 13 kids, most people in my current community have at least 3-5.  I think it is a very personal choice, but highly recommend at least two, to always have someone in your corner, and someone later in life to help with parents and to have family around.

When I first moved to LA, my friends here became my family, and to this day we are there for each other just like family.  There is that saying that sometimes you love your family, but not necessarily like them.  I feel blessed to love and like the people that they are.

Shavua Tov, Have a Wonderful rest of your Weekend, and a Great Week!
Coach Yulia