One in a million...

...or at least one in 4.3 million, the number of babies born in America in 2006. It seems that Zeke isn't alone in getting ready to celebrate his 2nd birthday. 2006 saw the largest number of babies born in one year since 1961. I read this news a few months ago, but wanted to make sure to include in Zeke's baby blog.

This number of 4.3 million means that the fertility rate is up to 2.1 children per American woman, which is much higher than for European and Japanese women. This constitutes a US baby "boomlet." One quarter of the babies were born to Hispanic families and this attributes some to the increased rate, but birth rates are increasing in almost every ethnicity, age group and family structure (single or married). Total births jumped 3% from the previous year, the largest increase since 1989. More babies for everyone! The article goes on to explain some of the theories as to why Americans are having more babies.

I was really intrigued to hear this news as it confirmed what we had been feeling since before Zeke was born, which is we seem to be surrounded by babies everywhere: lots of babies on the block, in the stores, in the parks, in the play groups and especially in the preschools. It will take a few more years to determine what this boomlet might mean or if Zeke is part of a new larger baby boom. (If you ask me, though, I'm betting that there will be at least a few more years of a healthy birth rate. At a recent play group, there were a total of 12 moms. I was one of only three moms who wasn't expecting or hoping to.)