First Encounters

Dear Baby,
Today is a day I've been waiting for-the day we got to meet you for the first time.  It may be several more months before we get to hold you in our arms but pictures are the next best thing.  We watched your heart beat, saw your face, tiny arms and little baby feet.  I've been feeling your little kicks for several weeks now and today made it even more real to see your tiny little body moving around on the monitor.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Everything measured as it should.  In other words, you are perfect.  Although you weren't totally cooperative with the pictures, we were able to get three to bring home and share with everyone.  You are playing peek-a-boo in one of them which is very similar to one we have of your brother Andrew.  Your older brother and sister requested copies of their own and so those are now printed and proudly displayed in their rooms.  You may not be making your appearance for many more months yet, but we already love you so much!

Big News

Tonight was the night.  The night we got to tell Sophia and Andrew that they were going to be big sister and brother to a tiny baby next September.  It's a moment captured in my mind that I don't ever want to forget.

I had an ultrasound picture but had left it at school so I relied on the next best thing-a picture of it on my phone.  We sat the kids down on the couch and showed them the picture.  Sophia read the caption and asked whose baby it was.  When I explained that the baby was in my tummy, they both became very excited.  Sophia was quick to mention that she wouldn't be very happy if it was a boy (that she would move out) and then they both began jumping all over the living room with excitement.  A few of my favorite moments/lines of the night:

Andrew (as he let my family know that they were now in on the secret)-"A baby just appeared in mommy's tummy."

Sophia-"You just lightened up my night."

Both-"This is the best night!"

Both kids wanted to read to, sing to and kiss the baby all night.  Andrew doesn't quite understand that the baby can't come out and play just yet.  On the way home from frozen yogurt, he asked if I could take the baby out when we got home and put it on the floor for him to play with.  He also asked if the baby could sleep with him tonight.  He does NOT want to wait seven months for the baby to come out-that's too long!  Sophia couldn't find the book she wanted to read to the baby so instead, she chose to sing "You are my Sunshine" to the him/her.

It was enough to melt my heart, over and over again.

Update

Once again it's been far longer than I wanted between updates.

Sophia-She's one smart little girl and you can't get much past her. She was learning about cause and effect in school and shared her mastery of it one night as we headed out to dinner.  We wanted to go to Punch Pizza but Erik didn't so we ended up somewhere else.  As we were walking in, she said, "The cause is that we aren't eating where I want and the effect is that I'm not very happy about it."  An absolute correct usage of cause/effect!  She is a very good speller which means we can no longer spell things out in front of her.  Luckily, Andrew isn't to that point yet.

Andrew-I got a phone call from Andrew's speech teacher yesterday.  She wanted to let me know that Andrew had his best session every last week!  We are very proud of all the progress he's made since the beginning of the year and I always tell him that.  Of course I wanted to share the phone call with him.  I called him at my parents and shared the good news with him.  His response was, "Mom, I'm only doing good so I can stop going there."