Spreading the word

It was fun to tell Grandma and Grandpa about you. Dad called them while we were driving up there, right after the ultrasound. He said Grandma cried on the phone when she heard the news. Dad tried to call Grandpa at work and couldn't reach him; he said Grandma must have already called and been on the phone with him!

We told your brothers and sister about you, next. Dad showed them a photo from the ultrasound, in which you look like nothing more than a gray blob in a bunch of other gray blobs. James figured it out first - maybe he remembered a similar photo from when John was born. Maggie was very excited - after all, she has been asking for a new baby for many months now. (In fact, that night, she stayed over again with Grandma and Grandma said Maggie prayed for you at bedtime, for you to grow strong and be healthy.) James was a bit more reticent. Perhaps he remembers more of how much work a new baby is, as well as how much fun. Perhaps, because of his personality and age, he already feels the most neglected, and is having trouble accepting another sibling to share the time of his parents. But, he was thinking about it, processing it slowly and internally, like he usually does. John, of course, really had no idea what we were talking about. :)


When we left that evening, we had planned to leave all 3 kids for one more night at Grandma's house, but James decided to come home with us. That seemed to be just what he needed - a lot of quiet alone time, by himself, and with Mom and Dad to himself. Jeremy decided to stop at Cran-Hill Ranch on the drive home, and we bought ice-cream cones and walked around for an hour, talking and holding hands. We ate dinner at Pizza King and arrived home for bed.

My sleep schedule continued to be confused. I slept from 8 pm to midnight, then woke hungry. I snacked and talked to Jeremy from midnight to 1:30 am, then slept again until 5:30 am. Then, I was up and eating again. That was fine, in the end. I got out to Meijer and back before 8 am, so we would have groceries for the big family birthday party for John that day. I had a nice talk, in the quiet early hours, with James. His questions proved to me that he had been working on the news, even though he hadn't reacted much yet. He was asking about how I knew I was pregnant before the ultrasound, and where the baby would sleep, and other important things. He was clearly warming up to the idea, too. Then, Jeremy woke up so I slept another 2 hours on the couch while Jeremy and James cleaned the house up for the party.

At the party, we got to tell Grandma and Grandpa Root, who seemed happy and surprised, and Aunt Sara and Uncle Rob, who seemed happy and surprised as well. (Aunt Sara is expecting a baby just a few weeks before we expect you!) Your siblings enjoyed comparing notes with their cousins about the new babies arriving for each of them. Finally, Grandpa Tom and Uncle Jim arrived, and we told them, too. Grandpa Tom is nervous, of course, but he will love you to pieces when you get here. And Uncle Jim loves all babies. I think you will like him a lot.

So, the list of people to tell grows shorter. You are only 7 weeks along now, just 8 mm long on last Thursday, and yet you already feel like a part of our family.