Did We Mention?

If you are family or friends (and really, just about everybody who reads this is), you probably already know this news.

First off, we are having another baby! The due date is October 1, which seems like both a long time away and not so long at all.

The second part of the news is that we found out on Friday that we are having a boy! We are so excited for Bert to have a brother to play with. And though I won't get the pleasure of buying little girl clothes, I am already anxious to pull out all Bert's outgrown clothes and see them used again. There are so many little outfits that I loved and it seemed like he barely wore things before he outgrew them.

(He was very uncooperative at Friday's ultrasound so there aren't any great images, but all the measurements and the heartbeat were good and healthy, and that's all that really matters.)

Unlike Bert, whose real name we had picked long before we even knew we were having a boy, we aren't set on a name for this little guy yet. He is right now affectionately referred to as "Baby 2" while we throw ideas around.

Keith and I were talking recently about how this second pregnancy has a different kind of excitement to it. It is much more mellow. We are thrilled to be adding to our family, but not having all the anxious preparing and knowing what to expect at appointments allows us to relax and enjoy it a bit more. Most of the prep this time around involves getting Bert's big boy room ready so the crib is available for the baby (more on that later). Also, Bert himself takes a great deal of time and attention and significantly reduces the amount of time available for daydreaming about the tiny human on the way. I have some other goals, like preparing more meals for the freezer ahead of bringing a new baby home and making baby food this summer as we harvest things from the garden. I have some high hopes of potty training Bert towards the end of the summer so that we are only dealing with diapers on one kid, but I also don't want to push him before he's ready because I've heard that can backfire.

As for what Bert thinks, he knows there is a baby growing in Mommy's belly and occasionally lifts up my shirt to say, "Hi baby!" before yanking it back down and saying, "Close it!" Sometimes he peers into my belly button, as if he could see in there and get a look at his little brother. It will be interesting to see how he handles it when his brother arrives, but I think he will be excited and we'll see a gentler side of him.

We'll keep you all posted on how things are going and what projects we are doing to get our house and family ready for Baby 2.