Sunday, October 24, 2010

Belly Bump

Last week Donovan put his hands on my belly giving me a little push. Then he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and exclaimed, "Mom, you have a BIG belly!" Conrad, who was standing nearby, decided it was time to tell me what Sophie had told him several days earlier. "Sophie said her mom told her you might be pregnant."

I wasn't sure what to say at that moment. While it's very true that my belly has been getting larger, I had hoped to wait a little longer before having this conversation with my children. I thought it might be best to wait until my visit to the perinatologist. That way I would be able to tell the boys how their new sibling is doing physically. They've expressed concerns over the last year about any more babies we might have. They've wanted to know what would happen if we had another baby with anencephaly. My answer has always been that we would love the baby until we had to give it back to heaven.

Instead of admitting Sophie might be right, I decided to probe a little further. I asked Conrad, "How would auntie Holly know I'm pregnant." He looked at me indignantly and said, "She's had four children. She should know what a pregnant person looks like!" Who could argue with that? The truth of the matter is that I told Holly myself months ago. Sophie, being the observant little girl she is, probably didn't need to be told as my belly bump has just been getting larger in spite of visits to the gym.

I dropped the conversation for a bit. During lunch I told the boys that Sophie was right; I am expecting another child. Conrad looked up in disbelief and asked, "How do you know?" I did my best to contain my laughter while trying to think up a response. It came through a question, "Why do you think I've been going to the doctor so often lately?" Then Conrad's face lit up, "Oh! Oh, that's why you've been going to the doctor." Convinced we would have another baby, his questions reverted to the normal questions children ask. He wanted to know if it would be a boy or a girl, what we would name it and where in the world the baby will sleep.

Now all I want to know is whether Conrad will be able to handle sharing his birthday. It's very possible he will have to since the expected date of arrival is just two days after Conrad's birthday.

4 comments:

  1. I love the conversations that Conrad and Sophie have ;)

    I am beyond thrilled for you! Congratulations on such wonderful news!

    I'm also glad you blogged about it! It's neat to see and hear about it from a child's point of view ;) Especially that Aunty Holly has had four children and should know what a pregnant woman looks like...too cute!

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  2. Thank you Sarah. I love the conversations they have too.

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  3. I am so happy for you both!! Congratulations!!! Now I really need to make sure I keep checking your blog.

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  4. So now your kids now about your pregnancy.

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