“I’m going to the doctor,” Mom says.
“Why?” Happy Boy asks, using his favorite word.
“So he can check on the baby,” Mom answers. “Be good for Dad while I’m gone.”
“Will he take out the baby today?” Sassy Girl asks.
“No, it’s still too early.”
Sassy Girl pouts. She wasn’t sure about having a new sibling at first, but now she’s excited to have a little sister. She will hold her, play with her, watch her, and teach her all of her sassy ways. She just needs to come out first.
“When is the baby due?” Sassy Girl asks later that day.
“In about two months,” Mom tells her.
“She’ll be born two months from today?”
“Not necessarily. We don’t know exactly when she’ll be born. She’ll come when she’s ready.”
Sassy Girl pouts again.
Mom understands how Sassy Girl feels. She’s tired of being tired. Dad worries about Mom when she feels tired or sick. Aside from having a baby sister, the Super Kids look forward to Mom being able to do the things she used to without having to stop to rest. They want her to take them for walks, do fun crafts, and read them stories. Friendly Boy looks forward to being able to sit on Mom’s lap without being told he’s hurting her, or without being kicked by her oddly rolling tummy.
The excitement in the house grows the closer it gets to the baby’s due date.
“Can we feel the baby?” Happy Boy and Sassy Girl ask before bedtime every night.
“Yes,” Mom says. When they lightly touch her tummy for only half-a-second, she helps them find the right spot and holds their hands for a minute until the baby kicks them. They turn to Mom with big smiles, amazed by the baby inside of her.
“Baby!” Friendly Boy shouts with a grin, but runs off, uninterested in feeling her kicks.
The closer they get to seeing the baby, the more appointments Mom has. Every morning, Happy Boy checks the white board calendar to see if Mom will be going to the doctor or if she has a non-stress test. Another clue is when she wakes up before 9am.
The Super Kids surround her as she’s trying to walk out the door.
“Bye!” they shout.
“I love you!” they each exclaim.
“I want to give you a hug,” they state, throwing their arms around her belly.
Sassy Girl, not to be outdone by her brothers, adds a kiss. “For the baby,” she tells Mom.
While Mom is gone, Dad feeds the Super Kids breakfast. When they ask for juice, he gives them their colored cups.
“I want magenta,” Happy Boy says.
“But I want magenta!” Sassy Girl protests.
“I think the baby has an orange cup today,” Dad tells her. “She was holding it up to catch some water when Mom drank some this morning.”
“I want orange,” Sassy Girl changes her mind.
Mom comes home from an appointment with the doctor and tells Dad things the Super Kids don’t really understand. But now, when they ask when the baby’s coming, she gives them a date.
“Do you have an appointment today?” Sassy Girl asks.
“No,” Mom answers. “My next appointment isn’t until Monday. And then, on Wednesday, Dad and I will go to the hospital and the baby will be born.”
“And then we can see her?” Sassy Girl excitedly asks, her eyes shining.
“After a few days,” Mom explains.
Sassy Girl pouts.
“You won’t be able to come to the hospital,” Mom adds, “but we’ll send you pictures, have video chats, and take videos. Then, we’ll bring her home and you can look at her and hold her.”
“Can I hold her first?” Sassy Girl asks, her face brightening again.
“Yes.”
“Can I hold her second?” Happy Boy asks.
“Yes.”
Friendly Boy stays quiet. He plays in the corner with his toys, ignoring the conversation. His only concern? Snuggling with Mom without her belly getting in the way.
