Three! Yes, it is official, we are expecting baby #3 in late October. It has been fun to see how much more involved and aware AJ is this time around at three compared to his experience with Davey (which is basically Davey's same experience now at about the same age). When AJ was 18 months old and I was close to delivering Davey, AJ was oblivious to the situation. He didn't get the idea of a baby in mama's tummy or what was about to change in his world. Now he has such a better grasp of language that he is both able to understand the idea and to anticipate the future event. He talks to the baby already and asks lots of questions about whether it is hungry, how it eats now, whether it is sleeping now and when it will make its debut. When I mentioned that the baby will come around Halloween, he wanted to know if the baby would dress up in a costume.
AJ was also convinced from the get go that this will be a baby sister. Not an idea I was pushing, but one he picked up from the Berenstain Bear's New Baby book where the new arrival is a baby sister. Despite thinking that it is a girl, though, his suggestions for names so far are all very male-dominated. Some of our favorites are Baby AJ, Baby Johnny (after his boy cousin), Baby Uncle John, Baby Uncle Will and Baby DaDa. There was one girl name offered, which was Baby Larla (his version of my name). Don't worry, we are not crazy enough to let him name the baby.
In part because I wanted to set AJ straight well in advance of the baby's arrival if it was going to be a boy (and let's be honest, because I am curious!), I convinced Joe this time around to find out the baby's sex in advance, and it is a little girl. The first in three generations in Joe's father's family. So after we confirmed that this was a baby girl and explained to AJ that we were not going to name it his preferred name, Baby Uncle John, AJ decided that he also has a baby in his tummy, also a little girl, and HIS baby's name is Baby Uncle John. Kinda like a Boy Named Sue from the Johnny Cash song. So AJ has been telling anyone who will listen that he has a baby in his tummy and lifts up his shirt while puffing out his belly to prove it, including at the pediatrician's office at his three year check up. I let this go on for a while and then tried to clarify one evening that mommy has a real baby in her tummy and AJ has a pretend baby, but he was very put out at this suggestion and insisted that his baby is a real baby as well. So I am wondering what will happen when Baby Girl arrives for real and AJ is stumped as to the appearance of his baby. I am considering buying him a little girl baby doll to give him when he comes to visit his new sister in the hospital for the first time and telling him it is his Baby Uncle John. I am not sure how much Joe's brother, the real Uncle John, would appreciate seeing a little baby girl doll called Baby Uncle John when he comes to visit at the holidays, though.
No comments:
Post a Comment