Conversations About the Baby

M: Dad and I wanted to tell you that we're going to have a new baby in our family! What do you think about that?
T: Where is it?
M: Growing in my tummy. Want to see a picture of what it might look like. [note to self: don't ever do that again, it was the wrong choice.]
T: That baby is freakin' my brains out! I don't even like alien babies!
J: So I a big kid now? Not ours baby anymore!!!
T: (hiding in a pillow fort) I'm staying in here. There's not room for anyone else in here. OK mom?

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Me: So gentlemen, what do you think would be a great name for this new baby?
T: Well, it' going to be a baby, so maybe we can just call it that.
J: Yeah, And Egbert. Because (points to me) Egbert! (points to Tommy) Egbert! (points to himself) Egbert!
T: So. Baby Egbert.
M: What if it's a girl?
T: (standing by the piano....) Umm....what about High Note (plays the highest note on the piano) that sounds like a girlish.
J: Baby High Note Egbert

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T: (knocking on the bathroom door) So mom? Are you goin' potty or barfin'?
M: Barfing.
T: That's gonna take for HOURS! Who will get our breakfast?

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So....in all things are going well around here. Baby is due in the middle of December. Puke-fest is now part of the daily routine. The boys are less and less afraid of the alien baby in my tummy every day and I'm anxiously waiting for the internet to show me a picture of the baby that won't terrify small children. John is thrilled not to be the smallest one in the family anymore and Josh and I are appropriately excited and terrified. (Do you remember babies?!)

Baseball Update

Tommy's first baseball practice was surprisingly tons of fun. I mean really really fun. He was happy and worked hard, and I sat in the shade watching him ready with cold water when he needed a break. He was totally adorable and loved being there. He came home all kinds of excited about the shirt and the hat and he adjusted the hat 29 times until it was just perfect for "my noggin's age" (age = size around here).

His coach is really kind. And said more than once something about how having fun is important. Which was good for this mom to hear since I kindof hate focusing on winning - or even being good at stuff. It breaks my mom heart because I know my kids won't always win or even be good at stuff. So I only like focusing on the things they can control. "Have fun. Try hard. Learn things." That's my goal.

His 2nd practice was OK, not great, but OK. Mrs. Coach is a preschool teacher and has a gift for being enthusiastic and fun and goofy. Tommy certainly has a goofy side, but enthusiasm and goofiness in his face from a stranger shuts him down faster than anything else. He didn't love it.

But this week he had a game.

It happened to be one of (only a few) 7pm games. That means that Josh gets to go see, he'll likely be a little late for those games, but he can go. Except on this day, I was sick. Sicker than I've been yet. I barfed over and over and couldn't stand up without my stomach objecting. I sent Josh a desperate text hoping he'd be home in time to take the boys to the game so I could stray at home weeping on the sofa. I got the boys ready to go and Josh made it home in time to take them. I said a quick prayer of gratitude as I swallowed my sleep aid and went to bed.

So....baseball for the win!

Thank goodness it wasn't as awful as my pregnant self thought.

Baseball

About 6 weeks ago Josh and I were feeling ambitious and we wanted to sign Tommy up for SOMEthing (note to future self: Don’t sign up for things. You’re not ambitious. If you start to feel like you're ambitious, take a deep breath, and a long nap. Before long that feeling will pass.)

We talked about some ideas, and looked at our options (i.e. what had we not already missed the signups for) and decided that it would be adorable and fun and good for Tommy to try Coach Pitch - which some of the neighbors were also planning to play. So yay!

So Josh took the boys to the rec center to sign them up, and he took them to the sports store and blew a bunch of money on baseball junk. Then I came home and we played baseball out in the front yard one time. And then we took naps. (Because I’m currently preoccupied with naps.) Josh was all kinds of excited about playing baseball with his boys, and doing a dad thing. 

Then we got Tommy’s game schedule. Games are on Thursday, while Josh is at work.

Then we got Tommy’s practice schedule. Practice is on Wednesday, while Josh is at work.

So that’s why I’ll be relocating my naptime to the local park for the next 8 weeks. And why you’ll be able to hear Tommy shouting “NO!!!! I don’t WANT to!!!” every Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening. Because Tommy is smarter than me and he almost never forgets that he doesn't like to do things. Wish me luck! And wish him luck! And pray for our baseball hating souls.

Parenting Tip: Don’t do things. Don’t sign up to do things. Even if you think it’s a good idea and it sounds fun. It won’t be. Things aren’t fun. Napping is fun. Only napping is fun. And Arby’s. Arby's is also fun.

Which is, of course, an announcement that I’m pregnant.