Big news: Erin and I are expecting another baby.
You know how much I hate Dora the Explorer, to the point that I think of subversive and violent variants to the various plotlines in order to cope with the program on display while Vivian plays. But there is one episode which I am happy to show to Vivian more than once. It’s the one where Dora learns that her mommy is about to have another baby, and that Dora is to be a big sister.
Everybody is so happy, jumping around chanting “a baby! a baby!” and Dora bursts into song (as she usually does) about how she is going to be a big sister. The episode has had a profound impact on Vivian. Now, whenever we nudge her and say, “are you going to be a big sister, Vivian?” she throws up her arms and shouts “BIG! SISTER!”
We’ll see how happy she feels when she clues in to what that really means.
Erin had an ultrasound yesterday, and we got these pictures of our second child (likely a girl, though the ultrasound people are less sure; the girl was modest and kept crossing her legs), who is due to be born between our birthdays this coming April. She looks extraordinarily healthy, even in these vague shots, and one of the neatest things was seeing the heart beating away inside her chest.
We’ve been gradually preparing these past few weeks, and have hopes of moving Vivian into a new and larger room (formerly the guest bedroom) with a toddler bed and a new chest of drawers, in the hope that it comes early enough that she doesn’t connect the two events and think that her little sister has stolen her room. The grandparents have all been looking forward to the happy day, and Erin and I are looking forward to it to, and trying to get what sleep we can.
I must admit that I had some hopes of having a boy — one of each and all that — but they vanished in about a microsecond, and the idea of being the father of two lovely daughters is quite compelling. Our second girl is starting to kick, now, and it really is a joy to feel that beat.
Here are some more ultrasound shots.
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A profile shot, showing the side of the baby’s skull. She’s got a good strong chin, just like Vivian, one that I’m sure every grandparent family will be taking credit for. |
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And “looking” at the camera. This ultrasound appointment took less time than the last one, as the baby wasn’t moving around as much as Vivian. Dare we hope that we’ll give birth to something less than a dynamo this time (fat chance! :-))? |
We also have the same midwife as helped us with Vivian’s birth, which we’re really happy about. We’ve been most impressed with Ontario’s midwifery services in general and this midwife in particular, and I’m especially thankful that this is a tax-supported service that’s free to all pregnant parents. Truly, one of the better funding decisions Mike Harris made.