It's a Baby Brother

On the way home from the ultrasound, we stopped by Target to pick up a few gifts and some ice cream, so we could have a little party to share the baby news with the kids. Honestly, I shed some tears in the car on the way home...I dreaded disappointing Alison, but was so thankful Ben had thought of buying her a new doll. And that doll was worth every single penny (thank you knock off American Girl dolls!). I was also thankful for the cookies Ashley had made with the kids, because that's all Eli cared about. We tried to emphasize that the party was to celebrate our family and all that God has given us. We talked with Alison about all the blessings that will come from being the only girl. She's named her "new sister" Micole, and yes, that's supposed to be a 'M'...but you can call her 'Molly' for short. Elizabeth and Kent bought her a PJ outfit for the doll and everyday she's gotten her ready for bed and dressed again in the morning. I feel like this is the first toy she's really taken ownership of and been really excited about, and it's been a great distraction. Last night, she was helping me cook dinner and she told me that she's really excited about the baby. I sighed some relief, but then she said she was still disappointed that it's not a sister. I've tried to assure her that it's okay to be disappointed (I always thought she would have a sister someday too) and that the whole boy thing is new to me too. I grew up with just a sister and always wondered what it would be like to have another sibling. I never had brothers, I have no idea what it's like to have brothers, nor do I know much about boys, period. So I told her we would have to learn together and someday, Daddy and the boys can go play football and we'll go shopping.