Innocent Minds

For nine years now, my sisters kids have been like my own. It dawned on me the other day that soon they will no longer be the only children in my life and I felt a little bit of sadness at the change. Don't get me wrong I already love my child more then anything in the world and nothing can replace that! But like Makenna, alomost 7, told me the other day, "I don't like change because I don't know how it's going to be." I definately welcome this change and couldn't be more thrilled but I do find myself wondering how it's going to be? Here are some snippets of how my sisters kids have viewed the changes in my life (and in my body:) . . .

Camden, 5, was the first to hear the big nnews and he just looked at me with a blank face like, "You have a baby inside you? Weird!" As time has progressed he has decided that I should name the baby Batman. He showed great concern when asking, "when they cut the baby out, are you going to die?" I assured him I would be fine and had to laugh that he thinks that is the only form of giving birth:) He also was the first to notice that my body was not quite the same. During month four I entered his house and he ran over to give me a hug. He quickly backed away and looked at me with his eyes wide . . . "Whoa, you're getting big!" Being glad that I was carrying a baby and not just gaining weight for no good reason, I laughed at his honesty and explained the changes. Now he makes it a point everytime I hug him to comment on how big I am. I can only hope this stops once the baby arrives:)

Kyran, 9, was the second child to find out and his reaction was so priceless, I will never forget it!! Knowing that he would grasp the news a bit better then his brother, I took him into the living room and we were just talking on the couch. At some point I asked him if was ready to have a cousin. He smiled and shyly and said "yes." My sister came in the room and asked him what we were talking about and he said, "Aunt Lindsay is going to have a baby." He was looking up at the ceiling while he spoke and Mindy asked him, "Are you crying?" He replied, "No, it's just the fan blowing in my eyes." Then he got up and ran back to his room. At that point Mindy and I both teared up. It was so sweet to see the news of a cousin bring this liitle boy to tears. Don't worry, they were tears of joy! He thinks I should I name my child Jasmine or Leo. Both not an option but it's fun to hear suggestions:)

Makenna, almost 7, is a special little lady. She has asked me to have a baby since the day I got married, so this was very good news to her ears. She thinks I should name my baby Gloria or Rosie. She doesn't have a boy name picked out because she insists on it being a girl. She wants to be the first to hold the baby, but jokes that if it's a boy she might drop it on the floor. "Just kidding aunt Lindsay, I will love it no matter what." She just wants there to be a baby around. She doesn't hesitate to rub or tickle my belly. She loves to talk to my tummy and thinks it so cool that the baby can hear her. I am so excited to share this experience with her.

Well there you have it . . . these are just a few of the outtakes from my niece and nephews that make this experience so fun. I know they will be the best cousins and I look forward to watching my child grow up with them. These are just three of the many family members and friends who are awaiting my childs arrival with open arms and I could not be more happy that they are a part of my life!