Dear little baby

Dear baby unborn, we are getting very excited about your arrival.

This is Claire, the one who lovingly jabs at you. I'm so glad you finally kicked her back yesterday. She believes me that you're really in there now, I wish you could have seen her face! "Oh! Baby in there!"

This is your oldest sister, Emmy. She loves to talk about you and what you'll be like and all the things that she'll be able to do with you.

And your brother, Jonah. He hopes you're a boy, but he did say this evening that really he just wants a baby, even if it's a girl.

We have so many things to show you! Most of them outside. You've spent a lot of time outside from inside me already. You know those rushes of fresh oxygen you get in the mornings? That's when we're on the front porch, savoring the coolness.

Oh, be prepared to see this face leaning in a lot. Her babies get lots of kisses, and I imagine you will be adopted into her family shortly after your birth.

I promise to try to keep you out of her little plastic baby strollers and high chairs and cradles, but forgive me if, at some point, you end up in one of them. 

Jonah will prepare you for the times that I may have to... uhmm... clean your facial features. It happens to him all the time. It's part of life, kid! You're headed for it soon!

She thinks it's funny, but little does she know that she's next.

We have lots of great tricks to teach you!

And please don't be too frightened when Mr. and Mr. Hair come to call. 

Why is it that my kids call this trick Mr. Hair? Wouldn't Mrs. Hair be more appropriate? Hmmm. Maybe Katie started that one. 

Dear little one. Katie loves you too, and can't wait to meet you. I promise she's not always scary like in the above photo. 

Expect her to give you looks like this one often. You are very lucky to be born into this family, which includes her.

Dear baby, you wiggle and squirm and hiccup inside me. I wiggle and squirm and hiccup with excitement to see you, rather than only feel you. I already know you, I already love you.