Is this Kindergarten or the Hunger Games?: Baby #2 on the Way

So long before G was our son, my wife and I decided to adopt a little girl from another country. Many people asked us why? I would say, "Because our planet is already overcrowded" to which my wife would say "you can't tell people that". So then I'd say, "because we want to open our home to child in need of a home" to which my wife would say "you can't tell people that". Then I would say, "I'm selfish and didn't want my wife to go through 9 months of uncomfortable pregnancy, a grueling laboring birth, and the physically and emotionally exhausting burden of a new born baby" to which my wife would say "you can't tell people that".

You notice the pattern here. My wife talks to me like I talk to my 2 year old son. "No we don't nose dive into the couch", "No the chalk isn't for drawing on the cat", "We don't say Ta-Da after sticking the landing jumping off the toilet, it's not the balance beam".

So 4 years later, we now have baby #2 on the way, a beautiful 1.5 year old girl exactly a year younger than Gunner, what can we say? Well....

First we can say preparing a 2.5 year old for the imminent arrival (there will be 3 months from when we received the referral notice with the name age and sex to when we bring her home) of his little sister's arrival is a funny thing.
Dad: G, you excited about Gray (her name) coming home?
G: Yes.
Dad: Y'all going to play with together with all your toys?
G: No. They my toys.
Dad: But don't you want Gray to have fun and you can teach her about all of your toys?
G: No. I don't want to have fun.
Dad: You don't want to fun? Ever again?
G. No. No more fun for GG.

So after we pushed passed this horribly apocalyptic view of becoming a big brother, we continued the prep work.
Dad: G, come help me set up Gray's room.
G: Okay Dad.
Dad: Thank you. This is your old room. Now that you're in the big boy room with the big boy bed, Gray is going to sleep in here.
G: No this is GG's room.
Dad: No you are in the big boy room. This room is for a baby. See the crib.
G: That's GG's crib.
Dad: But you have the big boy bed. Let's let Gray use the crib.
G: No that's my crib.
Dad: Maybe we should share with her since you have two beds.
G: She has a lot of stuff.
Dad: Okay good talk. Let's just go to the playroom.

Of course, when I overhear my wife coaching up G for the arrival of Gray, I hear...
Mom: So how are you going to play with Gray?
G: We going to play with the phone, bingo, the slide. Make her happy.
Mom: That's right. And when she is sad?
G: I get a bottle and a blankie and be silly. Make her happy.
Mom: That's right. Are you going to be the best big brother?
G: Yes.

Clearly, she is having the more effective communication with him at the moment on this topic.

Either way, this is the last blog post with us a parents of only child. In a little over two weeks, we will have returned home with our new daughter and be parents of a two child household.

A pirate for Halloween....with a tattoo....Heart Mom....