The sweetest sound!

So I heard the sweetest sound yesterday!  Baby #3's little heartbeat was a little hard for Dr. Dausch to find, but sure enough, there it was, at a rate of 162.  So at 13 weeks, we are making our exciting news "public" to the world wide web.  We haven't been able to keep the secret from anyone we see in person because at 10 weeks, I had to start wearing maternity clothes...  I've told quite a few people just so they don't go through the uncomfortable "should I ask?" thing.

But now with 13 healthy weeks under our belt, we are singing it from the mountaintops :).

The boys have been great about the news!  The timing of announcing Baby #3 to our families (at almost 9 weeks) has coincided with Brady talking so much.  So right away he started naming "mama" and "baby" pairs he's found.  If you're little, you're baby.  If you're bigger, your mama.  I think he's pretty sure he's the baby, which is exactly as it should be.

Apparently Brady is dealing with mixed emotions.

Anderson is exceptionally cute about the whole thing.  He's really getting into pretend play, so added to our repertoire of "Firefighter Mama, Firefighter Anderson" or "Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy", or any of the Nationals baseball team, Anderson often refers to himself as "Baby Anderson" and (my favorite) I'm "Baby Mama" and Ryan's "Baby Daddy." :)

Also, last week Anderson and I had some quiet time together while Brady was still napping.  I decided to talk to him about my belly getting bigger.  He looked all wide-eyed when I told him there was a baby inside, and he immediately started looking under my shirt to find it.  I told him that we can't see the baby yet because it's inside my tummy.  He wanted to give the baby a hug and kiss, which I loved.  Then over ice cream as a family that night, Anderson said a dozen times, "Mama, you know what! Your tummy's getting bigger cuz there's a baby inside!"  That night I asked him if there was ice cream in his belly.  He looked and said, "I have a baby in my tummy, too!  Two babies!" Haha.  He asked me to hug and kiss his baby (I obliged.)  Then just before bedtime, he said, "I love you, Daddy.  I love you, Mommy." He lifted up his shirt, looked at his belly and said, "And I love you, Baby!"  Oh my goodness, one of the sweetest moments.

Also notable, Anderson has consistently said he wants another boy.  He even told Ms. Gina at preschool that the baby is a boy.  She said he reported, "Three boys!"  We shall see.... (and by that I mean at our 20 week ultrasound on November 12- woo hoo!!!)

Anderson's first day

I was anxious about this morning, but I didn't get teary until I picked him up.  First, there was seeing him walking- in line- down the hallway with his class (so cute!), then there was hearing and seeing him all happy and comfortable, and I just felt such relief.  I knew he would have a good day, but it made such a difference to see it with my own eyes.  So I picked that big boy up, gave him a hug and kiss and held his hand as he happily chatted away telling me all about his first day.  

This morning went smoothly.  I got up and got myself ready, Brady woke up, and then I went in and got Anderson who was chillin in his crib (toddler bed is on our to-do list next month!) Got the boys dressed, breakfast (a 30-minute affair), quick trip to the potty for Anderson, and then 1st day of school pictures.  Thankfully my usual tricks worked, and I got especially good smiles!

I got the boys in the car (to be clear, Anderson still in a Pull-up. Ho hum.) 5 minutes later, we were parking at church/preschool.  

I thought having Brady in a stroller would help me, but Anderson wanted to push the stroller through the parking lot by himself.  When I told him, "No," he announced, "then no preschool!", which he repeated a couple of times as we came in the building.  

Quick facts about Anderson's class: his teacher is Ms. Gina, who everyone tells us is wonderful, and the assistant teacher is Ms. Melanie.  So far I've gotten to talk to Ms. Melanie a little more, and I really like her.  There are 13 cute, cute kids in the class- 7 girls and 6 boys, I think.  And I'm one of the room moms. :). Lots of other friendly moms in our class, which will be fun.

Back to drop-off, Anderson knew I was going to give him a big hug and he was going to say, "goodbye, Mommy!" But when the time came, he was starting to reach back for me and stamp his feet when Ms. Melanie swooped in and helped him start unpacking.  Phew! No tears.

Brady and I had our own plans, a mom's group I joined last year at church with classes for the kids, too.  So that's where we were 9:15-11:45.

Then at 11:45, I picked Brady up and headed down the hall, where I was first in line for pick up at noon.  So like I said, at 12, Anderson's class was walking back from music, and Ms. Melanie said it was the best first day of 3's preschool she's ever seen (her 8th year with 3-yr-olds).  No tears, all sat for story time. So all of us mommas and daddies in line breathed a sigh of relief.  So now we're back to the part where a happy Anderson bounded from the room, and my little mommy heart felt all kinds of happy.  I asked him what was his favorite part, and he said "making faces".  I thought he meant like a picture, but then he showed me a silly face that he made.  Ha!  

Anderson told me he clapped his hands and stomped his feet and hugged his knees.  Music class, I'm guessing.  He said something about Willabee Wallaby Woo, which starts with W.  So until parent conferences in November, this might be all I have to go on.  Hoping to get a chance to check with one of his teachers real quick on Thursday to hear how things are going.  Basically, I want them to tell me, "Anderson is so cute/ wonderful/ smart, etc." That's all. :)

Breakfast

I thought about it this morning, and breakfast may be the best part of our day. It's one of the most peaceful times, for sure.  These photos were taken while Pandora played "You are my Sunshine" in the background- the perfect finishing touch for the already sweet moment.

This morning, Anderson even happily shared his beloved totem poles with his brother.  A rare and sincere peace-offering, indeed.