Baby Boy is coming in October

Our ultrasound appointment was yesterday, and it was very obvious that we are having another boy. I have been putting off all the preparations until we knew so I have a lot of work ahead of me. I asked Abbie if she would go shopping with me for baby boy clothes, and she told me to just make the new baby wear Nathan's clothes because he's a boy. I told her that Nathan's clothes would be too big (not wanting to explain the seasonal fashion conflict that since Nathan's a May baby and this baby is coming in October), and she told that it would be OK because we would take care of the baby so he would grow and grow. I love her simple and logical explanation to life's problems.

In fact, she has been really fun to listen to as she begins to ask questions about the baby. One day, I asked her not to push on Mom's tummy because it hurt because of the baby. She said, "There is a baby in your tummy? You mean you put a baby in your mouth and just ate it?!" After I stopped laughing and told her it was OK and that I didn't eat the baby, I asked her if she was ready to have lunch because I was hungry. She said, "Mom, you can't eat lunch. The food will go in your tummy and get on the baby's face, and he will cry and cry, but we won't be able to hear him because he's in your tummy!" I assured her that it would be fine.

Another great conversation came one day after seeing pictures of baby Nathan and Abbie in the hospital on Nathan's bday. I told her that when it was time for the new baby, Daddy and Mom would go to the hospital again, and before I could explain that Grandpa and Grandma would take care of her and Nathan, she told me that I had to go by myself so that Daddy could stay and take care of Abbie and Nathan. This funny conversation followed:

Mom: What if I need Daddy to get me a drink of water?
Abbie: Just tell that doctor to get it.
Mom: What if I get scared and I need Daddy to hold my hand?
Abbie: Just be brave and put a smile on your face and then get that baby out, out out and come home.

Another time when I told her I had a doctor's appointment and that Daddy would be staying with the kids, and they could watch one the of movies from the library while I was gone, she told me, "It'll be OK Mom. The doctor will just listen to the baby's heart with his stethoscope (something she figured out on her own I guess) and it'll be fine. Now it's time for you to go so I can watch my movie."

Anyway, that is the extent of the preparation that we've completed for this baby. The first item of business is to come up with a name for this child. Boy names are hard especially since there are about upteen billion boys between both sides of the family so that puts some limits on our options. I am open to suggestions, but I hate that awkward moment when someone tells you their favorite name and it's the name you have secretly despised your entire life because of that incident in kindergarten that you would just as soon forget, and you just don't know what to say. Hopefully, we'll have it narrowed down to a few choices by the weekend, or we can just go with one of Abbie's suggestions: Another Nathan, Herbert Menninger, or Spaghetti.