A Very Merry Christmas

What better way to spread the holiday cheer than to tell our family and friends that we were expecting a second baby?

We wanted Matthew to be part of the surprise so we ordered him a t-shirt that said, “I’m going to be a big brother” to wear under his sweater on Christmas Eve. When the timing was right he would take off his sweater and reveal the surprise.

 I got pregnant in November. Matthew was fascinated by the logistics of how the baby would come out. We showed him a picture of a baby inside a belly from a maternity book that the hospital gave me. After a brief glance at that photo he decidedly flipped ahead to some of the more telling pages of the maternity book. When we asked what he thought he informed us that he had a baby in his belly too. Imagine the coincidence!

With Christmas approaching we baked cookies, a gingerbread house, and a train. We shopped, wrapped, sent out cards, and planned a menu for our Christmas Eve party.

Christmas Eve approached and Matthew delivered our surprise like a champ. The family was as surprised and happy as we had hoped that they would be.

When the party ended, much later than Matt’s bedtime he protested going to sleep but three minutes after being tucked in he was fast asleep.The next morning he woke up to a pile of presents under the tree.
 

Three is such a fun age to be around at Christmas. “Special crayons!” Matt exclaimed pulling a box out of his stocking. “I was looking for these!” Or “Oh yeah! A new garbage truck!” His excitement was contagious.