Baldwin Family Blog: SURPRISE!!! (It's Not a Puppy!)

So since the kids surprised us by getting out all of the Christmas decorations, we decided to surprise them with our big news! I originally was planning to wait a few more weeks to tell them, but they were starting to ask often about why I was so sick and I didn't want their little minds to worry about me. And, I felt good about our first ultrasound and decided we should go ahead and tell them. There was no way possible we were going to be able to keep it a secret until the first trimester was over, because I was just too sick and not my normal self at all. I was a little scared of telling them so early, because of the miscarriage last time, but I am having to learn to trust the Lord with that every day, and I don't want to walk in fear.

I have to say that I got a little emotional and had to choke back some tears as I took this picture right before we told them. It was the last picture "when there were three" in my mind...before we told them another baby was coming and their world would change forever. I know that's a little dramatic, but I'm pregnant so I can blame everything on hormones.

I put the ultrasound pictures inside of a Christmas box and had them all sit in front of the tree. I wasn't really sure how they would respond, but they all three had very different reactions. I'm pretty sure they all three would have been much more excited about a puppy than another baby...(sorry baby #4...when you read this years and years from now, you can give your sisters and brother a hard time about it!)

I posted this pic of their expressions on Instagram several weeks later, once the news was out and this was my caption:

"The look on Mackenzie's face when we told them we were having another baby! So. Funny. LOL! Their responses:

Mackenzie: You're lying...and its NOT sleeping in my room.

Madison: I don't want you to have another baby...it will take my place...complete sobbing meltdown (broke my heart)...to Oh I hope it's a girl and PLEASE can it sleep in my room?

Jonah: It better be a boy!"

Madison's response of crying and not wanting us to have another baby because it would take her place just really broke my heart. We spent a lot of time loving on her and reassuring her that there was no way a baby could ever take her place. I just think she needed a little time to process her feelings. I told her that I was a little sad at first too, because I liked our family just the way it was too. But that God had other plans for our family & this baby would be a great blessing. It didn't take her long to change her tune and start begging for the baby to sleep in her room and making lists of baby names!

Mackenzie's reaction was just what I suspected it would be! When I was her age, I LOVED babies...I already had paid babysitting jobs...and literally my whole life all I really wanted to do was have babies. Not Mackenzie. She will be the first to say she really isn't a "baby person." =0) But I'm pretty sure this baby is going to soften her up and change her mind a little! She just wanted to make sure we knew it was NOT going to sleep in her room! Lol!

Jonah just wants it to be a boy! Haha! He is going to definitely be a little sad if it isn't a brother, but we keep telling him that God knows what is best for our family & no matter what, he will love this new baby! There's a part of me that gets a little sad thinking about Jonah not being the only boy...we just have a very special relationship...so I would be okay with it being another girl. But at the same time, I would really love to have another baby boy too! Time will tell... =0) And, either way, Jonah is going to be such a sweet big brother to this baby!

Now here came the tricky part...we weren't ready for everyone to know about this yet...and this was a BIG secret to ask them to keep. We told them they could tell one friend if they just absolutely had to, but not to shout it from the rooftops just yet. Jonah definitely had the hardest time keeping it a secret! When we picked him up from Sunday school the next morning Brian asked if he told anyone about the baby...he said, very proudly "Nope, I just told my teacher that my mommy has something in her tummy, but I can't tell what it is." LOL! And then again on Monday at school when it was time for prayer requests, he asked if they could pray for his Mommy because she is sick and has something in her tummy but its a secret. I laughed so hard! We knew once the kids found out, a few people would start knowing, but we were really hoping to keep it a secret from the rest of our family until we were together on Thanksgiving.

Sweet Baby,

You don't know it yet, but you have the best big sisters & big brother in the whole wide world! They are going to love and spoil you so much, and you will never be bored, with the three of them to entertain you all of the time!