I have never been very good at hiding things. At Christmas, for instance, I toss all the presents in a corner of my bedroom and throw a blanket over the pile. Not too obvious, right? So when I shoved my prenatal vitamins into the closet yesterday, still wrapped in the Rite-Aid bag, I thought the kids wouldn't notice. I just forgot that Mary never misses a beat. "Mom! Mom!" she hollered, dragging me back to the hall closet last night. "I found these vitamins next to the children's vitamins (oops) and they say 'For PREGNANT and LACTATING women', and I had to go ask Grandmama, 'What does LACTATING mean?' and when she told me I had to come find you and, Mom, are you PREGNANT?" I nodded, unable to speak for laughing. She threw her arms around me for a long hug. Emma darted out of the bathroom and joined us. "I was listening." The gig was up. I couldn't hide it. Not that I want to hide it. A baby is a blessing. A gift. A sign for good. But I lost the last two and wanted to go to the doctor before I told the kids. So yesterday I saw the little 6 week old jelly bean with (sigh of relief) a heartbeat. Then like a good mommy I went and bought my prenatals loaded with folic acid. "Maybe I'll have a flower girl!" said Bethany, who is certain that 7 year old Dorothy will be too old by the time she gets married. "Awesome," said Matthew, who is soon bound for the West Point Prep school. I'm so proud--but that 's a blog for another day. "Y'all are crazy," said Tiger, my oldest, who has held that same opinion the last three times. But I am certain he loves being the oldest of ten. My goal had been not to be pregnant at his wedding last summer, I reminded him. Mission accomplished. Now if I can just be done before he starts a family of his own. He assures me that mission is also easily accomplished, as no such plans are in the works. Dorothy, who just a month ago said she was praying for a baby sister, was beaming. Cory beamed, too, in his own male kind of way. And Ben and Mom Dot both agree that another baby is a blessing. In fact, the vote is unanimous in our family. Well, except for Silas, who did not acknowledge it when we told him the news. Perhaps he is busy calculating just how much his life is about to change. Our family has been through a rough patch since the start of 2011. I know many don't agree, but we consider a baby a good sign. "Let's name her Hope if it's a girl," my husband said to me the day we found out. I love the idea. And while, yes, there is plenty I could worry about, news of a baby has brought new energy, excitement and yes, hope, to the Sims family. In my estimation, that's a good sign. |
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