LJ - the nephew (so far the only male grandchild)

There is so much that we could write about LJ, the 14 year old son of Tara's brother, the first, and only male, grandchild. He is a character and he has been true to form during the pregnancy! Overall he is so sweet and earnest and curious about the baby.

From the moment we told him Tara was pregnant, it has been a hoot. Tara called her dad in NC on Father's Day and told him next year Jai would be celebrating the holiday ... cute, right?!? Then LJ got on the phone (he spent the summer with Harold, his grandfather, and extended family in NC) and Tara tried the same tactic: "guess who will be celebrating Father's Day next year?" ... long pause ... "Jai will be" ... another long pause. Finally it clicked and LJ said "you're having a baby ... how many months?!" Tara replied "yes, 3 months." LJ said "how could you not tell me all these months?"

: )

Once LJ returned home to Nashville, we've seen him sporadically which is normal; his interest in the pregnancy and baby has not disminished. He loves to check the belly (size), talk to the belly ("hi, baby"), touch the belly (see how hard it is), even kiss the belly (very affectionate). He also is VERY determined to know the gender. He really wants the baby to be a boy. He has 3 female siblings on each side of his mother and father's families so he is one male surrounded by 6 girls! He also refers to the baby as his nephew though we explain that the baby is his cousin. : )

This week LJ stayed with us a couple of days which worked out nicely in particular for 2 appointments we had. One was with Smile Mommy! diaper service (the only one in the state of Tennessee). They brought our initial weekly supply of cloth diapers (80), wipes (80) and covers (20 in yellow and green) as well as the diaper pail and liner bags. LJ heard the explanation of the process and learned how to change a cloth diaper. (It seems simple, but a doll is not the same as a squirming infant, potentially projectiling bodily fluids; we'll see how we do. )

Then the next day he went with Tara to her midwife appointment. He asked the nurse if she knew what gender the baby is. Actually almost every time we talk with him or see him he asks if we know the gender - like we didn't know before, but we know now and can tell him. (Actually the only person who should know the gender is the ultrasound tech when we went at Week 21; it's not a secret and we're not telling anyone. We don't know and we won't know until delivery.)

LJ got to hear the heartbeat which is always strong and loud. The midwife was really complimentary of LJ; he asked some good questions about the impending labor & delivery. What to do when the water bag breaks (call) and how long before we head to the hospital (depends on how far apart the contractions are)? LJ doesn't want to be present for the birth which is fine with us, but he's excited to get the call from Bonnie and come to the hospital. We think he's going to be a great older cousin, even willing to change a few diapers! : )