If there's one thing I will regret in my life it's not having the camera ready to record Miriam's reaction when we told her we were having another baby.
We went public yesterday and so we decided it was probably time to tell the rest of the children. Rachel, sneaky girl that she is, had already found out (read about that in the next post). We were casually, secretively, talking about this at the dinner table when Andrew said, "Huh. I guess we can tell the other kids now since we've told everybody else."
"Rachel," I offered. "Why don't you tell them?"
"Are you...are you sure?" Rachel stammered.
The poor girl has been bursting at the seams with this news and has been dropping hints left and right (read about that in the next post) but has somehow managed to hold it in.
"Sure," Andrew said. "It's public knowledge now so you can tell people. Go ahead and tell your sister, tell your friends, tell whoever."
"Oh, I've already told some friends," Rachel said.
I thought as much. "Who did you tell?" I asked.
"Mostly just people I knew wouldn't come in contact with Miriam."
"Oh, like who?"
"Diana, mostly. Just Diana, I think."
Diana is her desk partner at school and I'm quite happy it worked out that way because Diana is the sweetest little girl. She and Rachel have become quite good friends.
"Well, that's alright. But you can tell whoever you want now. Why don't you tell Miriam?"
"Oh, okay. Mom's going to have another baby!"
Miriam's eyes got wide and round her her mouth dropped open.
"Really?!" she squeaked.
"Really," we assured her.
"Really?" she asked again.
"Really."
"Really, really, really?"
"Really."
"Realy?"
"Really. We're really having another baby."
"You're really having another baby! Then our family will have six people in it and there will be four kids and, oh, I hope it's a girl baby!"
And thus a shouting match ensued across the table between Rachel and Miriam.
"BOY!" Rachel shouted.
"GIRL!" Miriam retorted.
"Boy!"
"Girl!"
"Boy!"
"Girl!"
"Boy!"
"Girl!"
"Boy! Miriam—look around you! We already have a lot of girls in this family. Benjamin needs a little brother to play with."
"Girl! Rachel—I already have a little brother. I need a little sister!"
"Guys—we won't know if it's a boy or a girl until after we get back from Utah and we will love it either way."
"Sure we will," Miriam agreed. "But I will love it more if it's a girl. Hey, Mom! After dinner can we name the baby? I have a lot of good ideas for names! Bob! Max! Penny!"
"After dinner you can feel free to make a list but I won't guarantee that we'll use the names you suggest. We'll consider them..." I said.
"But ultimately we're going to decide on the name," Andrew finished. "Because we're the parents."
"Okay, then Rachel can think of all the boy names and I will think of all the girl names," said Miriam.
"But I have good girl names, too!" Rachel said. "Elizabeth, for example. That's a good girl's name."
"You can each come up with boys names and girls names," I said. "You don't need to fight about it."
The conversation then went full circle when Miriam returned to her state of shock.
"Really?" she asked. "You're really having a baby?"
"Really."
"Really?"
"Really."
"REALLY?"
"No," said Andrew. "We're kidding."
"Really?" Miriam slumped.
"Miriam—we are having a baby. There is a baby in Mommy's tummy and that's why she's been so tired and sick."
"Oh," Miriam said as it dawned on her. "So that's why you always want to sleep in and take naps and go to bed and..."
"Yup. That about sums it up," I said.
Andrew got out the ultrasound picture as solid evidence (we've already had one of those because we're special/high risk) and the girls went wild fighting over who gets to keep the picture. The answer was neither of them.
Anyway, Miriam was elated. Rachel was, too. Benjamin kept pulling up his shirt to look at his tummy and saying, "Me turn baby night," because for some reason he believes he turns into a baby at night.
Here are the lists of names the girls came up with:
Miriam's boy names:
We went public yesterday and so we decided it was probably time to tell the rest of the children. Rachel, sneaky girl that she is, had already found out (read about that in the next post). We were casually, secretively, talking about this at the dinner table when Andrew said, "Huh. I guess we can tell the other kids now since we've told everybody else."
"Rachel," I offered. "Why don't you tell them?"
"Are you...are you sure?" Rachel stammered.
The poor girl has been bursting at the seams with this news and has been dropping hints left and right (read about that in the next post) but has somehow managed to hold it in.
"Sure," Andrew said. "It's public knowledge now so you can tell people. Go ahead and tell your sister, tell your friends, tell whoever."
"Oh, I've already told some friends," Rachel said.
I thought as much. "Who did you tell?" I asked.
"Mostly just people I knew wouldn't come in contact with Miriam."
"Oh, like who?"
"Diana, mostly. Just Diana, I think."
Diana is her desk partner at school and I'm quite happy it worked out that way because Diana is the sweetest little girl. She and Rachel have become quite good friends.
"Well, that's alright. But you can tell whoever you want now. Why don't you tell Miriam?"
"Oh, okay. Mom's going to have another baby!"
Miriam's eyes got wide and round her her mouth dropped open.
"Really?!" she squeaked.
"Really," we assured her.
"Really?" she asked again.
"Really."
"Really, really, really?"
"Really."
"Realy?"
"Really. We're really having another baby."
"You're really having another baby! Then our family will have six people in it and there will be four kids and, oh, I hope it's a girl baby!"
And thus a shouting match ensued across the table between Rachel and Miriam.
"BOY!" Rachel shouted.
"GIRL!" Miriam retorted.
"Boy!"
"Girl!"
"Boy!"
"Girl!"
"Boy!"
"Girl!"
"Boy! Miriam—look around you! We already have a lot of girls in this family. Benjamin needs a little brother to play with."
"Girl! Rachel—I already have a little brother. I need a little sister!"
"Guys—we won't know if it's a boy or a girl until after we get back from Utah and we will love it either way."
"Sure we will," Miriam agreed. "But I will love it more if it's a girl. Hey, Mom! After dinner can we name the baby? I have a lot of good ideas for names! Bob! Max! Penny!"
"After dinner you can feel free to make a list but I won't guarantee that we'll use the names you suggest. We'll consider them..." I said.
"But ultimately we're going to decide on the name," Andrew finished. "Because we're the parents."
"Okay, then Rachel can think of all the boy names and I will think of all the girl names," said Miriam.
"But I have good girl names, too!" Rachel said. "Elizabeth, for example. That's a good girl's name."
"You can each come up with boys names and girls names," I said. "You don't need to fight about it."
The conversation then went full circle when Miriam returned to her state of shock.
"Really?" she asked. "You're really having a baby?"
"Really."
"Really?"
"Really."
"REALLY?"
"No," said Andrew. "We're kidding."
"Really?" Miriam slumped.
"Miriam—we are having a baby. There is a baby in Mommy's tummy and that's why she's been so tired and sick."
"Oh," Miriam said as it dawned on her. "So that's why you always want to sleep in and take naps and go to bed and..."
"Yup. That about sums it up," I said.
Andrew got out the ultrasound picture as solid evidence (we've already had one of those because we're special/high risk) and the girls went wild fighting over who gets to keep the picture. The answer was neither of them.
Anyway, Miriam was elated. Rachel was, too. Benjamin kept pulling up his shirt to look at his tummy and saying, "Me turn baby night," because for some reason he believes he turns into a baby at night.
Here are the lists of names the girls came up with:
Miriam's boy names:
- Goerge (George)
- Toty (?)
- Bob
Miriam's girl names:
- Eliza
- Luna
- Ella
- Pam
- Penny
- Ruby
- Mia
- Meme
Rachel's boy names:
- Tom Washington Heiss
- Johnn Tillous Heiss (after our newly elected state senator)
- William (Bill) Harry Heiss
- Charlie Ronald Heiss
- Goerge Rider Heiss
- Fred Teddy Heiss
Rachel's girl names:
- Ella Hermione Heiss
- Marry Felicity Heiss
- Elizabeth (?) Heiss
- Luna Lilly Heiss
- Bella (?) Heiss
- Penny (?) Heiss
- Rose (Rosie) Ginerva Heiss
- Mia (?) Heiss
They obviously were consulting each other while writing these lists. Basically, I think they'd approve any name that J.K. Rowling would use in a novel. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any Freddy Teddys or Luna Lilys in our future. Not in those combinations, anyway.
Those names are great! Haha! I love that Rachel included middle names on some of hers.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy for you, and surprised a bit that you are so far along based on your late September post. But I'm soooo happy that another little Heiss is on the way! Congratulations!!
Haha. Yes. That.
DeleteWell, let's just say that we were a bit surprised, too. :)
That was why I was so shocked when you told me...and did not therefore know how to react because it felt like just the other day you were sad about not being...and therefore came across all crotchety. Confusion does that to me, apparently.
ReplyDeleteI think Rachel and I would be best friends if we were the same age - in elementary school, I planned my future childrens' names and most of them were Harry Potter names.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cute story! Congratulations!!!
I searched my name, and this came up. At first I felt flattered that Miriam wanted to use my name and then I wondered how she even knew me. And then the truth was made clear.
ReplyDelete