Progress?

It has been a week since we garnered the courage to bring Robby in on our baby secret, or, as he puts it, since the day we "blew his brain out of his face." Ever since that time we have seen him go through a variety of emotions ranging from pure grief to outrage and finally settling somewhere in between. Although I can't yet say that he is delighted with the prospect of bringing a sibling into our home, he is no longer breaking into spontaneous tears so I consider progress has been made.

We decided to tell Robby so that he could accompany us to the sonogram scheduled for the next day. We thought that he would enjoy seeing the baby and that the experience would both fascinate him and help bring the excitement of a sibling to life. As it turns out, we were incorrect on both accounts. He only stayed in the sonogram room for a mere five minutes before he began to cry. Scott took him to the waiting room where the little guy put a magazine over his head and fell asleep until I came out.

We have deliberately not focused on the pregnancy. After all, there will be enough time to experience the reality after the baby is born. Even though we haven't been pushing the issue, every once in awhile Robby says something that lets me know that he is still processing the news. The other morning he came running into the kitchen to encourage me to buy Pampers for the baby because they have "four layers of protection which will help the kid sleep through the night." I thanked him for the tip and asked him to keep an eye out for other products which might help when the baby is born.  Although he doesn't delight in the prospect of having a sibling, shopping for one allows him to embrace his commercial loving side.

I did speak with his teacher about Robby's reaction to the pregnancy. She reassured me that he would be fine but also promised to facilitate a conversation if the opportunity arose. Since so many of Robby's classmates are welcoming babies into their homes, the opportunity didn't take long to develop!

The next day his teacher met me at the door, wearing a whimsical smile which I have come to learn signaled another Robby adventure or story. She informed me that Robby spoke with her about the baby. This is her recount of the story:

"My Momom is having a baby because she is pregnant. I'm not sure but I'm pretty sure that my Momom is pregnant because my Dad didn't keep his privates to himself. I am going to tell Grandma that my Dad didn't keep his privates to himself. She really isn't going to like hearing this!" 

Yet again, I was rendered speechless after I heard the story. All I could do was smile and nod as I envisioned the conversation that Robby was planning to have with his Grandma. I'm not sure if it shows acceptance of the pregnancy, but it certainly indicates who he is blaming for this change!

*** Day 5. Watching Robby complete his BrainPop homework without a fuss.**