I was 3 1/2 when my sister was born. I remember noticing that I was getting less attention from everyone since I was no longer the baby of the family. I realized that I'd never get that much attention ever again - it made me sad, but I understood why things had to be like that.

Yay for publishment, erika!

Also, the tech took a picture of the Halloweenie's ass, and he and the doctor have both scrutinized said ass at length and have come to the joint conclusion that it is very likely the ass of a girl.

JZ, I think you should print that entry, include it in Halloweenie's baby book, and be sure to show it to every one of her boyfriends.

Sekrit message to Emmett: Ya know all the annoying things that grown-ups do to you now, like telling you it is time for bed or making you do chores? Big brothers get to do that to little sisters. Plus, if you work it right, you can totally warp her developing personality. Try chanting "Death, Doom, Destruction" over her in a low voice when no one else is around, go on, it'll be fun.

Being an elder sibling is a great puppetmaster opportunity.

By the way, and FTR, I just called dibs on throwing the Zmayhem baby shower, or at least the Buffista one.

I don't think Emmett needs a reason to do stuff like the whitefont. But that is why I think I'd like him so much...I'd enjoy meeting him while I'm town. Maybe, huh? I just want to do everything, though. Yeah, about my stories, depends who bites first. Victor's magazine or Breath&shadow. (Which seemed really exciting when I first thought about it and now seems like what you do when you have no personal life.)

YAY JZ AND HEC!

Also, the tech took a picture of the Halloweenie's ass, and he and the doctor have both scrutinized said ass at length and have come to the joint conclusion that it is very likely the ass of a girl.

Hee!

And also YAY! on the soundly beating little heart. I had a fetal echo for the first time with Sara (due to "advanced maternal age" -- hmmph -- and the diabetes) and it was actually fun to see it all in such great detail. I had good tech, which makes such a difference. Yay!

Geez, erika, why you gotta be a hatah? Two places interested in publishing you is damn good thing. Think of the poor writers out there in Buffistaland who have nothing to show for their work but rejections--if being published is a bad thing then THEIR predicament is too horrible to contemplate!

Seriously--it's very cool and I am glad for you, Bunk.

I was 7 when my bro was born and I remember it being tough to be an only child for so long and then have to share.

I think this is what's stressing him out, especially since he's never even had to share his parents with each other; it's been a lifetime of half a week one-on-one with dad, half a week one-on-one with mom. He stressed out a couple of years ago just coping with the wedding and all the sharing Dad/loyalty to Mom issues that entailed, and now this is another big huge lump of crap he's not quite emotionally equipped to articulate yet.

I keep wanting to try to say or do things to make it better, but of course I can't really fix anything since I'm part of the problem. It's a tricksy balancing act, and likely to get tricksier.

Hugs to Emmett. He'll be a great big brother!

He truly will, as anyone who saw him playing with Emeline last year can attest. He just doesn't want to hear it right now.

He just doesn't want to hear it right now.

So normal. You should have seen the looks of horror on Ben and Jake's faces when we told them I was pregnant with Sara. A baby! Ewwww! And also, especially for Jake, being old enough to mostly know how Mommy got pregnant in the first place was a total gross-out. Emmett might be feeling some of that, too.