Telling the Girls

We have put off sharing any news with the girls. They were crushed last time and really how could we put them through the risk of another loss? Over the weekend we started to think about when we should spill the beans. I am, after all, starting to look a little round after several previous pregnancies. We figured we'd wait for the next appointment to confirm we were still chugging along and we'd wait long enough to get the Harmony results so we could share whether they could expect a brother or sister.

So when we received the news about our baby boy having Down syndrome, there was a lot of uncertainty about what our future will look like. But one thing that Troy and I held onto was we were ready to share our news with Lily and Ella.

Now the amazing thing is, our daughters have sort of been groomed for their upcoming roles. Both girls attended the special needs preschool at the local elementary school as peer models. While I'm not even sure of what needs their classmates have had, I am sure my girls have played with, learned with, and befriended a variety of kiddos. And this year, particularly, Lily has become friends with a girl in her class who has Down syndrome.

So we started by telling the girls there is a baby in my belly. Troy continued to share that the baby will have special needs. This is a term Ella has been using a bit in the last few weeks, so we thought it might resonate a little with her. He added to Lily that the baby has Down syndrome and she understood that is the same thing her friend has. We finished by letting both girls know that they will be great big sisters.

We didn't tell them whether the baby is a boy or girl. We're saving that for a celebration! At least for now, votes seem to be that they want a brother.