Preparation
The past few weeks we have been doing what we can to prepare Dude for the inevitable arrival of baby 2.0. He has embraced the concept of older brother and is extremely excited. When I remind him that sometimes the baby will cry or need extra attention, he tells me that is what he is here for... to help. His official nickname for the baby is now "Babes", which we have been told will be "her" name until "she" is born. Although we have told him we will not know the sex of Babes until his/her birth, he still insists on calling Babes a girl. When asked what he is excited about, he says being able to teach Babes new things... oh, and how he wants to share his room if we get him a bunk bed. Looks like the negotiations have already started.
Simple courtesies really
There are certain rules that apply for people borrowing my stuff. First... if you borrow my car, it's a good idea to clean blood smears and other organic particles off the outside before you return it. Also, when returning a book, be sure all of the pages are still there.