dear little prince

dear little prince,

i will have you know that boy clothes are such fun! and i hope you like stripes because your first outfits are all about that. within a few days of finding out that we are expecting a boy, i was already shopping for you. we do have a few gender neutral hand-me-downs for you to wear...that elinor is so excited to "share with baby brudder" but i wanted to make sure you have plenty of things that are just you. and so, mama went a tad overboard. bitty henleys and striped onesies and supersoft heathered gray bodysuits. and even some tiny socks! and your coming home outfit. you should be all set in the threads department for a good chunk of time. i can't wait to see you fill these clothes in just a short while. for now, they are sitting on the dresser in your nursery, just waiting to be washed and tucked away for june.

we can't wait to meet you, our little ridley noble. it seems to strange that we will soon have a little person in our home that goes by that name. we keep saying it to each other and talking to you so you hear our voices and know that we are thinking about you and praying for you. and lest we forget that you are there, you make your presence known regularly with your rolling and jabs and kicks. thanks for saying hello to us. and easy does it on mama's bladder and ribs...

your big sister likes to say hello to you every morning. she greets you with a little poke to my belly button and a "hiiiiiii baby brudder" followed by a big kiss. sometimes, she reads stories to you and she also likes to remind me that "rid-ree is baby brudder's name". as you can probably tell, we are all excited for you to join the fun of our family.

we are in planning mode around here. preparing space in our home for you. thinking about toys for boys and activities we can do together. trains and planes and action figures and sporting gear. so many fun and new things! we look forward to learning right along with you. this weekend was valentine's day and your papa did a pretty great job of spoiling us girls. he reminded me that from here on out, i will get to plan things for you. because naturally, the boys do things for the girls and the girls do things for the boys. so while you and your papa are busy planning cute things for your mama and sister, elinor and i will get to plan some fun things for our valentines. for some reason, it really struck me that i will have a son. a little boy that i will get to love. how exciting! i pray that God will prepare me and equip me to raise up a boy into a man. i pray that your papa will continue to model Godly manhood and be an example of sacrificial love and character. we love you so, rid-ree.

xo, mama + papa + elinor