One thing about having four kids is that they (mostly) all have a lot of practice at being the big sibling. And they know how awesome little brothers and sisters are, at least until they get to be big enough to pull apart your train tracks and/or eat the pages out of your books. But they grow out of that before too long, and my kids know that too.

Which is why, when we told them (like I’m now telling you) that we’re going to have another baby, the older three shrieked with a combination of joy/excitement/disbelief/excitement again. The youngest is only two, so she just kind of smiled and nodded and didn’t really grasp the full meaning of the announcement.

“Can we name it Stinkydoodlemonster?” Audrey asked immediately. (This, oddly, is a term of endearment rather than an insult.) There is a reason that our kids are not involved in the baby-naming process. Ever.

My brother has since suggested that we consider calling the baby Owen #2, or maybe Matilda. (His dog is named Matilda.) There is a reason that no one but Dane and I is involved in the baby-naming process. Ever.

To fill in the details: we expect the baby very late in the summer, or early in the fall. Abigail will be ten by then, Owen will be seven, Audrey will be four, and Sadie will be almost three. This baby, like all of our others, will be born at home, barring any unforeseen—and highly unlikely—circumstances. We won’t know if it’s a boy or a girl until the birth, at which point we will totally let you know. Promise.

So. You got any good name suggestions? Because you see what I get around here.