Getting the Kids involved in the Pregnancy

All attention are most often focused on the arrival of the new baby.  If there
is one thing that my husband and I dont want to happen is for our older
child to envy, if not resent her baby brother.  We want to see them grow up
loving and supporting each other.  So we got her involved in the pregnancy
right from the start.  Here are some of the things that you too can do to get
your kids involved:

Take her with you during pre-natal visits.  You can do this in all trimesters of your pregnancy.  Treat every visit like a field trip.  Explain what the doctor
is checking and have her listen to the baby's heartbeat.  We usually schedule
our pre-natal check ups every saturday so my daughter can join us and then
we go out for a chocolate milkshake.

Guessing Game.  You pretty much have 5-6 months to guess the baby's
gender.  You can make it fun by saying that whoever gets it right, will get an
ice cream.  Bring everyone along on the day that you're due to get an
ultrasound.  Don't worry.  This game will work too even if you only have one
child.  You and you husband can join in the guessing game.

Name Game.   Now that you know what the baby's gender is, it's time to
think of baby names.  This is probably my daughter's favorite.  My husband
and I decided that we're going to let her name her baby brother.  Until my
daughter said that she'd like her brother to be called as "Beast" if she is
"Belle" (she likes Beauty and the Beast by the way) because they're partners. 
My daughter thought of crazy names including Zohan...yup...taken from the
movie of the same title.  We knew there is a need for us to supervise but we
definitely had a lot of fun doing that.

Shopping.  When shopping for your new baby, give your older child a
budget and a list of things that you need.  You can maybe assign her to
choose the cutest little bootie or a few bibs.  That will give her a sense of
accomplishment and pride that she "bought" the bootie that the baby is
wearing.  Never mind if the one she chose are not the ones that you really
like.

Snuggle time.  Before going to bed (or anytime during the day), snuggle with
her and let her feel your tummy.  While doing that, you can tell her stories
about how you felt when she was inside your womb -- how you felt the first
time you found out you were pregnant or how you felt the first time you
heard her heartbeat.  Make her feel that she is as special as the baby inside
your womb now.  This is the best time to reassure her that no matter what
everyone will say, a mother and a father's heart is always big enough to
make room for one more.