Busted

Thomas taught Meg to say the name of her baby brother. I wasn't sure this was a good idea, but he was excited about it and it was so cute. He had a "plan" to minimize her giving the name away. He only asked her what her baby brother's name is on Thursdays, since she sees my mom on Sundays (at church) and M,T,Th (for babysitting), meaning on Thursday night she's the furthest from seeing her again and will likely forget. Also, even though she knows the name, half the time when we ask her she goes "huh?" or just stays silent - similar to the way she acts when we ask her to count to 10 (which she is great at, but sometimes just doesn't want to do). She's also MUCH less likely to count to 10 or (we assumed) say her brother's name around people other than Thomas or I, because she gets a little shy, even with family members. Plus, she's only (almost) two, so even when she does say the name, we weren't sure anyone who didn't already know it could understand.

Still, she is very proud of her knowledge, so Thomas started to also doubt she could keep it a secret until July. He decided we should have her tell everyone at her birthday party (in two weeks), since everyone from both sides of the family will be there.

I'm guessing you can see where this is going. My MIL came to visit last night. She asked Meg where her baby brother is. "MOMMY'S TUMMY!" Then MIL asked what her baby brother's name is. Meg answered, loud and clear. There was no mistaking it or explaining it away. The secret's out. MIL apologized and apologized, saying she wasn't trying to actually find out - she thought Meg wouldn't know and never expected her to actually say it.

We're going to have Meg tell my parents and sisters Sunday at church, but try to keep it in the immediate family for now. Who knows how long it will last. Maybe we will completely give up on the secret thing by the birthday party. If it becomes public knowledge before the birth, I'll be sure to let you guys know what the name is.