Now that our closest friends and family know, it’s out on social media, and I’m already sporting some oh-so super sexy over-the-tummy maternity clothes, we are officially out of the pregnancy closet and happy to announce that Madelyn is going to be a big sister!

This is how we shared the news recently on Facebook:

This baby has been in the making for a while. Longer than we intended, actually. But that’s life’s way of a funny joke since we went into it thinking it would be as quick and easy as it was the first time. So for seven months, I was in a bad mood, annoyed with each notification of “Nope, try again!”

Naturally, I got frustrated and started wondering what could be wrong. And it wasn’t until I finally gave in and had to reluctantly buy a box of monthly, um, “gear” (I seriously might have muttered some bad words to the box, letting it know how very unwelcome it was on my shelf) that I think something clicked, and that box is still unopened.

My first order of business after I took a pregnancy test was to tell Bryan. He was downstairs and had been awaiting my opening of that dreaded box I unwillingly had to buy, assuming we’d see another unpregnant month. With a morning haze and my glasses still on, I asked him if he saw one line or two because I wasn’t able to function (this is true. I am, uh, not a morning person). He looked at me in shock and told me he saw two. I said I thought so, but knew I needed a new prescription for my glasses and can barely read the cereal box, so I couldn’t take a home pregnancy test very seriously.

We were super excited, a lot in shock, and a little freaked out.

We decided to tell our families during a July 4th BBQ we had already planned on hosting. It was two days away, and while we didn’t want to make a huge production, we also wanted to add a little excitement to the mix.

I bought a cake and had it customized to say: Expecting A New Little Firecracker.

It was cute, but our baby cake was also delicious. Is that wrong?

The day after we found out we were pregnant, Madelyn was on her A-game firing off the funniest sayings and my mom jokingly called her a little firecracker. I knew that that was my link to the upcoming holiday and this baby’s big sister.

It was a normal BBQ at our house except for the fact that I was on edge with excitement to share our news. And at one point, my sister-in-law asked me, “So what’s new?” and I screamed in my head that I was pregnant aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!! but I just shrugged and sighed and said, “Eh, nothin’ much. Just staying busy this summer.”

Princeton looked extra dapper in his festive bandana and Madelyn was enjoying all the attention of her favorite family members being together. I snapped some photos before the craziness.

All my babies!

So after some grilling and grubbing, I told everyone to check out this cute cake I got for dessert. Some got it right away; some took a few extra seconds for it to sink in, but in a matter of a minute, we were all hugging and celebrating. It was really fun, and it felt good to share our good news with our VIPs.

The family of 4-ish.

I think the best reaction of the baby news was when we told Madelyn. We told her the same day we found out because I can’t keep my own secrets very well from the people I love and I wanted to hear her weigh in on the situation. I explained to her that Mommy has a baby in her belly and reminded her about other friends who’ve also had babies in their bellies lately. She seemed to understand very well. I told her she was going to be a big sister and she’d get to have her own baby.

Her eyes grew wide, she gasped with realization, looked upstairs, and declared: I have babies in my pway woom!

She will find out soon enough that this baby won’t be anything like the five plastic ones that share a miniature crib surrounded by blocks and books in the room next door to hers. She also will find out soon enough that the room next door to hers will no longer be her pway woom. Sorry, pal.

She actually took the news very well and each day she continues to make my heart melt with hugs and kisses to my belly, often singing and talking to Baby. She is so excited to be a big sis!

We are now almost 13 weeks along, and despite some extreme exhaustion and a few waves of queasiness here and there, I’ve had a great and easy pregnancy as I did with Madelyn’s. Seeing the baby during ultrasounds has helped remind me that this is really happening during my busy days with a three-year-old when it’s easy to be distracted. We’ve had our routine first trimester screening and I’m relieved and happy to say that everything looked perfect and normal.

So, come early March, we will officially be able to say we are a family of four (humans), and that another one has been Born Friedman.

Hey, kid! Welcome to the Internet!