Little Jake’s eyes lit up at last. He wriggled in place, proud and shy all at once. “Then... if it’s a little sister, that’s fine too. I’ll play with her—and Daddy can be our pony!”

Their dad groaned. “Sounds like I’m doomed to die of exhaustion.”

But Jake didn’t care. He threw himself on his mom’s belly, whispering to the baby he hadn’t even met yet, “You better come out soon, okay? I’ll let you play with my toys. I’ll save you some ...