The Cat Being Out of the Bag . . .

Yay! We're going to have another baby! I'm so, so, so excited! As I've been sharing the news here and there (OK, everywhere!), I've been getting that trepidatious look as people say,
"Are . . . you . . . happy about this?"

And I say, "Yes! We're ecstatic! We've always wanted more kids."

After taking the pregnancy tests, I told Buffalo Wings that I wanted to wait till Christmas to start really telling people. But that I needed to call my brother and tell him that we weren't telling Mamma and Daddy till Christmas, sort of as a Christmas surprise. And I had to call my friends E and K and tell them. But that was it. That was it.

Well, that lasted till the next day!

I could hardly get through the next few days. I was so thrilled, overwhelmed, and feeling blessed. I'm going to be a mom again! I'm going to have a sweet little brand-new baby! I can't help it. I'm overjoyed.

Some people, as I've told them, have chastised me:
"I understand about God taking care of things and all that, but it's just not economical to have that many children this day and age."
"Are you sure you can handle four children?"
And these are well-meaning responses from friends who feel they are watching out for me and my family. So I just respond positively and continue to feel happy for myself and for the rest of my family. And I know that God takes care of things, even if may not seem economical to have several children, and that we are also doing our best to take care of things and plan carefully.

Chicken Nugget didn't take the news as well as I'd hoped. I told her on the way home from school the other day. She kind of frowned and made a disappointed sound. I said, "How do you feel about this? Are you ok?"
She said, "I'm kinda sad and kinda not. You know, there will be the hair-pulling and the scratching and the biting . . ."
I said, "Well, you could hide from the baby."
She responeded, "Yeah . . . but it will find me."

Sweet girl. I felt bad for her, but then I watched her in the backseat today. She was sitting between her brother and her sister, and was entertaining them. This was without prompting. This was not they're-bothering-me-so-I'd-better-entertain-them. This was CN playing with her brother and sister just for the sheer joy of making them happy and seeing them laugh. She told them both how beautiful they were. It was such a great picture to see, and I was rest assured that she'd be just as happy over her new brother or sister.

My mother said it was hard for her not to buy baby things at the store the other day. She's already planning the colors for the new baby quilt - pastels. She's not made one of my babies a pastel quilt yet.

My brother, silly-head that he is, said, "Send it back! Send it back! Now I have to buy more presents at Christmas!"

By my best estimation, I'm about 4-5 weeks pregnant, and the baby should be here early to mid July. I'll correct my Lilypie baby ticker on the 12th, which is my first doctor's appointment. I'll of course know more on that day.

I was doing chores today, thinking about the baby, and I just felt so normal about it all. Happy, ecstatic, thrilled, overjoyed, but normal. Like this is the most natural thing that should be happening in our lives right now. No uncertainty. No fear. Just as if, well, why shouldn't this be happening?

Thanks so much to all of you - we have felt you rejoicing with us! Much love to all of you!