New Year, New Baby

As most of you know, Calvin and I are expecting another baby around May 25th. We are so excited! The girls, especially, are so happy to be having a baby. They absolutely love babies and taking care of them. I'm not saying that they won't have some adjustment to do when the baby's born, but all in all, they generally love having babies around and are such good helpers. It's also nice that several of my friends have had babies the past few months, so my girls are used to being around babies. My pregnancy so far has been really great! The first few months were a little stressful - just wondering and praying that everything was going as it should be, but other than a little tiredness, I have been very blessed to feel good. I am now 21 weeks and can't believe that I am already halfway through my pregnancy. It's just crazy how the time has flown by! I'm about the same size as I was when I carried both girls. For a while it concerned me that I wasn't very big, but after having my ultrasound and being reassured that the baby really is fine, I realize that this is just the way I carry babies. I finally put away my normal jeans this week and have graduated into mostly maternity clothes (except for sweats and t-shirts). I've found that while I have tons of stuff to wear to church, my everyday wardrobe is lacking a little. (With both girls, I was teaching - hence the maternity wardrobe being mostly dress clothes.) Thank goodness for friends who have loaned me some things so I don't have to go out and buy a brand new wardrobe.

Last week we had our big ultrasound. We went in the evening, because it worked out best for Calvin. That meant though, that we had to go to the hospital to have it. Their printer was broken and they didn't have a screen on the wall, so it was harder for me to see, but I was still able to see that precious little baby moving around inside my belly. It was so great and reassuring to see the heart beating and to see everything present that was supposed to be there. We took the girls with us so that they could see the baby on "TV". Aubrey was completely enthralled, while Chloe got a little bored after a while. They got to see the baby sucking his/her thumb, which was pretty cool. Calvin really wanted to find out what we are having, but I love the element of surprise and don't want to know. I personally just feel blessed to be having another baby, regardless of the sex. But since I haven't let him find out ever with any of our kids, I told him that he could find out provided that he doesn't tell me. He's allowed to tell one person, but it can't be me (there's lots of people who are vying to be his one). :) He's afraid that he's not going to be able to keep it a secret so he didn't find out that night we went. I did have the tech write it on a piece of paper, which she proceeded to tape shut and give to him in case he changes his mind. The paper is now in his night stand and I have no idea if he's looked or not. I'd rather keep it that way. Then I don't have to judge his every reaction and try to determine what it means. Anyways, the baby ended up moving around so much that the tech wasn't able to get all of the measurements she needed. I go back next week for another one and hopefully will get pictures this time. This baby moves ALL the time, so I really wasn't surprised to see how much he/she did move. While some people tell me I better watch out for an active child, I just see it as God's way of reassuring me that everything is okay with the baby. I'd rather have that than be wondering all the time if something is wrong. The girls and Calvin have been able to feel the baby move, and the girls especially love it! What can I say - I feel so blessed in this new year!

13 weeks

16 weeks
18 weeks