Stress City!!

So...we've had 2 Dr's appointments and I haven't had the chance to write about any of them. Things around here have been very stressful since the news about baby number 3 has happened.

For starters, the 1st appointment went great. The Dr. was super nice and I immediately knew I'd try to see her regularly. She is very down to earth and up front about everything. Personable and understanding. So, at the appointment, they confirmed the pregnancy...like we didn't already know after 4 of our own tests!!! And, I got a boatload of paperwork and pamphlets to read up on. Information about all the tests they run and the ones that are optional. All the info about the appointments and what happens at each one. All the info about registering (AGAIN!!!) at Northside and getting set-up for delivery. When you aren't planning on a third child, you forget about all the paperwork and reading there is to do. I got some free gifts from Similac and a cute planner to help me track the pregnancy. After all the formalities were over, we did sneak in to the ultrasound room to check what was going on. The tech was gone for the day, but the Dr. wanted me to be stress free on my trip to Gatlinburg that everything was ok. She found the baby and everything looked normal. But, she did schedule me for another ultrasound with the tech to make it official and to get some accurate numbers.

And, I am so thankful she did that. Because the weekend I went away was anything but stress free. I got some much needed rest, but the spotting I had been having was getting worse and I was getting worried. I prayed every minute for God to bless this baby...it's amazing how much you want something that you never really knew you wanted in the first place until you had it. And, I swore, I'd take morning sickness and whatever else in its place. But, for the most part, I was still feeling well, just stressed. And the spotting continued. We went to ultrasound appointment the following Wednesday and I was so glad Bo got to be there for this appointment. He had missed the first one because he was at his Grandmother's funeral and with the spotting, there was no way I could miss the first appointment. So, I was fully prepared for the tech to tell us we had lost the baby. But, to my surprise, the baby was there and doing perfectly well. Thank God!!! So, we got our first set of ultrasound pictures to take home and we were on cloud nine. After a few days, the spotting went away completely...but I got the morning sickness I bargained with God for. He has such a sense of humor, that God!!! And, to this very day, I am still nauseous most of the afternoon and in to the evening. I am nearing week 9 and I am hoping it will get better soon. I so want to be able to enjoy this pregnancy as it will be the last for sure. I am looking forward to all the wonderful things that come when the sickness subsides.

In the meantime we have told most all of our friends and family. It's fun to watch the shock and surprise on their faces especially after a conversation just 4 short weeks ago about how we were done having kids. Little did we know...

We have another appointment on the 15th of August...our Anniversary!!! We are anxious to hear the heartbeat for the first time and know that everything is still going well.

One Week Later

One week later, we are still having a baby and the shock hasn't worn off yet. For me, it's about the reality of maternity clothes...things I never thought I'd wear again...late night feedings, starting all over again from scratch with a new baby, and coping with sheer exhaustion and being outnumbered by our kids!! But, there's always the up side. I am so looking forward to the hospital stay and bonding with the baby, setting up a new nursery, finding cute baby clothes I never thought I'd get to buy again. And, of course, there's the little toes and that new baby smell. So, while the idea is still haunting, it has become exciting. We have a Dr. appointment next week on the 16th. They will be able to tell us a lot more at that appointment, but we should be looking at a March baby.

And before this little note ends, I need to add a little comment - I have been feeling especially "large"...even for 4 weeks. And, with the darkness and quickness the pregnancy test line showed up on the stick, I'd be remiss to say there's no way it twins. I don't think it is, but wouldn't that be a shocker. I just remember that the tests came back negative several times with Ally and Kelsey...even a week or so after the date of my missed period. So, for this to turn so quickly, even just one day late, has me wondering and thinking. If it is twins...you heard it hear first!!! One week in to it...

The Big Surprise!!!

July 1st started out like any normal day and ended in a far more bizarre way than ever expected. After worrying for 2 days that I might be pregnant, I finally took a pregnancy test to confirm the negative result and forget about the worrying. Much to my surprise, the test was positive before it was even finished. I took 2 more tests because I was sure the first was wrong, but all 3 came out positive. So...we are pregnant!!! After many years of professing we were done, we have one last baby to plan for.

And, surprise, doesn't even begin to describe the emotions we are feeling. Shock is more appropriate....HUGE SHOCK!!!! But, excitement will enter the picture soon, I am sure.

I am hoping to use this blog as a way to journal our LAST pregnancy in hopes to remember all of the fun we are hoping it brings. But for right now, the questions and the thoughts are just swirling...it's back to thinking about names, diapers, 3 AM feedings, and being a new mom and dad all over again. We were so close to being on "cruise control" with our 2 girls, that we're going to have to regroup and start all over.

It will be several more weeks until the first of many Dr. appointments and I am sure I will be back to write more before then as thoughts, questions, and new ideas pop in my head. But for now, I had to actually put it in writing to believe it...we are pregnant for a 3rd time!!! We will finally be "The Jackson Five"!!!