Our ultrasounds have been solidly enjoyable since they started. They’ve provided little bits and pieces of information and excitement and reassurance all along the way. Occasionally, we’ll go through a spell where baby won’t cooperate in a certain way, and pictures will be somewhat lacking for a few weeks. Recently, its been the face that been eluding our ultrasound tech. She scans me with a full bladder, an empty bladder, laying on both sides, laying on my back and somewhat on my belly, too. No dice.

Until today!!!

Our gorgeous little daughter looked so content in my womb. So cozy and smooth and beautiful.

She even pulled out the finger guns, which cracked me right up!! Our tech commented that the baby was pointing, but aaaaall I saw was finger guns!

She clearly already has a sense of humor.

She was also moving like crazy, which I just found SO exciting! I had plans to eat something sweet on the drive over, to wake her up and get her moving, but I forgot, having hid the treats in my pocket, away from the kids. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But it clearly wasn’t necessary, because she was wide awake and super wiggly. Our tech was able to get clear pictures of her face, back, limbs, organs, etc. And my goodness, our little Bambina is SUCH a sweetie!!!

Todays scan was so nice <3 I fear we’ll soon be done with ultrasounds, and I’m not sure how well I’ll handle that, but I know its coming. I’ll miss getting my daily bi-weekly dose of her. Hopefully this summer will be filled with her, every minute of every day. At that point, bi-weekly will feel so small. I cannot wait!!

Today marks the day of my marriage to Brady nine years ago! Nine years feels both long and short, and I truly wouldn’t trade those years for anything. We have a good thing going over here, even when things aren’t good.

I was looking back in past anniversary posts to more easily find my favorite pictures from our wedding, but I decided to go a different route. If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve probably seen them already, and if not, thats ok, too. It was beautiful wedding, with simple decor, a small wedding party, a GORGEOUS dress, worship music crossed with some music from the “Pride and Prejudice” soundtrack, and a breakfast reception like no other. I wish you could’ve all been there <3 Who knew I had such a support system of friends here?? I obviously didn’t know at the time, but The Daily Hailey didn’t exist yet.

I started clicking back, just to see out of interests sake, what we did each anniversary, and I decided that would be a more exciting post to read than a standard post about how much I love my husband. I do love him, and thats important, but I think you guys have probably picked up on that by now 😉

Anniversary #1 I have no record of, unfortunately! I wasn’t blogging at that time, and realizing that helps me see the value in what I’m doing here 🙂 I love having it on record. I wasn’t blogging during our first few years of marriage, but I remember we announced our very first pregnancy with Dekker almost exactly on our second anniversary. We were SO thrilled! We told our church, and I remember Brady whispering to me that now everyone at church would know that we were having sex. I remember making fun of him and saying they’d probably be more concerned if we announced that we weren’t! Anniversary #3 also is not recorded :/ Too bad.

Anniversary #4 is the first one I have in the blog, as I began blogging mid 2012, and it fell early 2013. My mom had offered to take Dekker for the day, so Brady and I went to the city to run some small errands before hitting up supper together. We went to Boston Pizza for tropical chicken pizza and garlic twisty bread. Both are still my favorites there 🙂 I remember we were SO excited, freshly pregnant with the baby we had tried for a full year for (Miss Laela.) I excitedly told our waitress that I was pregnant, but wanted a fancy drink. She told me she couldn’t recommend anything, because she liked alcohol. Lol! I was put off in the moment but the strawberry milkshake turned out to be yummy, so it wasn’t a total loss, haha! We went to say hi to Jerilee afterwards, who was working at Thyme Maternity. Of course I didn’t go into that detail on the blog, because it was still private, but I remember 🙂 It was a fun anniversary.

Anniversary #5 was spent with chocolate dipped strawberries and wine in a bubble bath. A few days later, my parents came out for the evening so Brady and I could go to this bizarre restaurant in Hafford that we had heard so much about. Brady had also planned a sweet little movie date for us afterwards, where he had folded down the backseats of our Mazda and laid out blankets and comfy things. A movie was downloaded on the laptop, and we snuggled in the car somewhere down a country road, and watched a movie. It was super cute, and very our style. I remember being heavy hearted, though, being just days away from Dekker’s eye surgery.

Anniversary #6 reads out pretty funny to me, actually. I was VERY pregnant with Rowan, and VERY sore. We were in the thick of getting the house painted so we could finally list it!! I hung with the kids downstairs, having braxton hicks one on top of the other, while Brady sanded drywall patches and cleaned all day long. Then he fed the kids while I spent the evening in bed. Not the most glamorous anniversary, but it counted!

Our 7th anniversary, I stated that Brady and I were probably in the best spot we had ever been in together. We were smitten and happy and just loving each other 100%. It was such an exciting time in our lives! We broke ground on our new house the very next day. It was good that we were in such good shape because the next few months were incredibly challenging, moving constantly, living in four different places. Tricky times, but we were strong!

Anniversary #8 was different. We had lost our Theo just weeks before, and we were weary. As I’ve said on here before, I had never known a grief like that – a loss of a child – and even though our loss was “early” and “routine,” it was new, and awful, and a very difficult “first” to experience. I didn’t want to do anything special for our anniversary. I just wanted to stay home. But, instead of backing out of the plans we had made months before, a few days later, we attended an epic Marianas Trench concert and enjoyed a delicious supper at Cactus Club. It was a beautiful date, and I’m so glad we went. No regrets there!

And now here we are on anniversary #9. Oy. Its been a HUGE year, and I wouldn’t say its been our best :/ Things were strained, and more difficult in a lot of ways. Yet on one hand, we were closer than ever, holding onto each other for dear life. Very naturally, he would remain strong when I was broken, which felt like always, but the few times he broke were the times I could pull it together and be the strong one. God carried us this year. Absolutely nothing else did. Sure, the wild amount of support has been the best of the best, and our world would be a heck of a lot smaller without it. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the love we’ve received. But, for Brady and I, we wouldn’t still be standing strong together, doing what we’re doing, without God’s constant cover of grace. We made it! Nine!!!

Next year will be our tenth anniversary, and without getting ahead of myself, of course, I’ve already decided we’re going on a hot holiday. But really, who knows. I’m usually pregnant, and I’d far rather go when I’m not. But finding childcare for a week for 5+ kids gets tricky too, hahaha! Ah well, I have a year before we’re there 😉 I think I’ll just go along with my usual “day by day” mantra and try to make it through until summer. Once summer comes, I will be able to breathe again. WE can breathe again.

Thanks for sticking these years out with me, Brady <3 I love you all the way, and will continue to do so. Smoochity smooch.

Ok, there are two nice things about the freezing cold weather. I really like that all the bugs are dead. One of the best things about winter, for sure! But, in an effort to be a better sport about going out into that bitter, windy weather, I did something fun!!

Some of you know this already, but I’ve been getting my nails done recently. While its pretty and pampering and a fun beauty thing, it is SAVING my hands! When my nails are done, I don’t (can’t) bite them, and I tend to leave the skin around them alone as well. I am a nail biter, and especially with such high anxiety, it was getting out of control. So we bite the financial bullet for me to be able to use my hands without searing pain shooting down my fingers.

I went to get them filled yesterday and my nail girl suggested color changing polish. I admit that my mind went straight to nail polishes from childhood that were apparently “mood” polished but, at least on me, stayed a pretty ugly color most of the time. But upon actually playing with the colors and dipping the examples into warm water, I decided on a beautiful heat changing color! We went from my suuuper grown out clunky nails these beauties!!

When I go out in the cold, they turn that beautiful dusty blue, which is close to the color I had in my head when I was planning ahead anyway, and when I come inside and warm up, they turn that super pretty lilac purple! I love both colors, but my favorite is the color they turn as they’re switching! As I am loading kids into the van, or just starting to warm up inside, they get this awesome periwinkle ombre effect, and I just LOVE them!! Seriously, I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out! And especially this time around, they’re so nice and thin and pretty! They’re shaped perfectly. And best of all, my hands don’t hurt. They are doing their job helping me curb my nervous habits, and I’m so grateful to be able to make it happen!!

While I love that blue color that comes with the cold, I’m VERY happy to be tucked in my bed (while all three of my kids at home are sleeping) nice and warm. I may have even heated them up a bit extra by eating soup. While in bed. Yes, I was asking for it, but all was well 😉 I hope you’re all having as relaxing as afternoon as I am!!

This whole thing just feels surreal these days. The fact that we made it to 18 weeks. The fact that we found out the gender. Everything else. It just feels incredible, and new, and exciting, and scary. Thank you all for sharing in our excitement regarding Friday’s post about the baby’s gender. My heart just swelled reading through comments, messages, etc. Bambina coming home feels so much more real than it did before, and its so fun to know how many others are excited for her arrival, too! We feel so fortunate to have all the support that we have! So, again, thank you!!!

Let’s begin!

Size Comparison: Once again, this weeks comparison on the app is super variable, suggesting baby is the size of a slingshot, a sweet potato, or a croissant, which I liked best. However, she is apparently 5.5″ tall and weighing 7 oz. I don’t have current numbers, but the times I have, baby has been heavier than the app suggests. Do I already have a chubby baby in there??

Appointments: I saw Dr. Guselle last week, and I’ll have an ultrasound later this week. Soon, the appointments will drop off, though, which I admit to feeling nervous about, but I’m confident I’ll have all the care I need as I need it. As usual, my appointment with my doctor was great. Reassuring, lighthearted, and informative, with a few good laughs. Dr. Guselle was thrilled for us that we are having another girl, and made a point to print out our official report so I could keep it. She gets me. She found Bambina’s heartbeat pretty much instantly. She actually even casually mentioned to me that “some people buy their own doppler’s online.” I was floored that she even put it out there, because the risk that I’d make myself crazy is definitely there. Obviously, I haven’t told her I have one already, because I assumed she’d advise against it. I love that she suggested it. I think she trusts me. On a slightly different note, this appointment continued to show that my blood pressure is on the lower side, as usual, and my weight gain is nice and under control. I started this pregnancy about 15 lbs up from where I started my pregnancy with Jamin, and while I’ve done nothing different or significant, I’ve only gained 2 lbs! So I’m pretty happy with how thats turning out. So far, medical wise, all is well. Blood work is still to come, but not until 26-ish weeks. Until then, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing – drinking as much water as I can, taking my aspirin before bed, and my vitamins. I’m doing all I can do.

How am I feeling emotionally: My honest answer is that I feel very strongly in two different directions these days. I feel SO excited, and hopeful. I feel like this is finally going to work!!! But I feel very vulnerable, and scared to be let down. Things like finding out Bambina’s gender made it so much more real, in such a wonderful way, but now its so much more personal. She is confidently named. What if she dies now? We’ll lose her name, too 🙁 I don’t mean to be harsh, or depressing. They’re just my real thoughts. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her. I can’t do it again. So I’m THRILLED, but I’m pretty scared. Pretty anxious.

How am I feeling physically: Meh :/ I’m not feeling great. I’m trying to just be done with Diclectin, dropping that last half dose before bed, but I’m finding myself gaggy in the day, so I may jump back into that dose and give it another week or two. My pelvic pain is under control, but I rely heavily on that ridiculous belt anytime I’m out and about. I had things pop out of the place the other day in a way they don’t usually, and WOW did that hurt!! It was still burning the next morning. I highly recommend against having this problem. Sneezing has never ever been so painful.

Wish List/Purchases: I bought a cute sweater and a tank top out of Thyme Maternity the other day when they had 70% off their clearance section, but otherwise we’re still trying to stay pretty modest with purchases that aren’t necessary. That being said, my online Gap and Old Navy cart eats me alive every single day when I log in and enter the promo codes, seeing just how low I can get the price down. Every few days, something sells out and is removed from my cart. And yes, it eats me. But I’m trying. Restraint is tough. Buying a few little summery items for her feels like a right of passage that I haven’t got to fulfill yet, and its a struggle. But I know, first world problems. I’ll live. But I daydream a lot! Another thing on my wish list is a diaper bag that I’ve been eyeing for literally years and I just want to get it! But its over $100, so once again, we’ll just have to wait and see, and wait and wait and wait. So the wish list is definitely there, and I’m definitely dreaming. One of these days, we’ll bite at least one of the bullets, haha!

Pictures: I think you got some pretty good, recent pictures in my gender reveal post, so if you missed it, feel free to check it out!

How are the kids feeling: So the kids are THRILLED beyond belief that Bambina is a girl!!! That was the obvious highlight of life for them this last week. When we told them we knew whether the baby was a boy or a girl, they wagered their final guesses, and they had flip flopped from their previous ideas! Dekker guessed “boy” for the first time this pregnancy, and Laela, who has been insistent that this baby is a boy (because only mommy and Laela are the girls) begged for it to be a girl! Rowan held steady with his guess for a girl, and Solly sucked on the bottom of his milk cup when asked his opinion. Everybody squealed when I stole the blue cookies off the table, leaving the pink ones there for everyone to eat in celebration. They all took to changing her nickname to Bambina right away, and they joined me in my daydreaming instantly. They are ready for a baby girl to join our family!!

Getting to know the baby: Well, we obviously know a pretty important detail about her now! She’s a little lady. With our regular ultrasounds, we know that her limbs and fingers and toes all look right. We know her organs are all accounted for, and that everything seems in order at this point! We’ve seen her fingernails and her beautifully formed spine. The one thing she’s been secretive about for the most part is her face!! We cannot get a good shot of the money maker! Hopefully later this week 🙂 Beyond that, I know she almost always hangs out on the left side of my abdomen, which is funny because Laela was the only other baby that liked it there. The boys have stretched the right side out good and proper, and I just assumed every baby from here on out would like the roomier side better. But nope. Bambina likes to be different, and literally sides with her sister.

The BEST part of being pregnant this week: I mean this one shouldn’t be hard. I LOVE being able to celebrate knowing her gender. However, that was secretly my best thing about being pregnant last week. Whoops! So I think the best thing about this week was possibly feeling the baby move??? I’m so hesitant about this because, with the stinking anterior placenta, I know movement isn’t going to be felt early. And the feelings I’m feeling are SO small. But they’re something. Easy to miss, and they’re few and far between. But, they’re little scratches and bubbles, and they’re familiar. And really, its not early. I’m 18 weeks! This isn’t an unbelievable time to be feeling movement. So just knowing that might be what I’m feeling brings me hope and excitement. That will be such a game changer when I can confidently feel her every single day. For that day, I am ITCHING!!

Favourite Thing: I think my favorite thing this week is getting back into crocheting!! I kind of jump in and out of phases of crocheting, but I love having something to keep my hands busy with when I do get down time. I am so excited to crochet for our baby! However, she will come in summer, which limits the opportunities to make her sweaters, toques, infinity scarves, booties, etc. However, I pulled out an old project I was a good chunk of the way into, and was reminded just how much I loved working on it! I won’t show it to you or really go much further into it at this point, because I’m not even sure what the end goal is at that point. A blanket? A rug? Some kind of decorative wall thing? I don’t know. But I’m back in the creative saddle and am loving it! I don’t often have a hobby on the go, just with the general busyness of life, but I’m so happy to have picked it up again. It makes me really want to go to the craft retreat coming up in a couple of months, so I don’t end up dropping it again! We’ll have to see if I can justify it 🙂 I went a few years ago and really really enjoyed it! But for now, I’ll just keep enjoying working on it here at home. I encourage you all to be a little crafty 😉

This really all wraps up to have been a great week. I’ve felt some lightness, and some excitement, and some freedom to plan and hope a little harder. I have really enjoyed how real things are feeling, and in the moments when I let myself forget the harsh realities and possibilities, I’m just jumping out of my skin excited to meet this baby, who I have NO reason to think will pass away, but will come home and join our family in five months. I just want her. I want her so badly.💜

I’m sure lots of us have heard all about the benefits of hugs from here or there. Hugs lower anxiety, burn calories, etc. They’re healing and refreshing. They boost oxytocin, leaving you feeling lighter. They relax your muscles. The list goes on. Hugs are the way to do it, and I know there are many people out there who either aren’t huggers, or don’t have the opportunities for hugs as often as they’d like to. For those of you who could use more hugs, I am ALWAYS up for a hug, just so you know <3 Safe place over here!

Yesterday was one of the smoother days we’ve had recently, even with our errands, and no one having a good solid nap. They did great. Going into bedtime, I was nervous that the beautiful, happy streak of fun would be broken. But it wasn’t! We changed diapers, put on jammies, brushed teeth, etc. and everyone was content and cooperative. I changed Rowans diaper and pulled him back up, and instead of running off, like always, to go hide in someone’s bed, he just stood really close to me, so I hugged him, and he hugged me. It was a good, soft, yummy hug that he didn’t cut off for a nice long while. When he did, he stayed really close to my face. And this can mean a couple of different things for Rowan. Either he wants you to kiss him, or he wants to kiss you, or he wants to rub noses. Haha! So I waited, and he rubbed noses with me, and kissed my nose, and my cheek. It was adorable. I smooched him back, and he came in for another hug. At that point, Dekker bellowed “Group huuuuug!” and he and Laela rushed over!

Usually in this scenario, it gets really rowdy and more like a wrestling match than a hug, but that was not the case this time. My husband, bless his heart, took pictures.

Many kisses were shared in this little group hug. It was a giggly, happy circle. The kids were SO soft in their jammies and in their hearts. Just the best hug ever!!! Too bad Solly couldn’t figure out how to join in :/ I’m sure we’ll get him next time.

I know there may come a day when my kids don’t want to hug and kiss their parents, and I’m going to soak it up every single chance I get!!

It was SO FUN for me to share our news with you guys yesterday!!! The amount of love and excitement you all sent out way felt amazing! It was fun to be excited with just my family for a bit, but being able to make our news public just made it so much more real!! I think maybe it made it more real to some of you, too. Its exciting for me to picture our family this way, knowing just that much more about the newest member. A little girly! YES!!

I’m feeling a lot lighter after yesterday 🙂 Reading all the comments, messages, and texts has been so fun, and I woke up excited and energized! Despite the brutal cold, we opted for an errand day with the fam!

They are so stinking cute, and were such good sports. I felt in good spirits, and they seemed to feel the same. We rolled through Costco and Home Depot all together for groceries and a few little things for Brady’s work. (A side note for parents, if this year is anything close to last year’s baby event at Costco, its coming up! Wipes are on sale right now, and if it follows the same pattern as last year, diapers, genie refills, and formula won’t be far behind! Keep your eyes open!!)

I did a quick duck in at Dollar Tree and was SO happy to find they had kids toothpaste on hand! I bought a new one to try (Aquafresh) from Dollarama the other day, and the kids love it. I just find it annoying that Dollarama sells things for more now, and I paid $2.50 for it. May as well just get them from the grocery store at that price. But I found the exact same kind at Dollar Tree for $1.25! So I bought an embarrassing amount of them (I have a new toothbrush drawer plan, don’t judge me) along with several hand sanitizers (we always need these, and again, cheaper there) and some plastic baskets for organizing some bathroom stuff. I walked out with three big bags of stuff for less than $20. Awesome!!

We grabbed lunch next and took a little break while Brady and I made a few more plans. I had an appointment to get the shaved side of my hair redone, so Brady dropped me at the mall a little early so I could look around a little before my appointment, and he took the kids to Walmart and got a few necessities (specifically, bananas, and a new curtain rod for the one the kids accidentally broke off the wall. *face palm*) Meanwhile, I wandered into Thyme Maternity and discovered they were offering an extra 70% off of items already in clearance! I bought a beautiful sweater to finish out winter, and a cute tank top to welcome the heat!! Once again, I only dropped $20.

My hair appointment went well, as usual. I have a beautiful feather shaved into my hair, and my lovely hair girl curled up the rest and threw a cute braid into it, just because she’s awesome and always leaves me looking put together when I leave. I met back up with my family right afterwards, and decided to call it after that. Solly was just droopy and screamy and it was time to get him either sleeping in the van or at home. Whichever came first.

Sleeping in the van came first, but the tears came instantly when we pulled into the garage, so straight to bed he went. The other kids are happily taking a tv break, Brady is starting to replace the curtain rod, and once I’m done this, I’m going to start organizing the kids bathroom a little better. Productive but low pressure is my favorite way to do a day 🙂

We’ve gotten things done, we’re still getting stuff done, and I’m in FULL daydream mode! Things feel light today. Even that biting wind didn’t touch me today.

There was some brief angst when I confessed to knowing the gender of our baby, but then didn’t actually share the info 😉 And I get it! But guys, if you had a burning little secret, would you not want to have a little fun with it first, too?? Aaaaanyway, I haven’t told you yet because I thought it would be fun to show you in photos! My lovely friend and photographer, Cher, who has been taking progress pictures for me throughout this pregnancy came out as soon as she could, and got me everything in time for me to post them TODAY! Which means, you will know, TODAY! I’ve had this secret for just over a week, lol! Sue me.

Except, don’t.

The baby’s gender may be sneakily hiding beneath a layer of clothing. Do not be afraid. There is more clothing under there. You CAN read on!

I cracked under pressure at the last minute, haha! Somehow this shoot felt like a bigger deal than our usual get togethers…

Don’t worry, I got it together. Sort of. As much as I ever do. But, we got there. I’ll just let you look now 🙂

Baby is a GIRL!!!!! 💖💖💖

Pink happy dance!!!

Bambina (See what I did there? Because, feminine) is roughly the size of an iPhone. A gold, sparkly one. 🤩

…and its upside down because thats ideal for babies, haha!

Straight talk, guys. I know that knowing the gender of the baby doesn’t ensure that she’s going to live and come join us here. I know there is no safety zone. I know we could get hurt again. But knowing she is a SHE makes things so much more real, and SO much more personal! I swore the baby was a boy. Every time I daydreamed, I was picturing a boy. Every time I secretly let myself plan ahead, it was always for a boy. I was SO peaceful and content with having a boy, and then to find out she is actually a girl just BLEW MY MIND. It still feels surreal, in all honesty. I didn’t know if I’d ever have another girl, and I’m thrilled beyond belief to be carrying one! A GIRL!!! AMAZING!!!

I have a video of us telling the kids, but I’ll save that for another day 😉 This is enough amazing for one day! But I have to offer a HUGE thank you to my girl, Cher, for once again documenting such an exciting time in my life!! You rolled with the interruptions that come along with my mom gig, even snapped a few extras, just to make memories.

You are a wonderful addition around here, so please know you’re always welcome in our home, whether you’re taking pictures or not 😘 We all love you!

Thank you, all, for your interest in our family, and for sharing in our excitement! Speaking for myself, I am completely beside myself with excitement!! I cried like crazy when I found out, haha! Having a brand new baby girl is an amazing way to welcome summer. I can’t wait to bring her to the lake, and to wear her in the carrier as the kids and I wander to the playground day after day. I’m just itching to buy her some little dresses and rompers, and to go buy fabric with my mom who will lovingly sew it into personal little receiving blankets. I can’t wait to finally pull out our little baby cradle again, clean it up, and get it ready for LIFE. To pack size 1 diapers again, even if just for a little while. I can’t wait to waste the days away with my beautiful brood of children on the deck, while they splash in the pool, and I lounge in a chair under an umbrella with the little miss, hopefully with a friend or two from time to time <3 I just want her home.

I feel so fortunate to even be daydreaming about this. I hope and desperately pray that it can become a reality! Please pray, and celebrate, with us!!!

Today was another one of those days that felt like we were going constantly, but when I step back and look at it, we really weren’t. And when I step a little further back even, today was really great 🙂 I’m trying to get away from 99% of my blog posts just being a breakdown of the day, but when the days are great, it should be recorded!

Solly slept in nicely this morning, and my mom came to help this morning while I dropped Dekker off, and then while I got Laela to preschool. It is SO handy to have help on preschool days, specifically the mornings. That weird half hour between dropping Dekker and Laela off can feel like years depending on the day. Its especially bad on the days where I have to wake kids to get them in the van, and they’re crying for breakfast or whatever else the entire time. Its totally doable, and it’ll likely all be a bit easier when the weather is nicer and the kids wake up a bit earlier with the sun, but for now, they’re pretty droopy in the mornings still. So this morning was SO nice to have the help during drop off!

My mom had a busy day scheduled herself, so she left fairly quickly after I returned, and I had a nice sit down morning with the little boys. Rowan built ramps and raced cars while Solly plunked himself down on a couch and played dolls. No joke, he LOVES Laela’s stuffed Elsa and Anna right now. It wasn’t too long before I bundled them up and drove over to preschool to pick Laela up.

We were the last to leave there today, and I was SO grateful to have a chat with Laela’s preschool teacher! We just talked parenting and the challenges that come along with it. I haven’t had many chances to really take time and talk with her, but it was SO refreshing!! We feel very similarly about a lot of important things, and I found that so encouraging! I love knowing the people who are in authority positions around my children have similar values to me and are encouraging them in the same ways I would. I really really appreciate her.

I brought the littles home and got them lunch right away, as we had plans that afternoon. Nothing too big, but I had a doctors appointment at 1:15 to get to. As it tends to happen, it was of course the lunch where everyone was 500 times hungrier than usual, so it took a while to get everyone topped up, but eventually everyone was fed and dressed, and hauled back into the van.

We made it to my appointment on time, where Brady met us. He took the kids to go fill up the van, and beyond that, just freed them from their car seats so they could run around in there and entertain themselves while I was in my appointment.

My time with Dr. Guselle was awesome. You guys know how much I love her. She answered all my questions, discussed some future stuff, and printed off my ultrasound report for me. I love information, especially about my baby, and she knows that. I told her I was a bit nervous for my appointments to start dropping off a little bit soon, since we’ll go to the regular monthly appointments once I can feel the baby move and have some reassurance that way. She was clear with me that, until I was comfortable, we’d be seeing each other. She gets me. We listened for the baby, who was nice and easy to find, and she checked my ears to follow up with the crazy plugged-ness that I’ve been struggling with. She covered all the bases, and we confirmed that I’d be meeting the resident who would be following me for the rest of my pregnancy at my next appointment. She actually thanked me more than once for being willing to “participate” in their teaching program, because the resident I’ll have is male, and apparently they get far less practice in obstetrics than women, so they are very happy to have the experience. I’m happy to provide it 🙂

The kids were very patient, and didn’t put up a fight to get back into their car seats when I came back to the van. Brady and I quickly hit the Tims drive-thru and got coffee before he headed back to work and I took the kids home.

I realized as we were almost home that it was only about a half hour before Dekker would get out of school. On one hand, to haul everyone out of the van, out of their coats and boots, and let them break into the toys only to haul them back out fifteen minutes later seemed crazy. Yet, they had been in the van for two hours at that point. I couldn’t imagine making them wait. So I drove home and parked in the garage. Solly was asleep and the other two were pretty droopy. So I asked them their opinion, and Laela and Rowan agreed that it would be silly to go in for such a short time. I promised them some tv time when we got home after getting Dekker, and they were totally satisfied!! So, we got the mail, and waited out the rest of the time.

No. One. Fussed.

Not. Even. Once.

I was AMAZED at how patient and reasonable they all were, and then how happy and thankful they were to come home and have a tv show on in the background as they played and got their energy out finally. Amaaazing!!! I give a little bit of credit to great music, but mostly to just my kids as people, because they are exceptional! I may be biased, but I don’t care. I don’t think that makes it less true.

5/6 of us are happily home now, and Brady is on his way! It’s always fabulous to be together at the end of the day. For some reason, I’m just feeling emotional this afternoon <3 Husband come home!