A Christmas Wish Comes True!

So, remember the Christmas letter we wrote when we told you our family was growing?  Only to have it (kind of) be a joke?  For those of you who are reading this but didn't receive the letter, I'll clue you in.  Shawn and I wrote a poem about our year, and in the poem we shared that our family was growing.  A few lines down I explained that we had recently adopted a puppy.  Well, little did I know that our family would actually be expanding just a few weeks after I wrote that letter.  That's right, we have been expecting baby #2 since early January.  He/she is due on October 4, 2012.

We are so excited for Elijah to become a big brother.  He has been so patient and gentle with my friend's baby Samuel, who I cared for on Fridays prior to becoming pregnant.  I expect him to be just as loving towards his new brother or sister.  He already gives my tummy kisses.

This summer we are busy trying to wrap up many projects so we can enjoy being a family of four this fall.  We're working on a house down the road that we're hoping to sell or rent and continuing to plug away at our own house projects.  As I write this, Shawn is grouting our new tile in the back entryway.  He also just bought wood to build our own window boxes and plans to finish the west and possibly east side of the house (replacing the siding with the original-like wood).  By May, we hope to save enough money to get carpet for our family room (we pulled up the old carpet months ago and have been spending our time in the living room instead).  We also hope to open our pool this year, which we did not do last summer in order to save money (and also some sanity - pools are a lot of work!).  We will be opening it so that we can close it with a proper and safe cover; unfortunately, the current cover lends itself to the weight of fallen leaves, and the entire pool turns into a pond each spring.  Interesting for Elijah and the other kids in the neighborhood but very, very unsafe for our non-swimmer(s).  We are looking forward to not worrying about safety (in that way) every time we play in the backyard.  Hopefully our busy summer will afford us a relaxing fall season.  Let me rephrase that: As relaxing as it can be with a newborn and two-year-old boy!

Tomorrow I have my second doctor's appointment and will (hopefully) hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time since February 15, the date of our first ultrasound.  This pregnancy is similar to my pregnancy with Elijah in that I feel extremely moody (I perceive all of Shawn's questions to be annoying and unbearable), tired and depressed.  I feel less sick, though, and have more headaches.  I have been able to eat healthier, sleep more and avoid caffeine (Sorry, Elijah!  I was at a very different place in my life with you).  Admittedly, the excitement and eagerness to tell everyone is a bit less.  I've been here before, so, naturally, it's just not as "new."  That being said, my love for this little baby may actually be a bit more than when I was pregnant with Elijah, given that I now can fathom this little baby becoming a child capable of living outside of me.  That's difficult to fully grasp the first time around.

Please pray for our family in the coming months.  Please pray that the Lord continues to meet our needs and supports the health and growth of our baby.  Please pray that He blesses us with patience, both in this process and the other parts of our lives.  We pray that we continue to see Him in all circumstances.

Thank you for reading and sharing in our joy!