Ready or Not...

That's right!  Here we go again.  In about five months, we'll be welcoming a third child into our family.  Although, according to Ellie and Jim, you're not really a "third child" unless you're the third of four children.  Then you're truly neglected as you're not the oldest or the youngest, and there's no middle child...the two of them can go on about this for hours so I'll leave it to Jim to write about the special third child bond one day.  That picture of Jim and Ellie was taken 10 years ago...in 2002.  Even then, those two were trouble when they got together.  We sent the above pictures to my family when we told them we are having another baby as I know the words "third child"speak for themselves in the Stephens Family.

I had my anatomy ultrasound on Monday and everything looks great!  We have a healthy little boy or girl who enjoyed posing for the ultrasound technician (so we're guessing a girl this time) but who really knows.  Every pregnancy has been so different for me, but of all of them so far, this one is truly flying by.  I only had 3 weeks early on of feeling not so great, but they were the 3 weeks that we were moving so I didn't really have time to think about it.  When I was pregnant with Jack, I was nervous the whole time.  This time, I haven't been.  Although losing a baby has taken away that carefree feeling that I had while pregnant with Lilly, I've been much more optimistic and excited this time.  I get nervous leading up to the ultrasounds and that's about it.

cute little hand!

 

This baby is due on March 12th, although the last two ultrasounds have the baby due on March 11th--Jim's birthday.  It's appropriate given that Jim, Lilly and Jack are all born on the 11th of the month.  If this is a true third child, however, I have a feeling he or she will make a statement and choose a different day in March to arrive.

We haven't told Lilly yet--although Jim and I are pretty sure she knows.  I just wasn't ready for the barrage of questions that would ensue for the rest of my pregnancy!  We're going to tell her this week.  She'll occasionally ask me why my stomach is popping out, and the first time she asked me, I told her I had eaten a lot for lunch.  So now she probably thinks I'm a compulsive overeater.  I think she'll be so excited!  And although she won't yet be 4 when this baby arrives, she is going to seem so grown up and (hopefully) be a big help.

Jack obviously has no idea and probably won't the entire pregnancy.  Jack and his little brother or sister will be right around 17 months apart.  Are we crazy?  Most likely.  But given the things that we've gone through, Jim and I have learned that you can't plan everything, and often when you try, things don't work out the way you want them to.  So life will certainly be busy until we get the hang of three.  As Joseph said, it will be time to switch from man-to-man to zone defense.  Jim and I will be outnumbered, and the thought of that just makes me shake my head and smile.  We have no idea what we're in for!

I started writing down some thoughts when I first found out I was pregnant this time and will share those soon.  But for now, I get to sit back, enjoy being pregnant, make myself another cup of coffee and relish in the silence of naptime.

My view from above