A Little Something New

Ok, I just can't keep it a secret any longer!  We are having another baby!!!  This will be number four for us, and I had my first check up today.  And, first check up means that I got to hear the baby's heart beat!  I don't know what it is about hearing your child's heart beat for the first time, but it's an experience and a sound that stays in a mother's heart forever!  It's almost surreal...any fears or concerns or anxieties about being pregnant (because those come with all the happy emotions, too) just kind of disappear when you realize you have a little, tiny life inside you!  It's one of my favorite sounds in the world =)  Our official due date is Christmas Day, which just adds another level of excitement on top of everything.  I'm also VERY nervous about having 4 children.  Their ages will be 6, 4, 2, and newest, so it's a bit intimidating.  But, many families have done this tons of time, so I'm sure all will be well once the fear of the unknown subsides.  The doctor said I'm about 12 weeks and 5 days, which means I'm actually 2 1/2 months along.  I'm not sure why, but doctors like to make you go until you are 40 weeks, which is actually 10 months, instead of 9.  They actually count weeks that you aren't even pregnant!  What the heck is that about?  I've never understood that conundrum!  Nine months is long enough, why do doctors insist on torturing women by adding extra weeks?!?!  Whatever the case may be, I've got a long way to go!  

The fun part, though, was telling the kids that we would be having a new baby.  All Andrew said was "I want a boy baby."  And, he hasn't mentioned anything about the baby since...this was almost a month ago.  I don't think he even remembers.  Natalie didn't believe me at first.  She thought I was joking.  When I finally convinced her that I was, in fact, pregnant, she demanded to know how I knew.  "How can you tell?"  "When I'm married, how will I know when I'm pregnant?"  After a mild heart-attack at the idea of my little girl being married and having babies of her own, I told her not to worry about that until she was old enough to be married!  Then she did a lot of giggling.  Then she got worried that the baby would get cold in my belly.  And worried about how it would get food, and what if it drowned, or got blood all over it, because "don't we have blood in our bodies..what if it gets on the baby?"  The conversation quickly got out of hand, so I switched to names, and if we wanted a boy or a girl!  Oh my gosh!  How did my five-year-old get so curious about these things?!  It was cute, and funny, but I had no idea what to tell her.  I think I mumbled something about telling her when she was older, and right now all we had to think about was how much fun it would be to hold the baby and take care of it.  

I wish I had a cute little ultrasound picture to share, but I'm not scheduled to have my first one until next week, so it will have to wait.  In fact, Natalie was devastated because I had told her that we were going to get to see a picture of the baby today, and when the nurse told us the doctor wasn't doing an ultrasound, I think it just about broke her heart!  I should have known better than telling her something like that without being 100% positive!  Oh well...good things come to those who wait.  Next week I should have new baby pics!!!  

Yay for new life!