The Big "P"

Those of you who have read the blog before know that at times I find it necessary to share some of the, ahem, bodily incidents that occur around here. In fact, if I was computer savvy I would do that fancy thing where you write.... like "here" and "here".... and provide you with one click links to those entries. Just so you could get an idea of what I am talking about.
Well, that isn't the direction that I am heading here. Mostly. So, the funny story is this... a while back ago, actually in June, I had the funny occasion to take a pregnancy test. It was actually pretty convenient because I happened to have one kicking around in the back of a drawer. Just a single one, not in its original box or anything. Or with any markings or directions on its foil wrapped self. Just a stick in a sleeve. Funnier yet... the results were two parallel lines! Two lines? Not the much easier version which is a plus sign or a minus sign. Those are intuitive tests! Should I make you do what I had to do? GOOGLE the results of my pregnancy test? "What does two lines on a pregnancy test mean?" Turns out... ha ha ha..... it means you are pregnant. Or more specifically, I am pregnant. Due in mid February. Ha ha ha. So we could have a conversation here about some of the more unplanned aspects of this... or perhaps some of the practical ramifications of adding baby number 4- under the age of 6. But here is the thing. 7 years ago we were told we would not be able to have children at all. Period. We began to pursue adoption options. Then we had E! We were shocked and thankful. Then we started foster care. And had S. Wow! Two! While we were still on a temporary leave of absence from foster care, our foster care certifier called us about L. We said yes and consequently, unexpected baby #3 entered our home! We have loved him from the beginning. So, really, this baby is not much different than baby 1,2, or 3! No, I am not thrilled about another C Section, that was very much not my plan at all. Yes, I wonder how many days a week my husband will come home to chaos. No, I do not know how we will all fit in this house...
But here are some great pictures to focus on when the worries may overwhelm....And now you know why the blog has been silent for a few months. Physically and mentally the new addition is already making its presence known. :) We find out on Friday if the baby is a boy or girl so check back for a news update there!
And in closing, here is my advice for the day. A good rule of thumb is this: If you have gotten rid of all your maternity clothes then you should ALSO get rid of all old pregnancy tests kicking around. If you feel the need to have one on hand then you should ALSO go ahead and keep the tote of clothes. :)

A One Year Old

L turned 1 in July! Of course, because of a mini blog sabbatical he is now 14 months... so let's see- what have we missed...
He started crawling around 10 months and is now working on walking behind anything he can possibly muscle around- including a small car. Toy car, you know the kind the kids can actually get in and drive? L can push it. He is starting to free stand for up to about 10 seconds so I am giving him another 4 weeks before he is walking. Everywhere. We have had to do more baby proofing for this little guy than any other crawler that has been in this house. I think I have seen the future... and I need a nap!
Backing up to July- we had a fun little party for him the weekend before his birthday. Which was actually great because he ended up spending three days in the hospital with an asthma attack on his actual birthday day! During which time he got a few more teeth, bringing his total up to 6!
If you give us a visit today you will find a great little guy with the best smile and the most adorable little laugh. He loves silliness just like his sister and brother did at that age. Putting a stuffed animal on your head and then jumping up and down and making it fall off- hysterical. E and S love to make him laugh and they have a great little relationship. S likes to play "chase" with him, crawling around the floor after him which they both love. And E mostly likes to play mommy with him. He gets some pretty great attention from her. He loves books and has started to point at pictures. He also just started to point outward at things.... exciting news? Well, actually yes. The pointing is an important developmental milestone so we are glad he is communicating with us this way. He jabbers constantly but his two words that I can recognize so far are "Mama" and "No".
Here are some pictures from July....Not interested in this strange foreign object called a cupcake at all!


Okay, maybe a little bit....
Hey, wait! This is good!
He even made time to root for his Dutch team, outfit courtesy of Opa and Oma!