Si, Sette Bambini!

Our family had fun preparing this baby announcement video that we finally "leaked" this week to make the news of our pregnancy public.  I realized a few days before Christmas that I was, in fact, pregnant, but Ted and I decided to keep it under wraps for awhile so we could get our brains around the fact that Numero Sette will be joining us in August 2013!  Since both of my miscarriages happened early (8.5 and 7 weeks), we thought we'd wait at least that long before saying anything to anyone.

We emailed the announcement link to our close family members first; once we received replies from the grandmas, we posted the video link on Facebook, knowing the word was going to get out sooner than we may have thought anyway--the kids were anxious to tell all their friends in their classes that go on during my Tuesday morning Bible study, so of course moms and teachers and all kinds of people ended up hearing, LOL!

I am officially at 11 weeks today.  I had the appointment to fill out my paperwork at the medical center yesterday, and God was so gracious--while I was there, a slot opened up for me to just slip right in and get that initial exam taken care of.  Woohoo!  Since I was already on base for Bible study, and since I had already made arrangements for all the kids to stay at the playground playing with homeschool buddies while I took Zaden with me, it was a no-brainer to just get 'er done.  They do an ultrasound at that first exam, so we confirmed that there is UNO bambino (whew) and that her/his heart is beating just fine.  The measurement was right at what my expected due date is, August 21.  And we got the lab work taken care of, too.  So I won't need to go in for another appointment until the first week or so in March.  The doctor was nice but will be moving this summer.  There are no midwife positions available here--not surprising, I guess.  But as I've only had one midwife delivery, I'm not terribly particular, as long as they let me do what I want in the delivery room!  And I'm already praying I make it TO the delivery room...I don't have extremely fast deliveries, but we do live nearly a half-hour's drive from base, and since my body likes to contract early and often, sometimes it can be hard to tell just when it's time to make that drive!

Currently things are going fine.  I was (and sometimes still am) very, very exhausted initially, so the timing worked out that Ted was off work for nearly two weeks over the holidays, allowing me to nap an exorbitant number of times!  I've struggled a bit with "evening sickness," but nothing too awful.  Salty carbs help...though they aren't helping my figure. :-/  My uterus is apparently having a grand old party, realizing that it no longer needs to squeeze into normal-fitting pants.  I think I even heard it shouting, "Woohoo!  Let's go out and see the world!"  I look about like I did when I was 5-6 months pregnant with Charis.  Sigh.  The joys of multiple births...and getting older...I suppose...I'm not in maternity clothes yet, but I will be shopping for some at the monthly bag sale at the SS thrift store (fill a bag for $5).  I've secretly been eyeing the selection and have noted that there is usually a pretty good stash.  Also, a local friend who is due within a few weeks is willing to loan me some of hers, as she has a good summer selection from previous pregnancies.

The children are absolutely ecstatic.  We told them Sunday night by passing out the signs that you see in the video--we gave each one "their" number (Ted had Zaden's, since he was in bed), asked them to read it out loud, and then I stood with "sette" (7) in front of my belly.  At first they wanted to keep counting, thinking we were doing some kind of Italian counting game.  But I kept saying "sette" and holding it more obviously by my belly.  Charis caught on first, and a look of pure joy came over her face as she rushed to hug me, exclaiming, "Really?!?!"  Arden was next, I think, and I wish I had a video of his expression!  Priceless!  His eyes and his mouth just kept getting bigger and bigger!

You can read Charis's thoughts on all of this on her blog.  Now that I'm nearly finished with the first trimester, reality is starting to sink in...do we want to keep the Suburban and use every single seat in it?  Or look for something more van-ish?  The Suburban is completely paid for, so that's kind of a big decision.  We have no closet for the baby to sleep in, LOL, but our room is pretty, well, roomy, and we can put the playpen/bassinet in with us initially.  Charis is determined to share her room, which actually isn't a bad idea, since it's just across from ours, and she is already set on being Mama's Baby Helper.  (On a side note...HOW is it possible that my firstborn will turn 13 two months after this little one arrives?!)

I guess that's it for now!  I'm sure we'll be getting the question, "Was this baby planned?!" just as we always do, and the answer is the same now as it always is: "Yes, God plans each and every child, and we welcome whoever He sends us!"

(Of course, the other question is always, "Haven't you figured out what causes that yet?!"  And THAT answer is the same, too:  "Why, yes, and we certainly enjoy it!")