It REALLY Is A Boy!

we've had a pretty good idea our baby #4 was a boy from a 13 week ultrasound. but 13 weeks...? what if...? it didn't stop me from finding some super adorable baby boy clothes and planning in blues and grays and greens; but in the back of my mind, i kept thinking...what if?

then anne perry got sick (virus/bronchitus) and paul got sick (fever/worn down) and audrey kate started having these awful headache episodes...all yesterday. thankfully i was feeling a million times better (which is a whole lot), and we just kept going. my aunt and mom were thankfully able to help (so thankful!), and hopefully everyone is on the mend now!

today was our 20 week ultrasound. we'd planned to take addie anyway, but she ended up being the only one who could come with me! paul had to stay home in the bed, and my aunt stayed here and held both little girls the entire time! :( we did get a dvd of the ultrasound, which i think addie has shown paul no less than 4 times! so he did get to see his baby boy in motion! :)

so back to this precious little miracle. i think the ultrasound tech must have thought i was a little nutty. well. i am. pregnant nutty, but i kept ooooohing and ahhhhhhing over the whole 10 minute ultrasound. it felt like twice that, watching him move and wiggle. counting fingers and bones and watching his tiny little heart beat in perfect rhythm. perfect. absolutely perfect baby boy.

because he is a complete miracle from God.

his sweet profile with a tiny nose and precious baby lips.
little alien face looking at us

 (the nose is the brighter white in the center of the face with eyes on either side and his mouth below the nose)

and long legs with huge little feet that i already feel kicking me!

but the hand making the "L" shape is what got me. that little thumb and all of those tiny fingers i cant wait to kiss! so there's our baby boy. perfectly perfect in every way, something we don't take for granted for one second.

and to clarify...it's our ONE baby boy! ;-)

every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father from the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Build-A-Bear Cat

a few weeks ago, we decided it was long overdue for the little girl's pacies to be gone. long gone! but we knew the bunkbed transition was coming soon, and so we waited.

this weekend, we took all three girls to Build-a-Bear. we'd never been and unless we win/find/grow some more of this $$$, it might be our last; we are three stuffed animals richer and a bit poorer! but it was a wonderful experience for all three of them!

the little girls brought two pacies each. they (finally) chose an animal: each a cat. and before the stuffing was added, they stuffed in their pacies along with a tiny heart. no tears. no problems. no questions. done.
they fluffed them (several times) and we found some clothes. and then we created their birth certificates on the computer. except i had a pregnancy moment and said the little girl's birthday was may 5th (?).
meet Ellie (brown/black/white) and Olivia (white).
we decided it would be fun for Addie to make a bear animal too; and since we've been talking a lot about giving to others/being selfless/unselfish/gratefulness, i asked her if she'd like to make one for her baby brother. she was excited thrilled beyond herself ecstatic! she chose the cutest puppy dog and carefully added a gingham heart (because according to her, it looked like a boy heart!) and watched it be sealed up. daddy pointed out the cutest overalls and in him he (the dog!) went.

meet Finn. (it was a compromise. she wanted to name him Paul because that will be baby boy's middle name!)
and they packaged them up and off we went.
i cant say that nap/bedtimes have been smooth sailing. yesterday audrey kate woke up midnap whimper crying and anne perry cried for a good 30 minutes after naps because they just wanted their paci! there were no naps today. bedtime was, well, a two+ hour ordeal; but they did finally fall asleep with some extra back rubbing. tonight was easier for one and harder for the other.

it will get easier with time. it always does. and i am one happy mama not having to search for a paci...for at least another 5 months or so!

Birthdays. Rapunzel. & Fairytales.

i get to share my birthday week with the best birthday present i've ever received! and this year, it was also fairytale day at school! addie had been talking about it for at least two weeks, so i knew it was something that meant a lot to her! when she asked to be rapunzel, i went on a mad amazon search for a dress and hair. i wasn't too broken up about getting the dress because winston that cat had just ruined one of the few dress up outfits that fit her!

 she donned her purple dress, and we braided her hair; and hardly anyone recognized her!

she was beside herself thrilled that fairytale day coincided with her birthday chapel at school! if you haven't seen chapel at the girl's school, you're missing out: 200+ three, four, and five year olds praising our amazing God! dancing. clapping. singing. and maybe a little shouting!

anne perry seemed a little overwhelmed, but Audry Kate stood in a chair and sang i have a little heart right along with the big kids! i can't wait to see them on the front rows next year as big girl 3 year olds! and then the birthday (real and half) kiddos climbed up on stage and got to introduce themselves, tell how old they were and who was there to see them and then say something! she was absolutely precious swinging around in her dress! (forgive the crazy shaky crookedness you're about to see. i was taking pictures with my right hand and videoing/balancing my big camera with my left hand.) and just like that...she was somehow more grown up that when she walked up on that stage!

once chapel was over, her little sisters and i met her in her classroom with balloons and cupcakes.

she decided to stay instead of check out, which made this mama even happier because i knew it meant she loves being where she is!

happy birthday day at school sweet addie! 

It's a...

"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." Psalms 7:17

I'll preface this post with two thing:

1) our number one prayer has been & continues to be for the health of this precious baby. That's always been our prayer for all of our children.

2) girl or boy, we know this baby is a precious gift from God. While we'd love to have a boy in the mix, another little girl would be equally as welcomed & loved!

So our joy over one or the other is simply the joy of this precious life.

For the record (although they tend to flip back & forth): Addie & Anne Perry think its a boy right now & Audrey Kate is certain it's a girl.

As I drove to my OB appointment today, I couldn't help but think of all the time I've spent worrying over the what ifs of this baby. God quietly started to remind me of the long list of His blessings, His goodness & His unfailing love. He gently reminded me that He's got it covered. He's the one knitting this baby together & it is fearfully & wonderfully made. His timing is perfect & He knows everything there is to know about this precious life. He commands us not to fear or be afraid, but to wait patiently for Him. Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes (I Samuel 12). While I don't often have a chance to stand still, I am choosing to wait with anticipation instead of anxiousness, with trust instead of fear & with utter reliance on Him as we patiently await this great thing!

Well, we had the opportunity today to see this little one & even though I'm only 14 weeks, our experienced ultrasound tech was quite certain she knew what this little one is!

But what's the fun in me just telling you what we're having?

One of our favorite Montgomery spots is Nancy's Italian Ice. They serve a fun little treat called a "Fancy Nancy": your choice of Italian ice covered (hidden!) in frozen yogurt! Yummy!

So we took the girls there & ordered their "Fancy Nancy's" for them: blue Italian ice under the yogurt if it's a boy & pink Italian ice under the yogurt if it's a girl!

...and let them dig in to find out of they'd have a baby sister or baby brother!

And without further rambling, it's a...

BOY!!!

Officially...

...we are now a minivan family.

I know. Some people get a minivan with their first child. A right of passage of sorts. Some families, it's the second kid that pushes them to that. Many, it's the third. And some never get one or just get a suburban.

For us, I swore I'd never have one. Never say never. Nothing wrong with them. I have friends who love them & will have one for the rest of their kid days. But not us. I'd figured out how to keep the SUV & juggle car seats...all four of them.

Until I developed van envy. No really. I could hardly climb in & out of our SUV without falling out or falling in. Paul's shins were beat up. I was having to stretch & strain requiring pressure on parts I didn't need pressure on even with only my tiny baby bump.

So we did some research. Talked to friends. Did some more research. Talked to family.

And spent 4 hours at a dealership with twins in tow finalizing this "deal".

But drove away with this:

I'd say that was a pretty successful Monday.

Shots

After throwing up one too many times, I thankfully got some zofran end of last week. It saved me Saturday, as I was second shooting a wedding with Allison. Our next wedding that I'm shooting with her isn't until the end of March. I'm certain my second-trimester-superwoman cape will have arrived by then. Certain.

Until then. I wait. 12-14 weeks is the magic number usually for me. I say "usually" like I've got enough statistics to draw that conclusion. I don't, but I'm hopeful.

I have no "good" pictures but iPhone photos to share. A few (most) you've probably already seen if you're on Facebook. But I can't do post without pictures!

And the purpose for this post: I only have FIVE intramuscular progesterone injections left. FOUR after tonight. I can count them on ONE hand!

...but then again, who's counting? ;)