Hopefully soon, we will be posting pictures of the new baby! So while we're waiting, I decided to share a bunch of recent pictures of our 3 little sweeties.

*SISTER HUGS!*

Ella Rose at her school desk
Ella & cousin Bentley

...and with her new scooter

Tessa Jane dressing up

...ready to smile for the camera...

...hanging out with dad...

...and holding Bentley!

Jaci doing "down dog"

...looking serious...

...and showing what a great big sister she's going to be!! Jaci loves babies!!

...getting to know Uncle Dale, and adoring Bentley!

End of Pregnancy

The signs of the end of pregnancy are here! I have been in a major organization, de-cluttering, dusting mood lately, which is WONDERFUL!! The house has needed it for many months!! I think the impulse began with Adrian cleaning and organizing our basement, and it just went from there—10+ bags shipped off to the thrift store, mud room made efficient for winter gear, space for baby clothes found in an existing dresser, computer and scrapbooking desks overhauled, tool and art supply bins meticulously organized, lesson planning done, car seats all cleaned and adjusted to make room for baby, truck vacuumed… it all feels so good!!

Other signs of the end of pregnancy:
*my husband has to help me pull on and zip my winter boots
*I’m really tired of maternity clothes and look forward to wearing normal stuff soon
*on Sunday when hungry for lunch, I pulled out the makings for a green salad with a boiled egg. Was hungry so drank a root beer while the eggs were boiling. Root beer filled me up, so put the salad ingredients away. A short time later, made tomato soup and grilled cheese instead! That’s a pregnant lady’s prerogative, right?
*Finally didn’t sleep well last night, which I remember being more typical as the birth approached with the first three… so hoping it is sooner than later. As one person encouraged me, “Babies are always on time—their OWN time!!”
*Even though we have had 3 healthy births, there is some trepidation (and no guarantee) with going through it again—so, my prayers are consumed with God watching over the process, and blessing us again. Soon we’ll all be enjoying this child God intends for our family!

Straight Talk!

Let’s just get something straight here!! I feel really, really weary today of the constant discussion about whether our baby is a boy or a girl! There are still folks we know who are just now finding out about the pregnancy, so I get to go through the same conversation virtually every time I step foot in public. I really try to be gracious when I tell people that no, we won’t know baby’s gender until the birth! And then the inevitable assumption comes, from nearly every person that we are “hoping for a boy this time”. My teeth clench, my heart pounds, my mind becomes so angered because that is really very far from the truth, and in my opinion, an obtuse remark! And yet, how can I succinctly (or lovingly) explain all of those feelings to the person before me who obviously thinks it must be true? After all, why else would a family have 4 children, right? Is our society so bent on having everything we want, which includes excessive belongings and being able to choose from thousands of items at every coffee shop, restaurant, mega box store …. that the attitude also transfers to the matter of having children?? Believe me, I am NOT enduring childbearing with some great hope that my baby will be one certain gender! We are not basing our family size on what gender our kids are, either! In fact, if you tied me down and twisted my arm to choose whether I’d rather be buried in pink or blue in approximately 4 weeks, I would say I’d rather have a girl! That’s probably mostly rebellion to the nasty assumption. But also, my practical mind says we are all set up for a girl—with loads of clothes stacked in bins in the basement, and more girly toys than you could imagine. I’m also more excited about the girl names that have surfaced during this pregnancy than the boy name we agree on, though it is a solid good name too. Oh, all this suspense the sweet child keeps us in-- I love it! I love the intense moment of a baby’s delivery when you first see their skin, such a little body, you realize the worst is over, you hold them close, and then the awesome experience of getting to know little him/her just as they have arrived: a precious gift from God, no matter what!!