A minor detail. If you haven't heard...
We're pregnant with Baby #3!!
To say we weren't surprised and a little caught off guard, would be a lie. However, we are trusting 100% in God's perfect plan for us and our sweet baby.
Just a little side note, I've been praying about a #3 ever since Landree was about a year old. I was praying about having another baby or adopting one. I was open to either, but trusting God would reveal His plan to us. Well, he did. Here's the million dollar question I'm asked so much, "So, are y'all done?" Hmm...to answer that question with a definite "yes" or "no" would be silly either way. God will do what He wants, and if there is a number four, I'll be praying the same prayer I had for #3. Just for it to be revealed in the form of our own biological child, or adoption. We'll see.
Anyway, onto the big reveal! I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I wanted a boy. I've so desperately wanted a little Austin running around here. I love that man so much that to have a miniature version of him would be amazing! Austin, on the other hand, is perfectly content with his girls and loves them so much and they are so crazy about their daddy. So, a girl would most definitely be a blessing, too. The day we found out Austin and I went together to find out the gender and were going to "reveal" it to the girls later on. AB, just like her Mommy, wanted a brother. Bad. So, I was praying that it would be a boy for both of us. On the way home, I stopped at a little bakery by our house to buy a cupcake with either blue or pink icing, and I was going to let AB open the box to see what color the icing was.
The look on AB's face in these pictures should say it all.
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| If you can't tell by this picture what the gender is... |
Landree announced for us, since AB was too busy bawling her eyes out. Baby #3 is a
Girl!
Surprised? Yes. Disappointed? Oh, maybe a smidge. Sad? No way. This was God's precious blessing and gift to us. No way I could be sad about it. Grateful? ABSOLUTELY!
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| AB finally came around after about half an hour and was over it, and happy to eat the icing off the cupcake. |
Meet our precious gift and bonus baby...
Zoe Grace Aldrich
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| Already an Aldrich girl - smiling for the camera! |
You know how people say, with each child you have, the less you do as far as go "all out." It's true. I always said I wouldn't do any less for each child I have, but the time becomes so precious and you have to manage it differently. With my pregnancy with AB, I documented each month how far along I was, took pictures, wrote a post about each month and how I was feeling, etc.
With Landree, I took a monthly picture, but rarely had time to post about it.
With poor Zoe, I'm lucky to get a picture of my growing belly. So far, I've taken two. One at the beginning and one a little more recent. And, man, has my belly been bigger than it was with the other two.
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| 9 weeks |
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| 22 weeks |
This pregnancy has been very similar to AB's. Night nausea up until about 11 weeks. No actual getting sick, but just felt like it. I was starving in the beginning. Like, wake me out of a dead sleep starving and eating in the middle of the night. I was exhausted during my first trimester, but luckily for me it was the summer time and I could do a lot of resting. I craved a lot fruits and veggies in my first trimester. My second trimester, I still want fruits, but I'm really getting a sweet tooth. And my appetite...it's outrageous. I can out-eat Austin, hands down. I need to stop. It's going to be killer to lose this weight. My thyroid wanted to act up towards the end of my first trimester and came back abnormal, but never at a scary or even treatable stage. When I got well into my 20th week, it normalized -- thank you, Jesus! Now, to just pray that my cholestasis doesn't return.
I was telling Austin just yesterday how surreal it is to be pregnant for a third time. All I've ever wanted is "a bunch of kids." I know that in comparison, three isn't a bunch, but to me it is...especially being an only child. That fourth would still make my heart super happy, but I'm perfectly happy and content with whatever God blesses us with. This pregnancy has been awesome...so far. I've been hesitant to get too excited since my pregnancy with Landree threw curve balls at me at every turn. I feel, though, that God blessed us with this baby to show His goodness. Landree, despite all of her delays and medical issues, is a tremendous blessing and joy to our family. God wants me to trust in His plan and in His perfect timing with everything and that's what I'm choosing to do. We're blessed...no matter what.
