The Third Adventure: a new little blueberry

Some background on this whole baby #3 thing...

For months - a year or more, probably - everyone's been waiting to hear about whether or not we're going to be a family of four, or a family of five. Well, truthfully, we weren't sure. We love kids - ours in particular, of course! - and I think we're pretty good parents...but MAAAN, we've been tired. And it sounded insane for so long. Lukey has been a ton of fun, but we guffawed at the idea. THREE?! What, and NEVER FEEL THE PEACE OF MORE THAN SIX HOURS OF SLEEP EVER AGAIN?! Andy asked his mom a few months back when she started feeling less tired as a parent. She said, "Once you guys went to college." So, only another 14 years to go...

It hit me a few months back that it will be another 8 years, at least, before Andy and I could just decide to do something spontaneously as adults. See a preview for a great movie? Ok, then spend two weeks trying to line up a sitter, and then end up falling asleep in hour 2 of the movie with your $10 popcorn falling sadly out of the corner of your open mouth. Another kiddo to pay for in daycare? Hmmmmm, is it even worth it when my paycheck ends up just covering the costs... That guest room - which is really a storage/crap room where we shove things when people come over so they might possibly think that we lead lives of sanity and peace - that might eventually become a bedroom? Well, where on earth are we going to put all that CRAP?!

This is the math we've been playing with for the last year or so. It doesn't really add up to a big YEAH, BRING ON KID #3!!!!

But along with all the grimy realities of being a parent, there has been this nagging awareness (that is slightly depressing because it means there's not much we can do about it) that this crazy reality we live in is exactly what it's supposed to be - or at least this is what it is, for us. (I guess I know a handful of people who have kids AND have all their shit together. But...ahem...that's not us.) Our story is the story of many parents of two+ kiddos. So life is crazy. So what? This does not mean - nor has it ever for anyone who comes from a big family - that you let the realities of NOW decide what you want for yourself in the long run. And in fact, we are incredibly lucky and in many many ways have a sweet deal. Both Andy and I get to play a huge role in the daily lives of our kids. We get our summers off to spend every day diving in to the summer activities. We have family close by, and many many offers to help. We are safe, we are loved, we are doing just fine! So, QUIT YOUR GRIPING, SALLY! SOMEDAY ALL THIS CHAOS WILL MAKE A GREAT STORY. I mean, seriously; if my parents stopped having kids when they couldn't afford them or when they were so freaking exhausted they couldn't do any more, my oldest brother would be an only child.

ANYWAY. Back to our dilemma. Two or three? Two or three? Day to day we felt differently. Then a friend of mine had a baby. I'm not sure what was different about this one, since there have been a bajillion babies born in our circle of acquaintances this year... This particular family, we don't see each other a lot, sadly. So after she had her baby, we got a link to some pictures, and a few videos... and well, there was this one video of their brand-spanking-new little boy and he was so squeezable and sweet and suddenly I was crying and just knew I wanted to have another baby. Just like that. All my questions and uncertainties and back-and-forth-ness was gone.

Admittedly, hormones surely played a role. (They are powerful little buggers.)

Enter Andy: Still on the fence, but persuadable. One short conversation later and we were officially on the path towards a family of five.

Did I mention that we are lucky? We are truly blessed, and freaking fertile. My plan was to not be pregnant until AFTER my 10-year reunion... and AFTER the 4th of July... I had plans to have some FUN. Ahem. Life doesn't work like that. I found out two days before reunion. You should have seen me fake-beer-drinking all weekend. It was a feat.

#3 was described in the early stages to be as big as a blueberry. I like that visual. I think I will call this little bugger the blueberry.

So, I'm going to try and write a bit more about my experience... how it's going... since I really didn't do that for either Maren or Luke. And since this WILL BE OUR LAST - mark my words - I want to document it better.

But right now I want to go and sleeeeep. for about 10 hours. Even though it's only 12:23pm.