We were very surprised in at the end of October to find out that we will be welcoming another babe to our family in July!! I was in shock for a good month or two, not being able to process what another child will mean for our family. I told Julie when I was about 6 or 7 weeks along, wanting to keep it a secret until we'd seen the heartbeat on ultrasound. Finally, around Christmas the news sank in for me after we told our families and planning began.
I am beyond excited to have another baby. We wanted to have Ben for so long and tried so hard....it's such a miracle that this baby just "happened" and I know will be such a great addition to our family. I feel so thankful and lucky to be able to experience pregnancy for a 3rd time. I love being pregnant for the most part. Especially after the first trimester is over and when I start to grow a baby bump and can feel the baby moving. This will for sure be our last baby so I just want to soak it all in and enjoy every moment of this pregnancy. I also want to spend a lot of time with Benny, he will be about two when this baby is born. I won't be getting the 4 plus years of 1 on 1 time with him that I had with Oliver. I feel bad that he doesn't get to be "our baby" for much longer, but am very excited to experience having two kids close in age.
So far, the baby seems to be healthy and growing at a good rate. We decided to wait to find out the sex until birth again. It was fun finding out with Ben when he was born, and once we got past the 20 week ultrasound for this baby, I'm kind of over finding out what it is. We are hoping to have a VBAC instead of another C-section. We really hope it works out so we can do that. I want to heal quickly after this birth and Ben's C-section had a long healing process for me.
The boys were very surprised to find out they will become big brothers once more. I was afraid Oliver would be upset or angry about it but he has come around. Though, he has mentioned to me once or twice, "I sure hope this is your last baby, Mom." Obviously, Ben has no idea what is going on. Poor guy.
Weight Gain: I have gained more weight earlier with this baby for some reason. About 17 lbs so far. I'm trying to eat more salads and fruit now to reign it in. I've been craving fresh pineapple and watermelon. Also, eating a lot of ice again! I'm not TOO worried about it because whenever I nurse it usually comes off quickly. I will plan on doing Weight Watchers again too after the baby.
What is different this time: I felt the baby move earlier than I did with Oliver and Benjamin's pregnancies. Gained more weight earlier. No placenta previa this time! Planning on a VBAC. Erik and I went to a VBAC class that gave us a lot of really good information and we are feeling more at ease with this plan now.
We moved Benny into Oliver's bedroom and bought bunk beds! The boys took to sharing a room right away. It was a couple of nights of adjustment for Ben but then he was sleeping through the night. Yay! Oliver seems to be better with Ben now too and said he does love sharing his room with him. Ben is still in the crib, so we will need to try to transition him to the bed maybe in the next couple of months. I guess we can always just keep him in the crib for awhile once baby is here. I'm guessing the baby will sleep in with us the first couple of months anyways.
What am I stressing about: SLEEP. I am scared about what the lack of sleep over the next couple of years are going to do to me. Money....how we will afford to send all these kids to college, how we will afford to still do a bit of travel with and without kids, will I quit my job or stay?
Having two kids 2 years apart. I've always wanted it, but it does intimidate me a bit since I feel like I have my hands full with Ben right now.
What do I miss: Sleeping more comfortably, drinking wine, not too much. I do love to be pregnant.
Exercise: I'm starting to exercise more regularly again....getting on the elliptical 3-5 times a week and it is doing wonders for my energy levels.
He seems to be well liked at school and right now his best friend is Cameron, from his Kindergarten class. We don't like his first grade teacher as much as his Kindergarten teacher but what can you so!? We has a fun summer, Oliver played soccer in the spring and fall (with Erik coaching of course!) and did a soccer camp and two tennis camps during the summer. We crammed in a lot of fun outings before our baby was born and it was such a memorable time with the boys! 
