OH BOYS!

We are very happy to announce that we will be welcoming another boy to our family in January. Yep, that's right we are having another baby and yes we know it is going to be a boy because I am already over 16 weeks. We do typically share the news of a new pregnancy pretty early on, but this one was a little different. We told our family and close friends around the 8 week mark, but decided to keep this pregnancy private from Facebook and the blog world for a little bit longer.

We kept our new baby hush for a bit longer for a few reasons. One, this baby was a very wonderful surprise and we just needed some time for the news to sink in. Two, I have a lot going on at work and needed to get some things headed in a better direction before I announced a new pregnancy. Third, and probably the biggest reason, was that this pregnancy has been so very different from the others with some nervous moments at the very beginning. I was shocked to find out I was pregnant in the midst of some spotting that I was certain was my "friend" arriving. I had not spotted with any other pregnancy and it made me worry. Then when I went in for my first ultrasound the baby was measuring much smaller than I felt he should be. Having been through a loss before, I was pretty terrified. I just really didn't want to get super excited and then lose another baby. It is hard not to get super excited when everyone around you is happy and excited for you. So, we decided to keep the news a little quiet for a bit longer than we have in the past.

Now things are going very well. The spotting stopped around week 6. The beginning of my pregnancy was actually very much like the pregnancy with the twins. I was very tired and very sick (the sickness is still going strong). In fact, it was so similar that I was a little surprised there weren't two babies in there. By week 10 the baby was measuring right on track and the due date of January 25th was set in stone. That is my dad's birthday so I was pretty excited about that. I have my cervix measured every two weeks (just like I did with Baylor) and everything is looking great.

At my 16 week appointment I knew he would take a peek at the gender just because I get an ultrasound at every appointment. The official anatomy scan isn't until week 20, but I knew the doc would look. Justin was out of town so I had my mom go with me. She has never been to one of our ultrasounds so it was pretty special for both of us that she got to be there. As soon as the doc put the wand on my belly I knew what I was seeing. Right there in the middle of the screen were two legs and a penis. I said, "Is that a penis?!" I was certain this baby was going to be a girl. After all, I felt exactly the way I did with Faith and Avery. Even the weight gain pattern had been the same. I knew we weren't having twins so it must be a girl, right? WRONG! We are having a third son and couldn't be happier. Three boys in our house is going to be amazing!!! I love my boys and I know just how much boys love their moms. I am so excited to get that times three.

Grayson is very excited about another baby. He says we need "more, and more, and more". For a while he called the baby "Noddle". All on his own he came up with that name. We loved it. I thought it was so cute he had a nickname for his little brother or sister. Now that he knows the baby is a boy, he has changed the name to Bodie (again all on his own). Yeah, I don't know where he came up with that either, but that is what he calls the baby. Baylor is going to be a wonderful big brother, but for now I don't really think he has a clue about how our family is about to change. Truth be told, none of us really know what it is going to be like in a house with three boys, three and under. God knows and He must love us a ton to keep blessing us with babies to love on. I can't wait!