Here we go again!

We are very happy to announce that we are expecting!

I'm sure that face will look much cuter in July.

We found out back in December. So far, this pregnancy has been going great. While I did have some nausea (which occurred in the late afternoon/evening), I never actually threw up. This is also my very first vegan pregnancy. (The kids and I have been vegan for about a year. Even George spent a little bit of time drinking whole milk before we switched to soy). I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do a vegan pregnancy because I want to make sure the baby is getting all the nutrients it needs, but so far everything is great. My blood work came back and baby and I are both healthy (and I got a bonus in good news along with this, which I’ll post about later). Even my iron was great, which was really good news because I had low iron when I was pregnant with George and had to take a supplement. And that was when I was still eating meat. Ha! So I’ll continue being vegan until I am told that I need to do something different. I won’t be happy about it, but a healthy baby is top priority.

Yesterday, we had the big ultrasound appointment where we learned what baby #3 will be!

The kids and I met Hubby at the doctor’s office and we all went in together. Bridget was not feeling her best (she caught the latest GI bug) but she so badly wanted to go. She has been so excited about having a new baby, and has even prayed that it would be a little girl for her to play with.

Very quickly into the ultrasound, we discovered that it is a BOY!

Bridget was heartbroken. She just stood there and I could tell that she wanted to cry, but her shyness prevents her from doing that in front of strangers. She’s the only one who was hoping for a specific gender… the rest of us just wanted a healthy baby. But seeing her so disappointed, I was almost wishing that it would have been a girl, just for her. But, we are still very happy to have another boy.

After coming home, I let Bridget know that with her and I being the only girls, we get to have our own special ‘girl time’ and that she’s still going to be daddy’s baby girl. This cheered her up a little bit. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, she’d come to me with questions like “Why does Heavenly Father think I need another little brother?” and comments like “I wish I was having a little sister so that I won’t be so lonely”. Way to break my heart, kid.

George's reaction was… nothing. He has no idea what’s going on. I think he finally got the concept that there is a baby in my tummy, but he’ll probably need reminding. I’m sure he’ll be a good big brother, as he is so loving towards Bridget's baby dolls. It’s sweet to watch him feed the babies and carry them around. Then of course being the boy that he is, he’ll whack the baby’s head on the floor a few times and laugh.

Now, back to the baby: He is due on July 17th, 2014. His heart rate was 148 (at 16 weeks, 5 days along). So far, I’ve gained just ONE pound (although I do feel like I’ve gained more). I was a bit alarmed by this and promised my OBGYN that I am eating a lot but she said that this is perfect considering the baby only weighs 6 ounces right now. She said most women gain way too much too early but that I’m on the right track. So yay! My next appointment is in 4 weeks, and sometime in March I also have a fetal echo scheduled with George's pediatric cardiologist to see if this new baby has any sort of heart defect. It’s rare for someone to have two CHD children, but it does still happen. I’m not worried about it and I think it will all be okay. Even if the new baby does have a congenital heart defect, at least we know what to expect with surgery, recovery, etc. But we’re hoping for the best, of course.