There is a new level of excitement being able to share the news of Baby Number 4 with everyone! As a blogger I felt like I was talking on eggshells making sure I didn’t slip up during the first trimester! My kids definitely did slip up and tell people about the new baby. Sometimes people barely we knew and other times people we knew well.

I have always kept the secret of a new life bursting forth with all 4 children until the heartbeat is heard. When that blessed heartbeat was revealed this time, a level of anxiety was lifted. You would think that by my fourth child I would be past worries. But that just isn’t the case. I don’t know if it is the lingering anxiety 2020 holds on a lot of us or the fact that I anticipated looking pregnant at 6 weeks (and didn’t) that concerned me.

We are so blessed and excited to walk this journey alongside you all.

.. for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1:49

Pregnancy + Covid

I walked into that first appointment at The Midwife Center alone. Jake and the kids have always been at our initial appointments. It’s a tradition of crazy in a tiny midwife room, followed by the joyful expectancy of that heartbeat and then a family meal at the local diner. This time was met with disappointment. An empty waiting room found me as I struggled to keep my handmade mask below my eyes while filling out 15 papers. I am the only one allowed a the appointments. Even at that a lot of them will be given at home via telehealth.

Our first appointment went well. I tried to video chat Jake and the kids in but Juniper was crying and the kids wouldn’t stop talking so no one heard it. Thankfully I took a video for our moms and showed Jake once we were home.

Despite our disappointment over the events of Covid, I find myself eternally thankful for the blessing of three wonderful pregnancies and deliveries under normal circumstances.

Telling Emmett + Hadley

We kept the secret of the pregnancy from the kids only for a short while. When we knew we were traveling for a couple weeks we decided to tell them because they couldn’t tell anyone at church. We told them in the car on the way to Ohio and they were both excited. I think it dawned on them more over time. Emmett talks about how we’re having a boy “because God already chosed a girl.” Hadley asks daily when the baby is coming followed by “It’s taking a long time!!” Juniper is still clueless.

How I Feel

I thankfully have felt very good. There was about a month where I felt fatigued on and off. I had strong cravings and aversions that made me feel queasy. I always know I am pregnant because my morning coffee that I so look forward to becomes unappetizing. Overall though, I cannot complain. I always feel pretty good during the first trimester and the hardest part is just keeping up with making dinner and caring for my children 😉 Nothing too insanely different from other pregnancies, just a more general sense of queasy.

Were you trying for another?

Yes and no. As a follower wonderfully put it, it was a “planned surprised.” On our anniversary we talked extensively about our desire for a fourth child sooner than later. It was the earliest I was ever willing to entertain the idea of another baby so close to just giving birth (Juniper was 8 months old then.) We decided to leave it to God and see what happened and not try or try. Well, lo and behold, just shy of month after that conversation the positive pregnancy test appeared around 4 weeks and 5 days.

How did you and Jake feel about the positive pregnancy test?

We were both thrilled! As much as the positive pregnancy test didn’t surprise me (I was so late– I just knew), I just still couldn’t believe we were entering 9 months of pregnancy again. There was definitely a mental shift for me that I wasn’t quite ready for. I was still nursing Juniper and didn’t anticipate getting pregnant quite so soon. So as excited as I was, I wasn’t sure I was so ready mentally. It took me a little while to fully process it, but I was so happy to have our last little ones close in age. How’s this? I was ready for another baby just not the 9 months to get there I was not quite ready for yet 😉

Do you want more kids?

This is one of the million dollar questions! After this baby we feel done with biological children. However, it has always been our desire to add a child to our family through adoption. If this ends up being in God’s will for our family we are open and excited to this. Did we ever think we’d have 5 children? Not necessarily, but as we’ve grown our family our desire for a big family has grown as well <3