It's A Girl!!

We found out on Tuesday that we are having girl. Tyler and I were secretly
(or not so secretly) hoping for a girl, but when we heard the news we were actually a bit stunned. We're excited, but this is definitely uncharted territory for us. We are glad that we have a whole new list of names to bang our heads against, at least.

Knowing the sex certainly makes it feel more real and that has given rise to concerns about having three kids. I keep hearing varying scenarios. Some moms tell me that after two kids the rest are no problem. Other moms tell me that three is the hardest and then it gets easier. I'm starting to suspect that, as with most things, it really depends on the family and the personality of the third child.

Moose and BiggiE were both mellow babies. With each mellow baby born I keep expecting the next one to be a screamer. Of course, I also thought I would for sure have another boy, so there you have the accuracy of my predictions.

We did get a call after my AFP test came back with a 1 in 130 chance that the baby could have Down's Syndrome. That is a very small chance and we had a detailed ultrasound done (the one on Tuesday) for more information. The doctor said the baby looked normal which reduced our risk to 1 in 260 which is out of the concerning risk range. We opted not to do amino because the risk is so, so tiny.

Since getting the abnormal AFP results I have heard that it is VERY common and that many women opt not to do AFP because false positives happen so often.

It was an interesting week before the ultrasound thinking about how our lives would change if our baby had Down's. A couple at church has a son, William, who has Down's and he is wonderful.

I read a number of women online who said they would feel obligated to have an abortion if their fetus was diagnosed with Down's. A few other people told me they would pray that the baby didn't have Down's. To me, these two sentiments seemed really similar. The baby inside either has Down's or it doesn't and it seems like praying the baby would be healed of Down's is putting forward our own idea of what a child should be like just as much as the women who feel an abortion in necessary.

I think if our child had Down's there would be beautiful things that would come to our family. If you read the experiences of families with a Down's child they have many examples of how the child enriched the lives of all the family members. I cried as I looked at these beautiful faces.

All of us are imperfect and a child with a disability can very visibly show the beauty in our imperfection.

Portland

We had a wonderful trip to Portland last week. Tyler had a conference and the whole family decided to come along to visit our dear friends the Williams-Hodgins. Ryan, Molly and Maggie are some of our closest friends and they abandoned us in April to move to Portland for Molly's new job. The kids started right back up where they left off and the boys having been singing "the Maggie song" since we came back home. "We love you Maggie, oh yes we do..."

Unfortunately, I was completely remiss in taking pictures, but I did get this gem of the three kids watching the sea lions at the zoo on our last day.


We camped on the way up and the way back at cool campsite right along the river. You can't tell from the pictures, but the boys were thrilled to camp and loved throwing rocks in the river.


Our take on urban camping...

On the drive back we decided we needed dinner before we reached the campsite, but we needed to buy some milk to make our mac-n-cheese. The original plan was to purchase the milk and then find a park where we could make dinner. Four hungry stomachs changed the plan and we decided to "camp out" in front of the grocery store.
Tyler had also bought two pints of Ben & Jerry's (Aww, he knows how to take care of me.) and we decided we needed to eat the ice cream before the mac'n'cheese. We quickly polished off one pint and put the other in the cooler.

Later that night, after we had set up camp, Moose and I were hanging out in the tent when Tyler came over to say he had bad news. He told us he didn't think the ice cream would last through the night so we would need to eat it now. The wheels in Moose's head were whirring so fast you could almost hear them and he piped up with, "That would be okay with me!"

Veggie Tales and Druids

Moose and BiggiE love the Veggie Tales. They will happily break into the theme song upon request. (On a side note, BiggiE was entertaining the secular guests at our friends' backyard party in Portland with rousing versions of this beloved Veggie Tales theme and "Jesus Loves Me".)

Recently we viewed Sumo at the Opera where there is a little skit about
St. Patrick's Day done as only Veggie Tales can do. The only part of the entire DVD the boys seemed to have retained is the yet-to-be-converted Druids chanting, "Ohhh Grrreeat Shamrock!" as not-yet-sainted Patrick tries to use the three leaved plant to explain the trinity.

Now at random points throughout the day, at the dinner table, outside, in a store, whenever a seemingly prearranged time arrives, Moose and BiggiE loudly chant, "Ohhh Grreeat Shamrock! Yoouu arree nice!"

It doesn't appear to be a fleeting foray into Druidism since they have been maintaining the practice for several weeks. Not exactly the message Veggies Tales and I were trying to get across.

Tucking In

Sometimes the oldest's desire to be in charge can be very sweet. I had told the boys it would be time for rest in 15 minutes. The next thing I knew Moose was helping BiggiE into bed for nap.

Viva La Mexico

We recently came back from a great time to Mexico with my family. The boys played on the beach every day and loved being the center of attention for six adults.

I really enjoyed hanging out with my brother and his wife, Kim, away from everyday life. The boys were smitten with their Aunt Kim (though BiggiE kept calling her Uncle Kim). The boys had all kinds of games with Uncle Peter, Grandpa and Grandma.


I love this photo of Moose and his Aunt Kim. He found her on the back porch and came back in and got one of my book so he could read with her. Here they are reading and sharing an iPod.

Tyler, with the help of my dad and brother, dug quite the extensive sand fort. We had so much fun as the tide would come in and we would hold our ground till the last wall fell. Tyler used the moment to explain about the parable of building your life on the sand versus the rock. It seemed like an obvious picture lesson about what would happen to life built on sand when the tide came in. Tyler asked Moose where he wanted to build his life and Moose confidently exclaimed, "The sand!" I guess the meaning of the analogy was lost in the midst of the fun of playing in the sand. Oh well, maybe in a few years...

Ah, the drama of a sword fight!

Boy, Boy and ...

Our newest addition will be joining the ranks of the Thomas household sometime in the first couple weeks of December.

Tyler and I were shocked at first and then quickly excited. We both had prepared ourselves to be content with two kids since Tyler had gone through chemo.

We welcome any ideas for celebrating a child's birthday December. December was always the month we were not aiming for, but what can ya do.

Moose is thrilled with the idea of having another baby. He said we are having two boys and two girls. I'm sure hoping he's counting himself and BiggiE as the two boys, because I don't think I'm up for quadruplets. Moose is already talking to the baby in my belly and today he put his special blanket by my belly "for the baby inside."

BiggiE doesn't seem to quite understand the implications of a new baby. He has always been more possessive of me and it's hard not to worry how he will deal with becoming the middle child. He does seem to like the idea of being a big brother, but that might just be the word "big" making it sound attractive.

As I near the end of the first trimester I think I am out of the woods of nausea. Praise God for that!

Fun at the Coast

We had a great time at the coast last weekend. We had been planning on going on a hike or bike or some sort of family outing in the morning. When Tyler suggested the beach we jumped on the idea and it felt good to be semi-spontaneous and get out the door in 30 minutes. How fun to be an hour away from the ocean.


We had a great time playing in the sand, though the water temp made us glad we are going to Mexico soon so we can actually go swimming in the ocean before August.


After playing we went to a little restaurant and had some delicious fish and chips. It was a really great morning.