Baby number WHAT?

I have to say that being pregnant with baby number four, you get so many more unwanted comments.  No, I don't mean other people's horror stories.  I mean just rude comments about your sanity.  And yes, I know that I am probably a bit more sensitive to people remarks since I'm pregnant, but really?  Does every person I encounter NEED to ponder my sanity to my face?  I'm just going to quickly clear a couple things up here.

First of all, No.  We were not trying for a fourth.  We had considered it.  Believe it or not, I ovulated twice in the cycle that I got pregnant in.  Yeah, I didn't even know that was possible.  But something about weaning from nursing had something to do with it.  I figured it took three years between Ava Rose and Adelaide.  If it was going to happen, it would happen much later down the road.

Second, I am not out to be my mother.  When you come from a family of six kids, people assume that you are trying to recreate your family.  If that's the logic people are working with to justify MY pregnancy, how do you explain that my husband came from a small family of only two kids?  Just a thought.

And last, we aren't determined to have a boy.  Yes, we have three girls, but we like girls.  If you are going to do something do that and do it well.  I have an amazing husband that can put an outfit matching socks or tights, shoes and bloomers together.  He knows the importance of a bow and can even do hair!  We know what goes into potty training girls.  We can handle the drama.  We deal with attitude.  We get little girls.  Now, that's not to say that if God blesses us with a boy that we wouldn't be thrilled.  We would be, just scared out of our minds.

Now, we are really excited about having a fourth child.  We like the idea of an even number.  Having two younger sisters close in age to me, I know that drama of three.  Someone is always left out.  I also love that Lexie and Ava Rose are so close.  They really are best friends.  I want Adelaide to have that.  These two will be super close in age (21 months apart) and I am so excited to watch their friendship grow.

And, yes.  I am terrified.  I have moments of being unsure how to do it all.  Where will a fourth baby go?  How will we afford four?  How do I work all of these car seats (I have my nephew every day) in my van?  How will I homeschool 2 and entertain the other 3?  Because daily, I will have 5 kids every day.  How will Adelaide, my most needy baby, react to a new baby?  Will she think it's replacing her?

I have the same thoughts as everyone else.  I just don't know that it's necessary for YOU to state your queries to me.  It's really not your business.  We are having a fourth child.  All that we ask at this point is for you to support us.  You can think we are crazy.  But don't say it to me.

Cat's Out

The cat is outta the bag.  It seems that everyone knows that we are expecting our fourth child.  Though, I was very selective in telling everyone at first.  People literally kept coming up to me the week that I found out congratulating me.  When I would look confused and ask how anybody knew, they would just tell me that they had an inkling and it was confirmed.  Now, with this baby, I found out at like four weeks into this mess.  How could people have known for a while if there wasn't a while to know?  And if they had an inkling, why didn't they maybe let me in on it?  And if not telling me that I was pregnant wasn't bad enough, who confirmed it?  I have yet to find out. 

It is kind of fun to let it leak out slowly instead of making a big announcement.  I made sure my family knew, but other than that, it's been hearsay.  Of course Ava Rose announced it to her teachers at school the moment she knew about it.  And if you've ever been around our preschool, you know how quickly that spreads. 

I am also finding that this pregnancy is true to form for me.  My first pregnancy was rough, but manageable.  The second was harder.  I was sick more and so much more tired.  The third was awful.  I was so sick.  And I had no energy.  This one seems to be the toughest to date.  I find it's very hard to fake being fine when I have a very astute six year old and a very sensitive four year old.  Lexie is quick to offer that we don't HAVE to do school today if I'm too sick.  And Ava Rose is very concerned that I am going to "Frow UP".  

I find that everyone is convinced that we need a boy.  I'm not.  I have to admit that I am a bit curious about how a Camp boy would be.  But the idea of raising a boy is just terrifying.  The thought of it is panic attack inducing for me.  I was made to be the mother of girls.  I love pink.  I love frills.  I love hair bows.  I love shoes.  I love little girls.  Now don't get me wrong, I've had a taste of a little boy.  Trey, my nephew is over everyday while Emma works.  He's fantastic.  But I am at a complete loss at some the things he does.  He is ALL boy.  I don't have tomboys.  I don't even have girls.  I have princesses.  They want all the right accessories, they want to wear a tiara whenever possible.  They count down to ballet lessons.  They love a dress.  And shoe shopping is one of their favorite activities.  And, I also want Adelaide to have what Lexie and Ava Rose have.  They are best friends.  What better thing to have your best friend be your sister?  I watch my two younger sisters and I want that for all of my girls.  As the oldest of the three Bickford girls, I know how having three girls can be difficult.  I know that someone will be left out.  I know that there will be more tears.  I will adjust if I have a boy.  I will wrap my mind around it and dive in with both feet.  I would love him and he would be the sweetest little boy ever.  But I'm just saying.  I would love to be the mother of four girls.

What about my husband?  You would have to see him with our girls.  He was made to be a daddy to girls.  He has no problem fixing hair and matching the hairbow to the outfit.  He knows how to deal with swing of emotions that are continuous with three little girls in the house.  He's as curious as I am about what a boy would be like, but that is as far as it goes. 

We are both excited about having a fourth baby.  The whole even number is a good thing.  And we are just thrilled that God would bless us in this way.

Babies and Butt Paste

Ava Rose and Lexie went to bed last night and as usual, I could hear them talking instead of going to sleep.  They weren't bothering Ladie so I didn't say anything.  In fact they fell asleep faster than normal.  Wahoo!  What an awesome night.  Bobby came home and they were already asleep.  Such an unusual thing.  But I was not about to disrupt a quiet evening and the possibility of an early night for Mommy. 

At ten o'clock every night, the "potty alarm" on Bobby's phone goes off.  He gets Ava up and takes her potty so that we can hopefully avoid a bed wetting accident.  He went in to get her and come back out fuming.  I was so confused because my husband is not one to lose his temper easily.  "Did she have an accident already?" I asked.  I was really just grasping at something, anything that would cause this reaction in him.  "I'm going to go wake up our children now.  They have to clean butt paste off the bed."  What???  Apparently, my creative children decided to paint their bed with yes, butt paste.  How in the world do they come up with this?  No, not the little tube that yo stick in the diaper bag or the big tube that's in the living room.  They used the monster tub of butt paste.  It was practically full and now it's empty.  Yes, they emptied out the tub of butt paste that used properly, takes a good year to go through.  It took them one night.

Everything in their room was covered.  And though, Bobby did get them up and they cleaned the majority up last night, I think we will be finding it for the next 6 years.  Their shoes, sheets, clothes, bodies, bed, walls and hair were covered!  I sent Ava Rose to school this morning reeking of the distinct smell.  Her teachers probably think that we just don't bathe them.  But I do.  They had a bath last night before this disaster.

The worst part is, this is not Ava Rose's first run at this kind of thing.  She once smeared Vaseline all over herself and MY bedroom.  She was two and it took weeks to get it out of her hair!  Even with the special shampoo that Aunt Annie got us.  Hopefully this will not be a repeat of that mess.  OH.  Well, at least they were writing in the smeared mess.  Can I count that a school?

Ladie has been sick for the past couple of days.  She is not the pull yourself up by your bootstraps child.  Which, I guess I kind of deserve.  She is after all one hundred percent me.  But, being pregnant and sick and dealing with a child with the lovely mystery fever and NO OTHER symptoms, will just about push one over the edge.  In fact, I don't even think that I brushed Ava's hair before she went to school.  In the words of my mom, "She looked like an orphan baby.  Like nobody loves her."  Well, at least she was dressed.  Adelaide on the other hand is still in her jammies that are covered in strawberries.  Well, at least she ate something.  The most frustrating part of this whole thing was Saturday night when Ladie was in the worst of it.  She woke up at about midnight with a fever.  I gave her medicine and put her in the bathtub to cool her off.  She was miserable and up until 4.  Bobby was home and luckily did not have to work in the morning.  I literally lay in bed with them trying to help, but my pregnant body kept betraying me.  I could not stay awake!  I crashed at some point and slept for two hours while my poor husband was up with our sick baby.  I know that God gives a child two parents for times such as these, but.... It's really frustrating.  And then I tried to talk to Bobby about how I was supposed to be the one taking care of her, but he just got offended.  Now, I know, I  am crazy blessed.  I have a husband that will give up sleep for his children and doesn't just expect me to do it all.  But do any you moms get this?  She came from ME.  I want to be there when she's sick.  I don't always trust Bobby's instincts with sick babies.  Does he know that if her fever spikes to put her in the bath?  Does he know the tylenol/motrin schedule?  What will he do if she gets worse suddenly?  Does he know when to call the doctor?  Will he know the questions to ask if he does call?  I guess you can tell.  I struggle with control when it comes to my children...

This is our Family

I am a mom who is incredibly proud of my family.  I just needed some extra place to tell all about what's going on in this hectic household.  We live our life first and foremost, to honor Jesus Christ.  Alexis, our six year old is so precious.  She accepted Jesus into her heart at the age of three.  She had done something wrong and I explained to her that she had sinned.  I also explained that it made Jesus sad when she sinned. She was very distraught.  She told me, "Mommy, I don't want to fin anymore."  I explained to her that because she was human, she would sin.  But that there was a way she could ask for forgiveness and work on things that were hard for her.  It all came down to Jesus.  I asked her if she remembered the Bible story at Easter.  When Jesus was killed on the cross.  And how He rose again.  I asked her why He would do that.  We discovered that He did that so that He could cover her sins and they could share a relationship.  She was very excited and said the sweetest little prayer asking Jesus to come into her heart so that they could be friends.  She still sins, but now she knows that she can always go to her Friend and ask for forgiveness and help not doing that again.

Ava Rose, my precious four year old, is a newer Christian.  This summer, while getting ready to go on a camping trip with her grandparents, we took the time to put on the armour of God.  We started with the helmet of salvation.  Ava asked me what that was.  I explained to her that it is the knowledge that Jesus Christ had saved her from her sins.  She asked me if she knew that.  I responded by telling her that you can only know that if you have asked Jesus into your heart.  And that you are trying to live in a manner pleasing to Jesus.  That you can be Jesus' friend and talk to him.  This was quite a revelation to sweet Ava Rose.  While waiting for Nana to arrive, she asked Jesus to come into heart and forgive her.  She was that warm summer morning at our kitchen table.  When Nana arrived, Ava Rose ran out to tell her all about our morning.  She was very excited when Nana explained that now they were sisters!  WOW!

My sweet precious Adelaide is just a year old.  Though she has not come to understand how much Jesus loves her, I know that one day God will reveal Himself to her.  She has such a wonderful example of a loving father that would give his very life for her.  Her older sisters are also wonderful pictures of Christ's love.

  She is the loudest of all of us.  Maybe, that's because she has to be.  With two talkative big sister's, it's hard to get a word in.  Adelaide is the first grandchild that my mom has said gives her deja vu.  She is me all over again.  And though that fills me with no small amount of pride, it scares the stew out of me.  She is energetic and lively, but also somewhat spoiled.  She expects to get her way and throws the biggest fits when she doesn't.  It's something we are working on.  But at the same time she has such a kind spirit.  It's hard not spoil the one like you but also not be too tough on them either.

Bobby is the most amazing father that my girls could hope to have.  He works so hard to support our family.  He would much rather be at home with us, but puts his wants aside to do what is most important.  He is a hands on Daddy.  He changes diapers, plays games, makes lunches.  He truly is my partner.  He is such a gentleman to our three girls.  His desire is that they know that God made them ladies and that anyone they interact with should treat them as such.  He is a gentle, kind and understanding husband.  However, he can be firm when he needs to be.  He is striving to be the leader that God expects him to be.

I am Vera.  I love that I get to home school my sweet Lexie.  This is our first year at home together and it has been amazing!  Ava Rose is in four year preschool at our church.  Though I miss her for the three hours that she is gone, this has been a good experience for her.  She will be at home with me next year.  I keep my sweet nephew while my sister is at work.  Trey is the most precious little boy that I have ever been around.  He and Adelaide are five weeks apart, so they keep me on my toes.  We live with my mother-in-law and her mother.  After my father-in-law passed away, we found that not only could we save money in this manner, but we could bless them.  Our girls give Great Grandma a reason to get up in the morning.  They add fullness to her small life.  She is deaf and practically blind, but they give her such joy.  And when we moved in, I will admit, Grammy was not my favorite person.  However, God has changed my heart toward her.  I have truly understood more of what has gone on in her life.  And how these things have hardened her.  It is amazing what God can do!  I have a wonderful family, fantastic friends and a relationship with my Heavenly Father.  Monetarily speaking, we don't have much.  But I do believe you would be hard pressed to find someone as blessed as I.  I look forward to sharing with you what God is doing in our lives.