May is one of those months where we seem to have 5000 things to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in. This month has completely flown by for us! This is a post that I wanted to write last week, but time just got away from me.

We’ve been keeping a little secret…we are expecting baby #2 on October 3!! Not only that, but we found out this past Wednesday that it’s a little girl! Since our first child is a boy, I was really hoping for a girl, but spent the last several weeks preparing my heart in case it was another boy. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore being Trippe’s mommy. We have so much fun together; he is a huge light in my life and makes every day a little more fun. But you guys…the ruffles, bow headbands, and bright colors…they have been pulling at my heartstrings pretty hard. Plus, I think Trippe is going to make the most fantastic big brother in the world. I love our never-ending conversations about bulldozers, trucks, cars, and snacks, but I’m excited for a little “pink” in there too.

Mike (my husband) was not entirely sure about a girl at first. When we were sitting in the waiting room together between the ultrasound and the visit with the doctor, he looked very overwhelmed. I asked him if he was okay with it all, and he said, “yes…it’s just going to be different.” Mike grew up as the youngest of two boys just 18 months apart. They were always very close and did most things together. I think in some ways he was expecting to see that relationship reflected in his children, and this is throwing him for a loop a little bit. But, I knew just what to say, since my husband absolutely loves everything Disney: “She’s going to be your little Disney princess! She’ll be the one who dresses up and watches princess movie. She’s probably going to love Disney World even more than Trippe!” Well, that’s all it took to get him feeling a LOT better about the situation.

I am a little bit nervous about my third trimester, as my first pregnancy was somewhat traumatic. When I was just 31 weeks pregnant with Trippe, I went into pre-term labor while on a field trip to a choral competition with my students. We were an hour away from the hospital with no mode of transportation besides a school bus. Mike had to pick me up, and we drove as fast as we could in his lawn care truck (trailer attached) while I was having steady contractions 5 minutes apart. When we got there, I was 3 cm dilated, and as my contractions were being monitored in triage, the nurse remarked “oh wow, you really are in labor!” (I assume they have a lot of false alarms around that stage.)

Long story short, they were able to stop labor with a bunch of meds, praise God. But, I sat in the hospital for 3 full weeks on bed rest. At 34 weeks, they sent me home on medication and complete bed rest there. At 36 1/2 weeks, while still on the anti-contraction medication, I went into labor again. This time, I went in and had a baby about 8 hours later. However, Trippe did end up having to spend a week in the NICU after having lung trouble when he was born.

All this took place about 2 years ago today! Trippe’s 2nd birthday is on May 27 (his due date was June 19). We are praying that lower stress levels and a greater ability to choose rest on my own time will keep all of this from happening again. It’s truly amazing what stress will do to your body. At almost 21 weeks and feeling lots of fun movement (I say fun because it’s not too uncomfortable yet), things are going well so far, and I’m looking forward to the journey to the Fall!