Number 4, are we insane?

God has decided to bless us with another child and we are accepting the challenge with smiles. Apparently having 3 children 4 and under wasn't difficult enough so now we will have 4 children 5 and under. This was the straw that broke my back and made me give up the beloved Tundra. We had an undeniably positive pregnancy test on Monday and a Sienna and Volvo on Wednesday. Yes we have two grocery-getter vehicles!

If all goes well, we are due on my birthday, July 21st, 2008. If the sweet thing decides not to come out before then, I will be induced on that day. Why, you might ask, would I ask for an induction for number 4 when I prayed for a naturally timed birth with number 3?

It is simple. R was almost 2 weeks late according to our dates as well as both ultrasounds dates. Because of this, we were induced with Pitocin, which did not make for a terrible delivery like I was worried about. I still delivered naturally (well, without pain meds) and had my tear stitched up without meds as well (That was not a smart move!). R on the other hand suffered. They pulled 14 cc's of meconium from his lungs and had to send my brick-like placenta in for testing. My placenta was not functioning as it was very old and calcified. The meconium, they say, is from fetal stress, which could have been caused by a non functioning placenta. We are not willing to risk harming this next baby because my uterus is too stretched and flimsy to actually deliver on its own and my placenta has a good chance of becoming old quickly. This is the reason I gave in to having 3 children and not pushing for 4, which I still wanted during R's pregnancy. We did not think my body could handle another pregnancy, but now God is showing us it can.

So here we are, 15 weeks along and looking like we are about to deliver! I will try to get A to take a picture of me tonight so I can post it. I am actually huge though. We would think twins if we didn't see the ultrasound of the singleton already.

Since we have no doubts that number 4 will be here on or before July 21st, we have decided to arrange for the Baptism on August 2nd. This is just one of the many choices questioning our insanity. The Godmother would like to be at the service and this is a weekend that should be (fingers crossed) good for her. Also, Granny called and said she would be in town that weekend and would love for us to have the Baptism so she didn't have to make another trip out next summer. Actually, Granny started out by asking me to deliver before the 17th of July so it would make the Aug. 2nd Baptism better. The August 2nd Baptism was already on the calendar so it just made rationalizing the quickness easier. Anything for Granny!

Since an early August Baptism lends itself to me having a just turned 5 year old, a 3 1/2 year old, a 17 month old, an almost 2 week old, and no sleep (let alone an ounce of sanity) my dear darling husband has agreed to talk with his boss's wife, who is an awesome caterer, about cooking for the reception. I am so excited to not have to worry about small food details that maybe we should have the Baptism sooner, or multiple times even, so Jenny can keep cooking for us!

All that said, we have had some questions about our sanity. The overwhelming majority wins, naming us officially insane! At least with our sanity out the window, we will still be able to throw one happily catered Baptism reception and enjoy the company of our family and friends.

How much harder can one more baby be?