Y’all asked a lot of different questions when we spilled the beans about our little guy! I promised that I would do my best to answer all the questions…so let’s get to it…
- Did you have a feeling this was a boy or a girl?
Very early on…I seriously thought that this time around, the baby was a girl. This entire pregnancy has been really different symptom-wise (more on that later) so I assumed that it was gonna be a female early on based on urban mommy legends. In my gut, I knew that I would always be a boy-mom (my dad is one of four boys and I always felt very kindred to my Grandma) so I’m not really surprised that I’m expecting another male. And honestly, the thought of three little Bower boys so close in age (they could all play on the same sports team in high school or sing in chorus together) is really heart-warming and exciting.
- What did Jeremy think it was? boy or girl?
He thought it was a girl based on the fact that I didn’t gain as much weight and that I was very emotional. He has made it very clear that he wants a little girl one day but he always says that it’s nice to think that if that ever happens, that there will be lots of older brothers to watch over her when he’s not there 🙂
- Will you try for more kids? Are you done?
We always said that we wanted at least four bio kids. I still have the desire to have more…as does Jeremy. I think in the years to come, we have to evaluate that final number based on our family dynamic, personalities, finances, etc. It’s a lot to consider but for now we are definitely feeling like no…we are not done. If God gave me a dozen kids, I would be thrilled. Jeremy is a little more conservative….and right now he has agreed to five…maybe six biological kids. And adoption has always been something that is close to my heart so our ‘children’ story is a definite work-in-progress 🙂
- Tell me about the name? Is it a family name? Will you call him Leonard? Leo? LJ?
This third boy is named after my grandfather…Leonard Santini. He is the most honorable man I have ever met and months after we had named Weston (who was named after a bible verse), both Jeremy and I questioned why we had never considered Pappap’s name as an option. It was then and there that we decided that we would definitely use it if we ever had another boy. Little did we know that it was going to be a very short time till we found out we were expecting.
When we found out it was indeed a boy, we said Leonard would be the first name and we originally considered “Leo” as the nickname. Then on our anniversary (in October) I suggested to Jeremy the middle name of Judah (I always loved that name and the story of the Kingdom of Judah in the Bible and the meaning itself was my jam)…I was shocked when he said that he actually liked it! So when we got home, we asked Will if the baby in my tummy was Baby Leonard, Baby Leo, or Baby LJ. He said “Baby Weston”. And then he told me he wanted two baby Weston’s 🙂 A few weeks later, I asked him what the name was again…this time not making any suggestions…and he remembered and announced “Baby LJ”. It stuck.
- What made you decide to share the name now?
With Will, we shared his name pre-birth because we knew it. With Weston, we didn’t officially decide on his full name until he was born. So we didn’t share until we knew 100%. This time around, we knew the name fit now. I am a weird bird in that I share things with the world when I am ready and feel like the time is right. There is no other agenda…just whatever feels good. I did consider that there would be some folks that would feel like they need to warn me that the name was not their style or whatever (that happened with both Will and Weston)…and they might be less likely to say something after he already arrived and was given the name…but honestly, my baby is already officially named (whether it has paperwork or not) and I am just really excited to have everyone call him by name.
- When choosing a family name do you first check with other members of your family to see if they had planned to use it for any future little ones?
No, not really. We definitely just pick names based on what we (‘we’ being the family member and their spouse) like. Of course, we don’t have any problem if a name is already taken to use it again either….Will actually has a first cousin named William Clay and they call him Clay and another first cousin named Braden William. We figure that if we love it, then just do it!
- Have you documented your belly bump for this pregnancy?
Yes, I have a little. I have taken a bump photo every eight to ten weeks or so…nothing elaborate like I did with Will (I did his every other week – above with brick background) or Weston (I did his every month – above with plain background). They are for my own personal memory and I definitely keep a ‘moments’ calendar just like I did with my other boys too. The moments calendar is actually the thing I value the most because it documents the days that I felt the first kick or had a doctors appointment or something memorable happened 🙂
- How is the pregnancy going?
So far, so-so. This pregnancy was very different for me in a lot of ways. For one, I have been hyper-emotional. If I feel it, it comes out…which can be very dangerous. I also have been VERY sick the last few months…both in frequency and in intensity. I guess I finally got stricken with the infamous pregnancy low immune system. For instance…right now I am coughing up a lung. make that two lungs. I have been sick for the past four weeks…both chest, head and throwing up. It has been pretty miserable.
Being so sick makes me so thankful that I didn’t have intense morning sickness. I did have a touch of sick stomach in the early days which is different because I never had anything more than mild nausea with Will or Weston (nothing a stick of gum couldn’t fix!). Speaking of stomachs, the cravings with this pregnancy have been way different. With Will, I craved salt from day one. He still would choose licking a salt shaker over anything else. With Weston, I craved fruit and sugar. To date, his favorite thing to eat is chilled fruit chunks and candy. With LJ, I have not had much of an appetite. In fact, I am on track to gain only half what I gained with Will or Weston…which is crazy to me. I did however crave Krispy Kreme donuts one night…and I think that is the only time in all three pregnancies that it was such a strong craving that I asked Jer to hop in the car and drive to the store. He didn’t mind…because after all…it’s Krispy Kreme 🙂
Physically speaking, the sciatica pain is nowhere near as bad as it was with Weston and this is the first pregnancy that I really experienced traditional round ligament pain (I wouldn’t call mine ‘pain’ as much as ‘discomfort’…because dang, once you go through sciatica stuff, the rest seems minor). This time around I am also getting way more leg cramps…often both legs and feet in the middle of the night which scares the heck outta Jeremy because he startles easily and tries to help but can’t.
The only other thing that was really different was that this time around I have a very low-lying anterior placenta. So basically I didn’t feel him kick till October 6th (our anniversary and it was THE BEST PRESENT). He still is very shy about letting me know he’s there. Will was pretty average when it came to kicking…Weston was remodeling things in there from the start….and so having a quieter little one is slightly unnerving. I constantly wonder if he’s okay between appointments.
- How did you tell your family?
We announced the pregnancy in a low-key way. My mom had bought Jeremy and I skydiving tickets and I ended up going over to her house to tell her that I couldn’t use them anymore. She immediately guessed and screamed. I also told my dad the same thing later and he didn’t guess it at all. It was very funny to see his surprised face when I explained. I told my mom the name as soon as I knew…but swore her to secrecy so that the beans didn’t get spilled to my grandparents. On Thanksgiving, with a raspy voice, I got to share the gender and name news with my Pappap and Mummum and they were both very touched. I wish I had it documented with a picture or video but since I have been so sick, I was just thankful that I could talk loud enough for them to hear me. Seeing Pappap’s face at the table when I told him the news was pretty much my favorite part about Thanksgiving. Even more than the pies…and that is saying something 🙂
- Will you cloth diaper this baby?
I really want to do the hybrid approach again (I still have everything I need) but I am definitely one of those folks that does whatever is the best fit at the time…so we shall see. With Will, cloth worked out really well….with Weston (and his explosions – too far?), going with disposables more frequently was a better solution for us. I guess the answer will be ‘wait and see’.
- Will you try breastfeeding again?
Definitely yes. I will try. Fingers crossed! Right now I am two for two on doing it….with a 50% approval rating. I feel like it’s just like childbirth, you never know what you will get….but I will definitely be checking for a tied tongue this time around 🙂
- Are you going to have any help with 3 kids?
First and foremost my job is a stay-at-home wife and mom. I am very lucky in that Jeremy has a good job and we have the opportunity to raise these kids ourselves. There are so many folks that don’t have that privilege and need help in the child-care department. So to answer your question…no…besides the few times we will hire a babysitter for date night, and Will continuing to go to his preschool for a few hours a few days a week (I totally consider that help!), the plan is to keep tag-teaming the kiddos and try our best to keep up with the chaos.
- When are you due?
Beginning of March. The doctor keeps moving my date around based on growth, measurements, etc. Right now the date is settled on March 11th but he warned me that could change. That puts me right now at the very end of the second trimester.
- How did you share the sex of the baby news with Will and Weston?
I was in the doctor’s office (for another sinus/lung infection) when I found out. I told Will right away because he asked me why I was laughing/crying/so happy…he still didn’t understand because at the time I didn’t have much of a belly. Now he talks about Baby LJ all the time because I finally started showing more. The other day he told me that he was gonna play football…and it was gonna be Will & Daddy against Baby Weston and Baby LJ. I have a feeling that in fifteen years, that might not seem as stacked in Will’s favor. Weston has no idea what is going on.
- Did you consider not finding out the gender?
Nope. Both Jeremy and I love finding out as soon as we can. In fact, we even paid to find out early! That didn’t pan out quite as well as we hoped because it required a blood draw and during the first appointment, they put the blood in the wrong vials. Three weeks later, I was impatiently waiting to hear the news and called them…to which they said that I needed to come back in for another draw. Another three weeks later, I learned the lab had dropped my second blood draw and so I did yet ANOTHER blood donation. Three weeks after that is when I found out….one week before my twenty week anatomy ultrasound. So I did find out one week earlier than the normal standard of twenty weeks but it felt like an eternity.
- Does every baby get his own room? or are they going to start sharing?
Right now the plan is that Will will stay in his room and Weston will stay in his room. LJ will stay in our room in a pack-n-play and co-sleep till he is closer to that 8-10 month age. At that point, we will have to reassess. I am guessing that Will and Weston will want to share (Will is obsessed with sleeping in the room with people) and Weston will probably have transitioned to a toddler bed by then (he’ll be two?) so then LJ will get the nursery. But that is just a guess, we might change everything…who knows?!
- What was your initial reaction when you found out you were having another son?
I laughed. And then I cried happy tears while laughing. As much as I would love to have a girl one day…I trust that these kinda things are bigger than me. I know that our family will get exactly what it needs exactly when it needs it. I never doubted that I would have boys. My dad is the third boy in his family and he’s pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. And to be quite honest…this baby is just full of surprises! I definitely think that his middle name is perfect….Judah means “Praised” and that is the perfect description of how I feel. Praise God for my baby boy!
- What things are you most nervous about the transition from 2 to 3 children?
I am most nervous about the laundry situation. And whether or not I will be patient enough. I am nervous about whether I will be able to be more scheduled and have better routines just so that we can all successfully function. I know I will not be sleeping and that it will take discipline on my part to have more designated systems…like a better meal planning system or cleaning schedule or even communication with Jeremy so that we still do family fun stuff. I am nervous that our pantry might need a complete overhaul and expansion in the future so that we can hold enough food for them all. It may sound crazy but I am also nervous about picking up and carrying two little ones…so I’m planning on doing more baby-wearing with LJ and then if Weston needs me to pick him up (he’ll only be fifteen months) I will still be able to…but it still makes me nervous. My biceps will probably be huge.
- What made you wait so long to spill the beans?
This was one thing that kinda shocked me when it came to the blog-world…how much this tiny little detail was such a topic of discussion! It may have felt ‘so long’ but to us it was just what happened. Historically speaking, we waited four extra weeks to find out Will’s sex and then shared it a couple weeks later (at around 25 weeks). We actually found out Weston’s gender initially from a 14 week appointment (the doctor was not 100% sure but still told us his guess) and still waited till I was about 22 weeks to announce on the blog. This time around we found out at 19 weeks and right now I am about 27 weeks…so different things happen every time.
I think everybody shares whenever they feel ready. For me, it’s definitely a different folks, different strokes kinda share. Plus, I had this hair brained idea that I really wanted to do a pillow fight photoshoot for the reveal and I wanted to tell my family at Thanksgiving (we did this with Will) and celebrate Weston’s birthday before we moved on to baby-mania. This past Thursday was the day for the shoot and I actually had to find a friend to act as backup photographer last minute (thanks Karen – you did awesome!) so this was the soonest for all of the sharing to happen.
- Will you try for another VBAC?
That’s the plan right now. I have one of the best VBAC doctors in Georgia…his name is Dr. Tate and he delivered Weston vaginally…a 10 pounder after a ‘failure to progress’! While the recovery wasn’t all peaches and cream, I do feel like attempting the VBAC was the best course of action for our family. This time around I have a low-lying anterior placenta which basically could lead to a number of things…like another C-section…if it doesn’t ‘move’. So we are all praying that as the baby grows that the placenta will be shifted into the perfect place and I can attempt another VBAC. Fingers crossed.
- How was breastfeeding and being pregnant?
It wasn’t really something I thought much about….I just did it. Weston really loves solid food and right around eight months I did start to notice that he was starting to wean and my supply was feeling lower and lower. Two months later, it was a flat out battle to get him to nurse at all. Neither of my boys have ever been comfort nursers so to them it was purely business. After two weeks of struggling to get him latched and stay latched and do it for longer than ten seconds….I finally decided to call it the end and do the whole ‘don’t offer, don’t refuse’ thing. He never asked again. I am really proud that we went ten & a half months while I was pregnant and that I was able to maintain a healthy pregnancy. I also feel very lucky because I know a lot of girls that couldn’t even get pregnant until their nursing days were over.
- Did you have the panorama blood test? Did you find out the gender over the phone like I did? Was Jeremy with you?
I did have the panorama blood test taken. I found out the baby was a boy over the phone which seemed really weird…it was very anti-climactic compared to being in a doctor’s office and seeing the little genitals on the screen (that sounds weird.). I think next time, I’ll do something different…like have my sister there to surprise us both with the news. Jeremy was not with me at the very moment…he met me at the doctor’s office where I was waiting and I told him the news in our private little exam room a couple minutes after I got off the phone. Of course, he was thrilled and shocked and thought I was punking him.
- How did you and Sherry share the boy/boy news with each other?
We have always done the text thing…freaking out with a lot of vowels and emogis 🙂 Just like all our kids…I can’t wait for these baby boys to grow up together (even if it’s thousands of miles apart) and knowing that we have the love and support of such good friends is priceless.
- I sense you have a heart for women waiting for their own babies, and think that is beautiful. How do you balance that sensitive heart with the need to express your own JOY and details of this exciting season in your own life?
Ya know…that is kinda a hard one for me to explain. I know that with our wait for Weston, I immersed myself into a world of secondary infertility. As per the National Infertility Association, infertility is defined as a disease or condition of the reproductive system often diagnosed after a couple has had one year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse, or if the woman has suffered from multiple miscarriages. We had unprotected, well-timed intercourse for 22 months before Weston took up residence. I actively TRIED for Weston for 13 months (charting, testing, etc.) before getting pregnant. It was a small personal struggle that changed my life and my outlook toward women in general. I don’t compare myself to other people and their struggles…because I have heard some of the most heart-wrenching stories about infertility and loss and I feel so deeply for those folks. I don’t know how they even function with those experiences. I don’t pretend to know what it is like to go through decades of waiting, injections, invasive medical treatments and spend thousands of dollars on the chance to get pregnant or go through a miscarriage. But I don’t like to ignore the fact that I experienced a small taste of that ‘wanting’. That wanting and waiting isn’t infertility and I don’t want to confuse the two…but it can still be hard. When I was trying for Weston, I hated hearing about other pregnant girls. I hated wanting something so badly and not having control.
So when I found out that I was pregnant SO fast after having Weston, I was completely shocked. And honestly there was a lot of self-loathing. I hated knowing that my ‘state of being’ would be painful for friends online and in real life. It is so complex. As thrilled as I was to be pregnant, nobody wants to be the thing that causes turmoil. There were a lot of tears shed because I wanted so badly to celebrate with no abandon….not just my pregnancy but the healthy pregnancies of anyone that wanted a baby. I pray for that every single night. I pray for everyone waiting on their little ones. I pray that all women find the strength to support one another…no matter how deep that pain may be…so that we aren’t comparing or being insensitive…but offering compassion, encouragement and hope.
I do get to express my own pregnancy joy and details with close friends and family. I have an amazing church family, blood family and friends that are a huge support system. I do know that as soon as I have LJ in my arms, I will be oversharing just like I do with Will and Weston. Because let’s face it…all babies deserve the over-share!
Now if you reached this part of the post, you get thirteen hundred Bower Power points. Consider yourself a queen among men 🙂
Yea for baby boys! So excited for your growing family!!! Also, so random, but was on a cruise last week and got totally excited (to meet you. .. not because of your husband 🙂 ) when I thought I saw your hubby walking up the stairs… major fake out. When I saw his wife behind him she was blonde, not prego, and they had two little girls. Anyway, definitely a Jeremy twin walking around out there!
Love you blog! So happy for you to be expecting baby boy #3! I am the proud mama to 5 baby boys and from experience you will definitely need extra room in your pantry to feed all those boys 🙂
I thought going from 1 child to 2 was the most difficult transition, so don’t sweat bringing home #3. But as the mama to 4 boys, get ready for #3–mine is totally different from all the others. More energy, different ways to get into trouble–like figuring out how to climb up into the kitchen sink and giving himself a bath, before he could walk. #3 marches to the beat of his own drummer, and wants to be different from #1 and #2. Mine has more personality than any little person I’ve ever seen–he’s a total ham and a ridiculous flirt. He’s also the happiest baby I’ve ever seen, but is very stubborn. Get ready, it’ll be great! 🙂
HI Katie! I love your blog, and was just waiting for details on your pregnancy!! Thank you! I am in a very similar boat … two boys (3 and 1) and expecting a third baby. I want this third one to be a girl (I can’t help it), so we’re not finding out at 20 weeks (I’m 18 weeks now). I love how you say that, ‘your family will get exactly what it needs, exactly when.’ It sort of calms my strong desire for a girl. You’re right … three boys so close in age would be great!
Congrats on everything! Thanks for being so willing to spill the beans about all aspects of your pregnancy! I hope you start to feel better soon!
I look forward to hearing about more baby news and baby preparations to come …
Merry Christmas!
~Katie
Whoo Hoo! 1300 Bower points!
As an LJ myself (Laurie Jean), I do like the name choice. Plus, LJB is an excellent set of initials. Some people forget about those.
It’s fun having you share this with us. Thank you for being so open and generous. I enjoy it a lot!
Thank you for sharing, Katie!
I know we’ve never met – and may never meet – but I admire you so much!! I am in Ohio with two boys also and I just admire what an amazing boy-mom you are! I can’t wait to see how you round up all three of your little boys. I am so, so excited for you! And just looking at this post with past pictures of baby Weston, I just can’t wait to see what your third boy looks like! You have a history of creating adorable boys!
Many blessings!
” I am very lucky in that Jeremy has a good job and we have the opportunity to raise these kids ourselves. There are so many folks that don’t have that privilege and need help in the child-care department. ”
Need help? Privilege? You’ve made a choice and it’s the right choice for you Katie. As you acknowledge, “so many folks” don’t have that choice to make. I think you could have worded this in a way that didn’t sound quite so condescending. And many of us have made the choice to work and we don’t need “help” in the child-care department – we pay professionals who we count on to teach and guide our children’s development. Help would be if my mom lived nearby and could help out for an afternoon.
i totally understand how you felt… the self loathing and guilt. we also struggled to get pregnant but did and had a healthy baby girl. then we were ready to face possible second infertility because of my condition, but lo and behold, we got pregnant so soon after! it is a miracle, a blessing, and a joy, but it all comes with a deep sense of soberness after knowing a bit of the struggle, the pain, the loneliness, and the sadness that comes with infertility.
excited for you and your growing family! we’re also having a boy, so we’re excited to see what you have in store for your little one! 🙂
Was Will or Weston tongue tied? I was just talking to my cousin who said she’s still nursing, but it hurts like heck, because her daughter is tongue tied.
So exciting! I just gave birth to my son and have a 4 1/2 year old daughter too. We are done now, both of us just wanting two, and are lucky to have one of each but would have been happy with whatever was in the cards. Boys are definitely great and I can see the perks of having 3 within such a small age gap. You may not say that when they’re all in their teens and eating all the time, but it’ll be great to watch them grow, I’m sure! Congrats on the pregnancy, I hope the rest of it goes great for you!!! BTW… I wanted to do a VBAC on both but ended up doing a C-section both times for two different reasons… good luck and I hope it goes as planned!
I’m so happy for all of you! I gotta admit when I first read you were pregnant I thought another person I “know” is pregnant…come on! Hubby and I have been trying for years for another one with no luck. I have PCOS so none of my pregnancies came easy. I’m struggling to lose weight (another thing that doesn’t come easy) because I know that can only help. Congrats on baby Leonard I truly am happy for you 🙂
I loved reading this post! As a reproductively challenged individual, I’d like to tell you that while hearing of other pregnancies induces a pang of jealousy, the joy and excitement I feel completely outweighs it. Congratulations, Katie! Have a wonderful pregnancy.
Oh how I do hope you still have the energy to blog after all these children. I gave up my blog after I went back to work with my first. Now have baby #2 on the way. I love your stories and reading about your experiences we can all relate to. Look forward to continue the adventures with you. Good luck and Merry Christmas!
Whew, my son is 7 months old and still sleeps in our room in a pack and play. He has a happy room and a happy crib but I can’t stand to put him in it yet…I know I’ll know when it is right! People think I’m nuts, but it works for us! 🙂 He sleeps anywhere and since we both work, we enjoy looking at him! Ha
What Bible verse is Weston named after?
I too had a low-lying placenta with my third – and I freaked out about it for a good 17 weeks (every additional ultrasound showed that it was still low) before I had a totally un-complicated delivery…the easiest one yet! There’s a lot on the internet that can make a hormonally-charged pregnant woman get even more so, but it turns out all my worrying was for naught.
BTW, my husband and I said that we’d definitely have four kids back when we were newlyweds and had no children (I’m one of four and he’s one of six!). Three kids later we have decided that our family is complete 🙂 I don’t know how my parents and his did it!!
Aw, I am so excited for you, Katie. You, me and Sherry will all have boys right about the same age! We should definitely start a gang #boyzwhosemomsblog
After having 3 kids in 2.5 years I have encouragement. The third pregnancy was so emotional and I thought I was just going crazy. Like nuts. But it goes away as quick as it came and, funnily enough, three is not any harder than 2. Though that depends on personality, but having a preschooler and a toddler is hard enough that a baby just seems effortless! Best of luck
Can I just “like” this whole post? Thank you so much for sharing so many details – I can’t express how much I appreciate and enjoy hearing about these personal points in your life! I’m so looking forward to meeting the next little Bower Bird 🙂
xo
Thank you so much for being so willing to openly share your life! I feel like we are friends, as weird as that probably is for you. I also identified with secondary infertility. I had three miscarriages between #1 and #2, one was even after we saw the heartbeat. It is such a balancing act of expressing your joy for the blessing God has given you and having a compassionate heart. I just wanted to tell you I think you handle it beautifully on the blog. While we wait for #3 I look forward to hearing about your family’s updates 🙂
Love your outlook Katie! Thanks for sharing so many details – I’m sure that’s not always easy – but I for one am always rooting for you!!
I do believe that you are only given what you can handle – so you will be able to handle this 3rd one. I heard once that the first baby is hard, the second is harder, and the third is actually easier! Maybe that holds true. (Although I am sure many moms of 3 will disagree) As for the carrying around thing- just wait until you see your arms a year later. As a mom of 27 lbs twins that still both like to be carried at the same time, my arms could intimidate the best of them. 🙂
Congratulations again! I was so looking forward to this post and you did not disappoint. 🙂 Also – where can I redeem my Bower Power points? Are these like arcade tickets? If so, I want a handful of tootsie rolls.
You have the most beautiful heart about parenting, and motherhood. I so wish I had been as flexible in my approach towards things when mine were babies, instead of feeling like everything had to be set in stone and unchangeable. Loved reading this- thank you so much for sharing:-)
And I have to say, the photo of you nursing, with that sweet hand clutching your shirt took me back immediately to the many, many hours spent with my own little ones, just that way- it literally moved me to tears. Such precious memories. Congratulations on another sweet boy- he is blessed to be so loved!
Katie that last paragraph brought me to tears. I love how humble you are and gracious for what you have. I’m so excited for you (even though I am struggling myself). I’m just hoping that even though it’s taking forever for #1, that #2 will happen shortly after 🙂
This was a beautiful post, Katie. I’ve loved being able to follow along in your journey, with Weston and now with little LJ. My husband and I have been trying for 4 years, and it is just so heart-warming and comforting to know that not everyone is oblivious to the journey that is infertility. I’m so very excited for you and your family and your journey ahead. God bless you and keep you all!
Thanks for always letting us peek into your life and sharing so much. I am so happy for your family. I also so appreciate your kind heart and compassion to those of us who are still waiting. I had a miscarriage in April and have yet to get pregnant again, and I struggle with being happy for others. Your sweet support to other women is so comforting and reminds me to not compare myself to others. I enjoy that you are so open with your faith – it’s refreshing in today’s world – and I feel comfortable knowing that we share the same values. So, so happy for you and your boys!
So excited for another Bower Boy – you make some good looking babies 🙂 The story about naming your babe after your Grandpa is really touching – what an honor!
I just wanted to say that I love hearing your heart for women struggling with infertility. I’ve not yet tried for children, but I’ve seen friends and family go through that heartache and wept with them and heard them vent their anger. And I have to say that I can sense your heart and the tenderness there when you speak about that struggle and being saddened knowing other people’s’ pain. Your words are so kind and heartfelt, genuine and caring. I may have had tears in my eyes as I read those last few paragraphs.
I know you don’t know me from Adam, but we women need to support each other. And you did that splendidly. So I wanted to send the love back your way. You rock.
Just curious… What bible verse is Weston named after? Thanks!
So very happy for your growing family. Wishing you nothing but the best!
As someone who has struggled with infertility, thank you (from the bottom of my heart) for your compassion toward other women. Reading your last response brought me to tears. BLESS YOU!
Congrats! I just wanted to send a note of encouragement! I just had my second baby boy (he’s 7 weeks old) and his “big” brother was only 16 months old when we brought number two home. (Our pregnancy journey the last two years is very similar to yours!) I worried majorly about how I would carry two babies! I started to panic when my first son had no interest in walking (finally decided to start a month before baby 2 arrived.) But as most things go I worried too much – big brother has become very independent (both wonderful and heartbreaking) and prefers to hold my hand and walk. When a situation calls for both needing picked up let’s just say they are both working on patience! You’ve got this! So excited for you and your growing family!
I just love this whole thing! Blessings to you and yours, Katie!
I hate it when people say things like “I am very lucky in that Jeremy has a good job and we have the opportunity to raise these kids ourselves”. I work outside the home — does this mean that I am not raising my son myself? Please think about things before saying them.
Our stories are so similar it’s weird! Only I have girl #3 on the way 🙂 And I did not get my VBAC last time around (jealous!) I’m due March 4 and have a 4 yr old and a 19 month old. But it took 13-14 months of trying before #2 was on the way, and then when she was right at a year – surprise! Pregnant again! (while still breast feeding) The movement of mine is similar too – first was pretty typical I think, second was a total spaz, and this one is much more docile. We are also doing the same with our room situation – #2 is currently in transition to sharing with #1 so #3 will get the nursery in a few months. I’ll be following closely to see how it goes with three littles because I don’t know about you but I’m a little nervous how I’m going to handle them all!
Congratulations!
This is so awesome Katie! So happy for you guys. I have a few questions…I am pregnant with my third and beyond exhausted. Like can barely keep my eyes open. How do you handle keeping the boys busy while pregnant? What kind of activities do you do? I often feel guilty having another when I can’t entertain my boys now (I am also having a third boy :-]). Do you have any tips?
– A desperate Mom haha
Xo Melissa
CONGRATS!!
We just found out two hours ago (via blood test) that baby #2 is a girl. I thought I’d be a mama of all boys, so it’s still sinking in. But it really doesn’t matter, does it? Each one is so very special.
So here’s the best leg cramp remedy EVER. I suffered so badly with my first pregnancy until I learned of this simple trick: when you feel a leg cramp coming on, immediately flex your foot upward so you are pointing your toes towards your knees– like, pretend like your trying to touch your knee with your toes… does that make sense? It works every time. The cramp simply fades away.
Congratulations, Bower clan 🙂 I feel privileged to see your little guys grow up on here and thank you for sharing your story!
Did you have a diagnosis of secondary infertility from a Reproductive Endocrinologist?
I’m one of the waiting momma’s and I get it. As jealous as I am, I am happy for you and my preggers friends. You’re right -it’s not our plan. It’s his.
Love all your babies’ names. 🙂 Just curious as to which Bible verse Weston’s name comes from?
Congratulations 🙂
My mom’s tip to me after having 4 kids in 5.5 years… Get a second washer and dryer. I now have two boys 15 months apart and we have two washers and a jumbo dryer (and we cloth diaper both of them 100% of the time too!) seriously, it’s a life changer. Two loads of laundry washing and drying at once is incredible. Do it. Send me cookies later.
Blessings on the Bowers, big and small, young and old, and still to come…
Congrats Katie! Wishing you good luck and the safe arrival of little LJ. So exciting.
Also, I thought you might find the Chinese Lunar Calendar interesting, it predicts the gender of your baby, it has worked with the women in my family and a few of my friends too. Keep this in mind for any future little Bowers. http://www.holodeck.com/pregnancy/chinese-cal.html Also, check it out and see if it has worked for you with little Will and Weston.
Congratulations on baby boy #3. I am also expecting but I am having twins and I already have 3 at home, 2 boys and a girl. I am having boy/girl twins. I am 30 weeks now and am counting down. I wish you the best as you add to your family!!!!
Love this post. You did a great job of putting into words about the difficulty of pregnancy and infertility. Bless your Godly heart for dealing with this sensitively. I didn’t realize that Weston was a biblical name. What verse does it come from?
Katie, you have a beautiful heart. I just wanted to share that we have been trying for a baby for 2.5 years and are in the middle of IVF. We had 8 embryos not survive and have 5 left (two of which tested positive for cystic fibrosis). We found out we were both carriers of the CF gene when we started infertility testing and that led us to having the embryos tested as well. Now we have to decided what to do with the sick ones (probably donate them so they have the chance of being adopted). One of the 3 healthy embryos will be thawed and transferred into me on Jan 2. I haven’t gotten excited yet. Hopefully I will as it gets closer. I am just scared of getting my hopes up. This will be our first embryo transfer and I’m not prepared for it to fail. With so much riding on this baby, I know I’m going to be going crazy, if I do get pregnant, worrying about a miscarriage. It’s not as easy as “just try again”.
We have the same due date, congrats! I’m on my first and it’s a boy too. Hope you have a great rest of the pregnancy!
Loved all the details, thank you!
Love the part about us women supporting each other – so important for us all to remember
Congrats to you and the family on another little boy! And I hope you feel better really, really, REALLY SOON 🙂
I loved this whole post — it was beautifully written!
We are expecting our first — I’m 12 weeks today! Wooooooo! I feel like I can reveal that anonymously on the interwebs….still being secretive everywhere else. I loved how you wrote that “your family will get exactly what it needs.” So true. We don’t know what we’re having yet, and honestly I don’t care, I just want a healthy baby. I’m so excited to watch your family grow! Thank you for sharing it all with us!
I second this and wanted to add if you feel the need to stretch your legs while lying down (this sometimes brings on cramps) just flex your feet, don’t point your toes and no leg cramps!
Weston is not a biblical name…it was inspired by Psalm 103:12
‘as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.’
Weston means the one from the west 🙂
xo – kb
Weston was inspired by Psalm 103:12
‘as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.’
Weston means the one from the west 🙂
xo – kb
Nope. My doctor told us not to see one until we were ready to ‘take action’ (aka do a fertility evaluation and then subsequent meds). I did speak to a fertility specialist that is a family friend and she said that caffeine use, stress, exercise and diet all need to be spot on to boost fertility. Jer and I talked about it and we said that God blessed us with a healthy baby already and that if another one wasn’t happening…well, then maybe that was our cue to look into adoption or foster parenting.
xo – kb
If you keep going for a girl, hopefully you won’t be like my grandmother. My mom was the first girl after 6 boys! I can’t even imagine what that would feel like to hear “It’s a GIRL!” after it being boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy…girl (then another girl 18 months later!).
Hi Melissa,
I definitely went through that stage of complete and utter exhaustion (and being sick reminds me of it VERY WELL)…and you are right…it’s guilt inducing. I like to segment the day into parts…like we have certain indoor playtime, outdoor playtime, blanket time (when the boys have to stay on a blanket for ten minutes quietly playing with one toy – got that one from the Duggars), and activity time. I plan any activity (craft, art, thank you card writing, etc) the night before so I have all the supplies on hand and ready to go. If it’s big (like a gingerbread house), usually I wait until Daddy gets home to watch Weston or plan it for Weston’s nap time so Will gets needed help. We also have a couple activity books that I do with Will (we rip out two pages and that is our ‘homework’) and we always do music and ‘pretend time’. I also gets a lot of good ideas off Pinterest (hello busy bags!) and parenting magazines.
xo – kb
You are right. I should have phrased that differently because that is definitely not what I was trying to imply.
xo – kb
Psalm 103:12 – my little guys name means ‘one from the West’…
xo – kb
Done and done 🙂
xo – kb
Will has a ‘shorter than average frenulum’ (just like Jeremy) so even though he can reach his lips with his tongue, he can’t lick an ice cream cone. We asked our pediatrician about it when he was born and she said that it wasn’t attached to the point of needing clipping immediately but it was optional and now since we did not choose that route, we just have to keep an eye out (ear out) to make sure it doesn’t ever affect his speech.
xo – kb
We working moms raise our own babies, too.
Congratulations on your healthy pregnancy!
Oh I definitely didn’t mean it condescending! I’m sorry if it sounded like that! I have tons of family and friends that choose to work and they are amazing parents raising amazing kids.
xo – kb
I had the worst leg cramps during my last pregnancy until my midwife suggested drinking Gatorade. 1/2 jug each day and problem solved! It’s worth a shot 😉
Congratulations to you and all your boys. You are lucky, blessed, and loved!
I’ll be praying girl!
xo – kb
It’s Psalm 103:12…Weston means “the one from the west”
xo – kb
One day I will open a Bower Power point shop…you’ll be able to buy wonderful things….like a joke.
xo – kb
After reading about your name choice I got really geeky excited over the fact that “Leonardo” means “lion” plus the middle name = “lion of Judah”. Kind of a cool thing right there 🙂
Judah is actually the name we picked when we first got married for one of our future kiddos! So I thoroughly approve of that!
Yes. I should have worded that differently! I really didn’t mean it like that…off to go get my foot out of my mouth.
xo – kb
Random laundry hint from a mom of 3 little boys…..
Each boy has a laundry basket and I separate their dirty clothes as soon as they leave their bodies. Washing each boys clothes separately saves me HOURS in sorting/folding time. Because my guys are so close in age/size I was wasting so much time looking at tags (Is this a 2 or 3…. a big 2 or a small 3 etc. etc. etc.). Now I automatically know who they belong to.
I love you Katie, I really love you!
Thanks! I had never heard Weston as a biblical name before so was curious if there was someone I hadn’t heard of yet or if it had been from your interpretation of a passage. Such a sweet passage to name your little one after – I love the reminder!
Congratulations on baby LJ!!! Praying for you and your growing family!
I was going to suggest Gatorade as well. I drank a bottle every other day and it did the trick!
Yeah…it’s definitely not a biblical name…just from a bible verse 🙂
xo – kb
Awww, these are my favorite types of posts to read 🙂
Katie,
Well written post. We have 5 children, all through adoption. We went through years of infertility before seeking out adoption. I think you will know when your family is complete. I know my husband and I aren’t there yet. We have always said there was room for one more.
God gives you what you can handle and will always bring you through it. You will do great!
As for laundry, if you have the room in your laundry room (and if it is still being remodeled) I would SERIOUSLY consider having a second washer installed. If there is room maybe even 2 dryers. It sounds nutty and crazy I know but trust me…5 kids 2 adults = loads of laundry. It is much easier to do while everything is under construction. It is a nice luxury to knock out the laundry a little faster. We have 2 washers & 1 dryer, it works if you stager the start times, also if there are clothes that you hang to dry rather than run through the dryer.
Though our kids were 5 when we started teaching them how to sort and hang their clothes on a hanger and help with laundry and now my 3 yr old ‘helps’ and is really pretty darn good at it.
Anita- We do this and you are right it does save a lot of time checking tags!
I’m thinking how I could possibly fit two washers in that room….hmmm…now you got my wheels turning…
xo – kb
I like the name Leonard but it and LJ remind me of Susan on Desperate Housewives naming her son Maynard and calling him MJ. Just a heads up in case anyone chuckles and asks if you’re a DH fan when they hear it.
I would have never known 🙂
xo – kb
beautifully written and felt, thank you!
The secret life of Jeremy Bower!
Thank you for apologizing. I am crazy sensitive about the fact that my daughter goes to daycare. I would LOVE to stay home, but it doesn’t make sense for us right now. Please be sensitive to working moms, most of us would love to be home. I am still her #1 and her mommy 🙂
Thanks for sharing so much about your pregnancy, babies are the best 🙂
Oh and Judah was the name of the deceased husband on Weeds. (I’m pretty sure you didn’t watch that!) Tv trivia!
Ok I missed the video and then heard how awesome it is… Now I can’t find it! Can you repost it – pretty please? I’m dieing. (Not really – I just really want to see it)
Love posts like these. Congratulations on this time in your life. Make sure to take the time and enjoy it. You truly are blessed!
A simple little trick that helped my leg/foot cramps is the stretch where you point and flex your toes repeatedly – you don’t need to set aside a time to do it, just anytime throughout the day when you are sitting like while playing on the floor or folding laundry ^_^ I definitely noticed a decrease in the frequency and intensity of the cramps. Hope it helps!
Love this post, especially the last question–as a mom who went through IF for almost 3 years (and am now expecting my 2nd baby in 2 years, thank G-d!) I often struggle with this balance.
I am so sorry…it’s a crazy busy world and we are all trying our best to do what’s right for our own families…I know that and I think motherhood (whether you are stay at home or work from home or work fulltime or military or whatever) is one of the hardest things ever because no one formula fits everyone!
xo kb
Katie…. Thank you for letting us into your lives and see your little ones grow. I love hearing your heart about women who are waiting to be mothers. We tried for 5 years of fertility and were finally told our odds of having children even through IVF were slim. A year later we were pregnant on our own….well by Gods grace. She is now 5 and we have been trying since she was 2.5 for #2. We finally gave up and told The Lord that if he wanted us to have just one we were ok with that, but if he wanted us to have more then he would have to make it happen. The week before Thanksgiving we found out we are pregnant again. Again only by Gods grace. Both of our children are miracle pregnancies and we feel blessed. Fertility is such a personal thing and the depth of sorrow can be so great and each experience so different. My heart always breaks for those who are dealing with it and pray for all that I hear who are in the midst of it.
Katie, great post. But I have to tell you the laundry situation won’t be pretty. I am a SAHM of three girls an IT NEVER ENDS. But, I have gotten crazy good at removing stubborn stains, so there’s that. Woo-hoo for me.
Same here, sorting is a time suck, so I do each person in the family separate.
As always I am thankful for your last question and answer. As someone who has gone through the emotional and physical pain of a miscarriage only to be followed by an ectopic pregnancy that had to be terminated for my own health/viability of the embyro I appreciate you thinking and praying for anyone who may be experiencing the same. Ever since these events happened to me I have said we as women should be (if comfortable) sharing this information because it’s so easy to feel alone and like you are the last person in the entire world experiencing it. At the same time I am thrilled, excited and hopeful when I hear of anyone else’s news. A baby is a miracle no matter what and I feel that should be celebrated. As for me, I’m hoping 3rd times a charm 🙂
Katie-
I just wanted you to know that I really enjoy you…I know this is a blog and I know that I don’t know you in person…but I am pretty sure that I would like you immediately if we met in person!! It’s so sweet of you and so graceful of you to try to be so thoughtful about baby struggles and baby joys. We all have our stories and I want you to know that i have had both and although I don’t know you I take joy in your third delicious baby adventure! Thanks for being funny, and sweet, and creative, and imperfect and perfect!
Our three-year-old is named Judah…GREAT name! Or middle name 😉
Congratulations!!! He is one blessed baby boy to be joining such a cool family! 🙂
OK. Overstepping here … and nothing to worry over at all, but please make sure you know your blood type and Jeremy’s blood type. As a mom of 4, this wasn’t an issue until the 4th pregnancy and we were never asked at doctor’s office in any of the 4 pregnancies what our blood types were. Never even discussed or mentioned or came up. Had we been asked, we would have been told our blood types are not compatible (not as issue until our 4th, because 2 out of 3 other kids have my blood type). It could have saved a lot of hassle/NICU stuff had we known ahead of time. All was well in the end, though. But, worth a quick question at your doctor’s if you haven’t already done so. Stepping off my soapbox now.
Hugs! And hang in there with all that goes along with baking a bun! 😉
Congrats on beautiful baby number three, Katie! There’s nothing more exciting than expecting; the unknown of how they’ll look and feel and act is just so fun!
I haven’t read through the comments, so I hope I’m not beating a dead horse, but the “raise them ourselves” stung – I have to tell you. It implies that working parents pawn off their duties of raising their babies to others. It’s probably the one thing that bothers me more than anything else – the superiority that some stay at home moms (I’m not implying that you are this way. Just that they definitely exist…) express because they choose/are able to stay home. There is nothing about not working that makes one more of a parent than one who does work.
I know you probably didn’t mean it hurtfully, so I hope you can feel the love that’s in my heart as I share this. I mostly just hope that maybe next time, you’ll rephrase that to more accurately express what I bet you mean.
🙂 Lots of love!
I get terrible cramps not pregnant and the quinine in diet tonic water has helped a ton (if you are allowed to drink that while pregnant)!
Perfect post! Thank you for sharing the ins and outs of baby LJ. Thank you for letting us be a part of your journey. Looking forward to March! XO
“There is so much to live for and so much to love.”
Hi I was wondering what agency you went to for adoption? My brother and his wife are also having pregnancy problems and are considering adoption and would love to know what agency or orginzation would you suggest. Thank you ; )
That’s definitely not what I meant…and I am so sorry that it came out that way. I should have worded that better.
xo – kb
Thanks for the headsup!
xo – kb
Aww Congrats! Such wonderful news!
xo – kb
The things I learn from you tv watchers. I feel ready for Jeopardy now…but only if the category is my baby’s name 🙂
xo – kb
Here you go!
xo – kb
I’m curious — if that’s not what you meant (even though it’s what you said) — then what did you mean by that comment?
In all honesty with your sense of humor…LJ? We call her Lick Job!
When you first announced this pregnancy I didn’t get why you were being so sensitive about it and worrying what people with fertility issues would think. I get it now as I just went through a miscarriage. I never expected it. I have a two year old little girl and my pregnancy with her was as easy as one could be. We got pregnant right away and everything went smoothly. I got pregnant right away again but it ended in miscarriage very early on. I understand why you were feeling that way now as I think I will be more sensitive to people who have experienced these issues, but I would never judge you harshly because you were pregnant again, or being it happened so easily. It might be hard to see but children are a blessing and I’m happy for anyone who is expecting! Hopefully our next attempt will be more successful.
I feel very “privileged” to be able to work outside of the home part-time and to be able to afford to send my boys to a wonderful pre-school with fabulous educators. It works both ways so no need to get offended by others choices or opinions, just own your own decisions!
Do you think you will keep us updated on instagram with baby Leo’s birth like you did with baby Weston? That was so amazing/exciting to follow!
Totally made my heart happy. We have three boys, the youngest 15 months apart. I could have never guessed how fulfilling it is to be a “boy mom.” I love it so. And there is nothing quite like brothers. Or the look on their faces when they watch a younger one pee into their own mouth during a diaper change.
Totally understood! I appreciate that you recognize that and are gracious in reply. Of course, you always are, so I’m not surprised.
<3
I’m the mom of three small boys too! The first two are 2 1/2 years apart and the youngest is only 20 months younger than the middle. I think that’s about what yours will be. Congrats, first of all! There’s something so special about being the mom of all boys. Even if your family grows and adds a girl or two later, there’s definitely something special between moms and their boys.
Anyway, I felt compelled to share my laundry sanity secret with you. I bought three *small,* green laundry baskets from Target earlier this year. Then I color-coded the baskets with red, blue, and green yarn. The key to the baskets is that they are small! Each boy is responsible (at least the older two right now) for taking his laundry to his laundry basket at the end of the day. It’s part of our bedtime routine. They know their assigned color. We’ve color-coded other things too! 🙂 Anyway, I never have to sort and it keeps things manageable to do one small load/day of their stuff. There’s never too much to fold and put away. I used to love doing baby laundry with my first and then it got crazy by the time I had our third. This system totally eased my stress. Hopefully this or another method make it not so crazy for you too!
All my best to you and your growing family.
Love all this info about baby LJ! Thanks for sharing! I’m so happy for you and your sweet family 🙂
Hey Katie would you ever do another day in the life post? I would love to hear more about your activities with the boys day-to-day. I’m sure a lot of other readers agree! They are my fav posts!
Um…I’m pretty sure Kristen WAS joking. She does not actually want you to send her Tootsie Rolls. Wow.
Can I ask why the strong preference for the vbac? Is it bc of easier recovery? Ftm here, just curious.
The “raise them ourselves” comment shouldn’t be taken the wrong way. People can be so sensitive and should sometimes keep their sensitivities to themselves!
You shouldn’t feel you need to apologize for something you clearly didn’t mean. As a former teacher, now stay-at-home mom, I totally understood what you meant and didn’t take it as an insult at all.
I have never posted before, but I have to say that stung also; particularly the “privileged/lucky/need help” part. To be honest, I suppose I have that “privilage” myself, if I considered that. My husband is a physician and I am clinical psychologist. Either of us could stay home, but choose not to because of the contribution to society we have felt called to follow. This doesn’t mean we need “help”. We love our children and WE raise them, no one else. Their day care was thoughtfully selected. I heard my children’s first words, saw their first steps, and potty trained them (of course amongst all the other necessities of life ), because it was my husband and I encouraging, loving, and RAISING them, not a care giver for a few hours a day. If my daughter feels called to be a stay-at-home-mom, that’s great and I’ll support her decision. However, if she feels (as I did) that her call or desire is to work outside of her home, I would support her and never let her feel that she was not fully raising her children.
I’ve seen you said you didn’t mean it, and that is great. I’m glad you can recognize a hurtful comment for what it is and take responsibility for it, as that can be exponentially rare these days. Simply just wanted to provide you the thoughts of someone that has never posted in several years of following.
Congratuations on your family’s lovely news, Katie. I wish you all the best during this new journey.
I have a personal preference for it because of the recovery. For the C-section, I was on a lot of pain meds, couldn’t carry my baby up and down stairs (or anything else that was heavy), was out of it mentally and still can barely remember Will’s first couple weeks of life. With Weston I had a tough recovery because of the whole birthing process but I could carry him or Will and was only on Advil and can remember every little bit. It was for me worth it…even if the physical pain of it was equally hard.
xo – kb
yeah. I’d pretty much guarantee it.
xo – kb
I need to do another one 🙂
xo – kb
Maybe! I will have to wait and see!
xo – kb
Her?
xo – kb
What I meant to say is “MOM I APPRECIATE ANY HELP I CAN GET but I do not expect it or think you ‘should’. I know you work full time and you have a ton of other responsibilities. I love you.” That’s what it should have said.
xo – kb
Last part–beautifully said.
Aaand weirdest comment ever award goes toooo….
I have just two things to say to you.
One: Just wanted to say thank you. The answer to the last question was so beautifully written that it made me teary eyed. I too am dealing with infertility. We’ve been trying for about a year and a half, which doesn’t sound too long, but it is when you’ve gone through just about every fertility treatment possible in that time period. We’re currently in the middle of our first (and probably only) IVF cycle and just praying that we’ll be blessed with a little one. It seems like infertility is something that is so rarely spoken about that it’s easy feel like you are the only one in the world who can’t have a baby. Thank you for your honesty and compassionate words! And congrats on #3!!
Two: It freaks me out when Sherry pops up in the pictures on your blog! I also read Young House Love, but I always forget that you are friends. It’s like when you are watching a sitcom and they bring in storylines and characters from other sitcoms, like on Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens. So strange… but you ladies have some super cute baby bellies! :0)
i think this person is suggesting that lj stands for a sexual act a female might do. since you have a little bit of potty humor sometimes i think they were saying you should have caught that. pretty rude if you ask me. i think you are much more tasteful than that.
I have had anterior placentas with both my pregnancies and have delivered boys. When I had my gender sonogram (we paid for an extra sonogram solely for that reason) the tech told us that research shows that women with anterior placentas almost always deliver boys. Interesting!
That’s so interesting! I wonder why! I remember I had an anterior placenta with Will but his wasn’t low-lying so they didn’t really mention it much.
xo – kb
Rebecca, I don’t think you need to feel sensitive about having a child in daycare. My son was in daycare from about 7 months old until 3 years old. When I had baby #2 working outside the home just didn’t make sense anymore financially. He’s now in preschool and I stay home with my daughter. I loved the experience my son had in day care. He thrived with the routines and soaked in the educational experiences. Day care providers definitely did not raise my son for me but they did give him things it would have been hard for me to give him on my own- especially as a working parent. He made friends, he learned numbers and letters at an early age, he has good table manners, he knows how to clean up, etc… I know you may really want to be at home with your daughter but since you can’t try to see all the things she will gain from the experience.
Catching up on your blog. You might not even see this but I wanted to welcome you to the 3 boys club. It is an exclusive, wonderful club that only us mama’s of 3 boys understand. We have a deep understanding of each other with just one glance. 🙂 We were done with 3 children and of course got all the comments, will you try for a girl, are you sad it’s not a girl, etc. Honestly, I was a little sad. I wanted a girl. I was so thankful The Lord was giving me a 3rd healthy baby that it outweighed that sadness. I took my son and his friend (girl) to her gymnastics class and I had a little cry right there that I would never have a girl to take to gymnastics and after that, I never felt sad again. My 3rd baby boy is 20 months old now and has been such a joy and blessing to us. I honestly can’t picture our family any other way and I know The Lord wanted me to have boys. Congratulations and welcome to the wild, crazy world of sports, wrestling, cars, trains and trucks. (Which you’re already accustomed to anyway. 😉 and whoever said boys were cheaper lied. When you have flag football, soccer, baseball and basketball, that’s not cheap! And don’t get me started on Nike Elite socks, underarmour and nike clothes! You still have a few years to dodge those so enjoy picking out their clothes for now. 🙂
Oh Katie I know exactly how you feel. I have 3 boys and am pregnant with boy #4….due in April. I was sure my #3 was a girl b/c I’ve wanted a girl my whole life. I cried for a day or two when we found out we were having boy #3. My 3rd will turn 3 in Feb. and I had decided last Summer that I was done. Then found out in August that I was expecting…surprise!! This is the only real “surprise” one. So it HAD to be my girl! We found out in Dec. that it was boy#4. This time I cried for 2 weeks on and off. We all wanted a girl so bad. But God decided that He wants to give me all of His mighty warriors (a good friend told me that.) I also am trying for a vbac this time. Had a c-sect with the last one b/c he was breach. I hope your delivery goes well! Congrats on 3 boys!! You’re a boy pro now 😉