Thursday, December 29, 2011

Happily.

Eleven months have passed since my last post. In that time my 2- and 3-year-olds turned to 3- and 4-year-olds. Maiya mastered potty training in about a second and timidly started preschool several months later. Haven started to clearly write his name and started his second year of preschool. They are both dancers, and they are best friends. Haven sings almost nonstop, his feature hit is the Lion King theme over and over. And over. And over again. Maiya is confident about what she wants in almost every situation. Haven has an unbiased love for all electronics and Maiya has an equally liberal love for puppies. I could write facts about these two forever. You might stop reading, but I wouldn't even notice.

There are two new members in our family. One is about 9 months old, one is unborn. One has ears that hang low, the other has ears which are developing. This time last year Dave and I were deciding if we would add a puppy or a baby to our family. We decided on both. We like to live on the wild side. What's a little chaos when there's plenty of love, right? It turns out that it's still chaos. But not the worst kind.

Nobody mentioned to me exactly how different a third pregnancy would be. I not longer believe that certain pregnancy experiences indicate a girl or a boy. I've had both and this is a whole new experience. Perhaps God is fashioning just the third child I planned. The one with the easiest traits from Haven and Maiya plus sleeps like a champ. No? You don't think that God is creating a human being based on what is easiest for me, the mother? It's not all about me?

Anyway. I wasn't really expecting my body to find new and exciting ways to surprise me. After an emergency c-section in which the epidural failed and then getting pregnant with Maiya about a breath (or 7 months) after Haven's birth, I thought my body had offered me enough stories to tell. Most things with this pregnancy are for girls nights only (or for endlessly complaining to my husband while he patiently smiles and nods), but I will share that the doc recommended a maternity belt to help hold my belly in a normal place. You see, nobody suggests a maternity belt when your tummy muscles are being stretched for just the first time. Or the second. I mean really. I need a belt to hold up my belly? Awesome. Good thing I did all that abdominal strength work last year. T-o-t-a-l-l-y worth it. Unfortunately and fortunately the maternity belt does make me more comfortable. God bless those of you with four, five and six children. Really. No sarcasm. May God bless you.

That is the snapshot of our now. It is lovely. Well, at least it is lovely right now. At night. When the loudest members of the family are sleeping. We watched Cinderella tonight and I remember the first time I saw it. I was captured with the idea of true love and happily ever after. I really couldn't wear glass slippers at this point, but I like what my happily looks like.