Dear, Thing 5

Oh,Thing 5! Only 21 weeks gestational and already you are completely ignored. No blog posts are written about you, no weekly baby bump pictures to capture your growth are posted, and up until recently when your kicks and rolls became much more noticeable, your mama would even forget all about your existence. I am sorry. It's not that we don't love you or that we are not excited for you to join our family, it's just that your older brother, Leif, keeps us all very busy. Not to mention, you were kind of a surprise. Yes, your mommy and daddy wished and prayed that we could have another baby, someone to grow up alongside Leif, but in all honesty, we truly did not think it would happen, especially not this soon and definitely not that easily.

When I first told your daddy that I was pregnant, he said:

No, you're not.

Like, he has any grand insight into these matters, but in all fairness, your mama is a bit neurotic and often thinks she is pregnant, when in fact she is not. So, I guess we will forgive him this time. So, yeah, I had to show him the stick I peed on before he would even believe me. Then we just looked at each other, laughed and said, "okay", not really expecting this pregnancy to go much further. You see, we had a lot of trouble having your brother Leif, and we lost two babies before him. (I like to think that we, in fact, did not lose two babies, but that it took Leif three times to get here), and so as Leif's first birthday approached, which marked when we could start trying to conceive you, we were mentally preparing ourselves for yet another long and heartbreaking journey. Much to our surprise (and delight now that you seem to be sticking around), you decided to show up before it was even "go" time, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, as I am sure yourdad does to, from saving us from that ordeal. Trust me, it is no fun trying to have a baby when a baby is just not ready to come. It kind of makes your mama even more crazier than she already is . . . eeek!

But you are here, and you seem to be doing well. You are not a very cooperative baby, though. You sleep during your ultrasounds making it difficult for the doctor to check everything out, you hide when the nurse practitioner tries to listen for your heartbeat, and you never, ever, ever kick when anyone but Leif touches my belly. Leif, who is completely oblivious to your existence, will be in for the shock of his life when you arrive. But in all fairness, you have been doing your best to let him know you are here by kicking him repeatedly whenever he nurses. I guess the war for mama's milk has already begun between you two . . . yikes!

Although I am starting to get very excited to meet you, Thing 5, I do have to be honest, I am completely terrified. I have never had two babies so close in age before. Leif is only going to be 19 months old when you arrive, which is still a baby. He likes to sleep between  mom and dad and he loves to nurse. I have never had two babies in diapers before either, and with the demanding schedule of your older three siblings, I just don't know how I am going to do it. But have no fear, your mama loves a challenge and she always manages to care for all her babies. 

So, Thing 5,in spite of your recent neglect, know this:

you are loved,

you are wanted,

and you have a large family who will do all they can to help you make your way through this world with love, laughter and minimal bumps and bruises.

16 week bump. This picture speaks volumes about our life right now!

A thing 5 sandwich, nestled in between a slice of Leif and a slice of mom.

There you are! 19 weeks gestational

We may not know if you are a boy or girl, but we definitely know you are a soccer player! Dad is excited because we now have enough to make up our own futsal team . . .  tee hee!

I love you, baby and I can't wait to hold you in about 18 weeks from now!