3

A third mouth to feed. A third bottom to pat. A third little lamb. A first Sealy kiwi. I've never announced a pregnancy via blog before and quite honestly, cannot fathom how to do it. But just a few days before celebrating Bernadette's first birthday, we discovered another tiny life waiting in secret and silence for his parents to become aware of and celebrate him. (I will say "him" as a reflection of my supportiveness towards Richard's Most Ardent Hope that he may finally have offspring with whom he may wrestle and play "Scary Monster". Secretly, I'd be just as thrilled with another tiny pink bundle.)

this is just about where our little guy is....

The best we can figure is that our baby has existed for about 30 days - give or take. His heart is beating. His spinal cord is closing and his eyes are developing. He's made three sets of kidneys for himself already and this week he is very busy making for himself 100 brain cells per minute around the clock. He has sprouted arms and legs this week, while making all this gray matter and yet, this little marvel is only as big as a blueberry (which is 100,000 times as big as he was at the moment of conception). Every time I'm pregnant these facts stun me. This is my fourth such time being stunned and yet, the amazement is truly keener each time. Each time also my heartbreak grows that this little life has no legal protection of his right to continue to grow and live - neither in his "native" country nor in this country in which he came into existence and in which he will take his first breath.  I'm not able to understand how - knowing all we know about embryonic and fetal development - humans can deny the most basic human right to the most wondrous and vulnerable members of our own species.

we're due on April 2 - the feast day of John Paul the Great!

what a beautiful blessing for us!

Adding another child to our current situation is crazy and beautiful and exciting and overwhelming. I had been warned by mothers of three children (and four, and more...) that sometimes the world is not as eager to greet the news of a third baby with quite the same gusto as it will accept the preceding children. Happily for Richard and I, that has not been our experience. We were relieved to have others rejoice with us over our good news and offer all sorts of support. The youth groups and the staff at the parish here are thrilled. There was only one person really who was very negative and unsupportive and I will name this individual: Maria Christine Sealy.

may our child be holy AND silly too!

We have not really TOLD Maria, we have just sort of felt her out on the topic. So, I casually asked her, "Maria, wouldn't it be fun to have another baby in our family!!!!??!??!!!" She stopped coloring, looked at me with a frown and said, "No. We already have a baby. We do not need another baby. That would be too many babies." Ah. I do see her point. There are moments when Richard and I have almost the same conversation. We've decided to wait a few months and broach the topic again. Maybe try her out again on the first of April and if she's still not on board, pretend it's just an April fool's joke. Unless of course, this little one decides to get here before April 1st, which I would appreciate so deeply after Bernadette's twerpy decision to make Mama endure an additional two weeks of pregnancy that I might fall victim to the "favorite child" trap....

it is hard to imagine it getting any

crazier around here....