Growing

Sometime in the last couple of months half a pound of ground beef in our favorite recipes stopped being enough to feed our whole family. We are outgrowing our barbeque grill. With Max's arrival a year and a half ago, we outgrew our sedan and moved into minivan. A year ago we bought a new house, and we seem determined to grow into it, as well, at the rate we have bought furniture and miscellaneous stuff we've wanted and talked about for months or years and now have room for and indulge in. I think I'm almost ready to graduate to a free-standing grill for cooking pancakes instead of my little on-the-stove version. Our family is growing, and it's not stopping with how much we eat, how much space we occupy, or what we drive. Oh, no, it is only fitting that God send us someone else to occupy the empty seat in the van . . .

That's right, we are HAVING A BABY!! 
 
If you've wondered why I'm grouchy (I'm so sorry if you've been on the receiving end), or slow about getting back with you (again, so sorry!), or not posting as much about food, it's because someone played a trick on me, making me so sick in the middle of my dinner challenge I thought I was going to have to give up.  After a week of struggling to cook and eat everything, I finally got an idea of what could be causing it and took a pregnancy test.  And then took another because despite how I felt and what I was looking at I couldn't believe it.  And then I showed Adam, and he went and bought me a fancy digital test and I took another one, because we both were still in shock.  It wasn't until I saw a little fetus-shaped blob on the ultrasound and heard that whoosh-whoosh of a baby heartbeat that I realized it was no flu and I would have to starting thinking baby.  Four weeks later, I'm coming around.  (But the morning sickness is still only mildly tolerable, officially making this the worst first trimester of the four.) 
 
Here are the stats: I am 12 weeks and 5 days, due October 12, 2010.  The big kids are excited, both hoping for a girl (Max is still oblivious).  I am also hoping for a girl, and while Adam would love another boy, he realizes the logistics would be better with a girl (for the sharing of rooms down the road--Katie doesn't have a room buddy yet).  We announced to most of the family Friday at our annual Easter party.  For the rest of you, please don't be angry that I'm not calling everyone individually, I really do love you.  I'm just so tired . . .