In seven weeks our six year stent of having one kid to throw all of our love at will cease, and we will learn to give 100% of our love to both of them.
In seven weeks we will be playing man to man with our kids...EEEK! KIDS!!! PLURAL! As if I didn't feel blessed enough with my hubby and one healthy kid..TWO!!??
This guy is excited for baby and he says he's ready, but I'm pretty sure he's more ready for me to not moan every time i get out of bed and to have less snoring at night because I have no room to breath. Parenting hasn't come super natural to him, he's had to work at it daily (just like me) but with every day comes growth. I remember when Cooper was a week old, I had been trying to not boss Kregg around about Cooper, I tried hard to let him figure out his own ways of doing things...well then I cried because he wasn't being super helpful and then he got emotional and said he didn't really know what to do with the baby or how to help me..that it wasn't something he knew about really. Of course this was a surprise to me because I grew up with babies around and watching babies and desiring babies....so if we've learned anything in six years of raising one human together it is that communication is the best thing we can do...a lot of communication and a lot of grace and love.
God is amazing in many ways, but the fact that pregnancy is nine months has helped prepare our big three for the big change. From the start of pregnancy its been different, mama has been in bed more due to nausea and fatigue, daddy has had to step up and do some things he's not used to because I haven't always felt like it, and Cooper's been somewhat prepared for a few months now because he's already had to share my lap with my growing belly. But I'm not sure anything can prepare us for the full addition of another baby.
I'll always treasure the time we have spent with one kid, to be able to pour all of our love into him and learn how to be parents...but its safe to say we are pretty darn excited to add baby 2.0 to the family! And most of all I cannot wait to watch Cooper become a big brother, and I have zero reservations about how good he will be. He's a thoughtful and kind little boy, spoiled yes but not selfish at all. I know it will be an adjustment for him just because the baby will take some extra time, but we have full intentions to completely include him in the whole process of this addition. We told him first about the baby, even when it was early and we weren't sure how things would pan out, he will be the first to meet this baby besides Kregg & I and I have been praying for patience to allow him to hold baby whenever he asks or acts interested and to include him in the big and small things. After all, he's been asking for a sibling for three years now.
He touches and kisses my belly a lot...sometimes singing sweet songs but most of the time shaking it yelling "EARTHQUAAAAKE" which we laugh about but I hope he's a little more gentle when its on the outside :)
Cooper's cousins want a baby girl, most people are guessing girl, I have no clue and no preference, and neither do my boys. (luckily since we can't choose, huh)
Some names we've narrowed down to are:
Girl: Claire or Cora
Boy: Callan, Chandler, Clay, Colby, Beckett, Grayson, oh and daddy threw in Darius???
Cooper throughout the time we've been pregnant has thrown the following names out to be considered:
Chaparral, Kavin, Lazarous (only to realize that he studied laz in VBS that week), and Toby Tyler...
We shall see! Lazarous Carothers would sound pretty cool --ha ha ha !
Heres to 32 weeks!!
(Thanks to my sweet friend Amanda for taking these pictures for us last night...it felt weird to be on the opposite side of the camera from her but a good weird..even if my goofball wouldn't cooperate very well with some of her poses)
THIS IS US!!!!!
