Another reason to like autumn…

From the day I first started writing this blog I’ve struggled with how personal to make it, how much to share, how transparent to be, etc. It’s hard to find that balance between writing as a creative outlet and writing something you put out there for others to read, too. Obviously, I’m not a cooking expert or a crafting expert or a fashion expert. I don’t offer tips on photography or parenting or homeschooling {because I don’t have any tips on those subjects}. I’m not a coupon blogger or a celebrity blogger or a travel blogger. Basically, I don’t have a niche. So, I feel like I focus mostly on writing about our family. Sometimes it feels so narcissistic, but since a blog is a personal journal of sorts, my family is the main subject. They constantly provide new material, and they are the ones I want to do this for in the long run anyway.

With that being said, I’ve failed to mention some important family news on here. I often forget that I don’t see each of you on a regular basis. To those of you that I do run into, this may be redundant. But, for the sake of being transparent with others, here’s our news…

Come October, the Preschooler and the Toddler will welcome a new sibling! Yes, we are excitedly expecting a third baby this fall.

Being a bit reserved about things like this, I’m not really sure where to go from here. So, based on the types of questions people usually ask about news like this, I’ve come up with the following list…

FAQ

1. Did you all mean to do this?
We’re both from families of three, so that feels familiar. We think… hope… pray we can handle three 🙂

2. Do you know what you’re having?
No. To frustrate and complicate the lives of those around us {wink}, we are choosing not to learn the gender of this baby until his/her arrival. Honestly, we just like the idea of an old-fashioned surprise.

3. Are you all hoping for a boy this time?
Not anymore than we’re hoping for a girl. We can imagine it going either way, and we think it’s fascinating how God has already ordained everything about this child’s life, beginning with its gender, before it ever enters the world.

4. Are the girls excited?
Yes. Unlike a few years ago when she became a big sister at the tender age of 18 months old, this time the Preschooler understands what’s going on and is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new “baby sister.” Much like she insisted at Christmas that baby Jesus was a girl, she is adamant that this baby is a sister. So, we just roll with that. The Toddler also understands a bit of the anticipation, but shows little interest in talking about being anyone’s “big” sister. She’s quite content to be the baby.

5. How do you feel?
The Spouse says he is feeling well. He tires more easily just thinking about trying to eat, sleep, and do life with three young children in our care, but he’s still very much excited about welcoming another life into our family. Meanwhile, I feel fine. Apart from some unsightly and disturbing varicose vein issues that I will refrain from discussing on here, all is well.

So, in a nutshell, that’s a little of what’s going on here. Now if I just knew what was happening with each of you, we’d be all caught up.