First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Mommy pushing... a double stroller?

That's right, Baby numero dos is going to make his or her appearance sometime around December 15th this year. Unlike with Greta, I suspected I was pregnant from the first. Not that this matters to any of my non-existent readers (Janel excepted, who should get a prize for being the first person to post on this blog =) ), but for the first time in my life, I was having normal periods. By that, I mean periods that begin and end, not simply drag on interminably month after month. By January, with Greta at 8 months and nursing full time, we were back to normal. Just for the record, we are not having another kid to get a tax deduction!! but when we were doing taxes back in February and marveling over the credit we received because of Greta, Josh jokingly asked how soon we would need to have Baby#2 in order to qualify for another next year. Well folks, we just squeaked by... December 15th!

But all joking aside, a lot of thought and prayer (and loving) went into the making of this baby. We want a big family, God willing. I've been feeling well lately and homemaking has not been overly difficult. The thesis is even making some progress! We know how natural family planning works, but have always used it to make babies rather than wait. So when this time rolled around, there was little doubt in either of our minds that we were going to let things happen as they would. Until someone aptly pointed out to me that if I did get pregnant, I wouldn't be able to put all the work into the house we are buying. For the first time, I questioned our decision to "let things take their course." I mean, after all, God did give us brains and the ability to make decisions... so maybe we ought to exercise said abilities? Then I thought back to Greta's little life... how she was our miracle baby, coming as a completely welcomed and long-awaited surprise after two years. It doesn't work for everyone, but that's how the we function. Every amazing thing in our life has come to us as a completely unplanned, unexpected gift from God.

On March 25th, I started my morning routine as I always do - make the bed, change Greta, feed Greta, pour coffee, check Facebook. I know, I am pathetic, but Facebook is the center of my social universe. I would as soon miss checking Facebook as Josh would miss reading the Drudge Report. A friend who I had met once or twice three years ago had posted on my wall: "What is God asking you to say YES to today?" It was the Feast of the Annunciation (Angel Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and she says yes to God's will).

I'm not sure what I will be saying yes to in this child's life and my own, but I just pray that I always have the trust to continue to do so.

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End of story ~

Greta and I fly out to Florida for a visit to family. The day my period rolls around, I test and there were those two little stripes. Josh wasn't with us, but my family was. After all the difficulties and misunderstandings of our moving away from them, it meant a lot to all of us that I was there to share with them the good news.