Announcement

I am happy to announce that we are expecting again!  I am about 18 weeks along and due at the end of November.  It is a boy and we are thrilled.  You will probably think we are crazy (and crazily busy) but I think the real craziness will begin when we have four teenagers in the house!  Compared to that it is a piece of cake right now.  Well, to each his own as they say, and this is what works for us.  Right now I'm just trying to savor every single moment before my house of preschool joy and tantrums turns into a house of teenage angst and problems.  My biggest fear with having these kids close together is that I will get too busy and miss out.  So I have learned to slow down and pay attention to all the time we have together.  Thanks to all of you who inspire me to be better in this regard.

I was 99% certain that this baby is a girl, but I was wrong.  If it wasn't so blatantly obvious on the ultrasound monitor I don't think I would have believed it.  But I have always liked little boys and I am excited to have another one.  As for everyone else:

Ashley wanted a sister (her dreams of having a sibling with long hair like hers are no longer) but I think it will be good for her to have another rough-housing brother.  Some of the coolest girls I know come from families with lots of boys.  Ashley talks to the baby and is excited to meet him but it is all still pretty theoretical for her.

Everett will be five by the time the new guy is born and is very excited.  He loves being a big brother and is the best oldest child I could ask for.  And yes, he does enjoy thinking that he is in charge.  Everett usually accepts it when I try to correct this assumption, but occasionally if he is grumpy he will shout back, "yes I am!!!"

William is, as always, happy and oblivious but he is so social we are sure he will adjust well.  He will be close to two when the baby is born.

Joel is excited but with four small children at home I might have to up his baby diaper changing to more than three per week :).  Hopefully William will be as easy to potty-train as the others were.

As for us, so far our kids have been great sleepers and we are crossing our fingers for the next one.  As per Murphy's Law, our tried-and-true methods for baby sleep will no longer be effective with this child, I'm sure.  Colic, anyone?

I told Joel I will feel perfectly happy with four.  That is more than we could ask for already.  I don't know why we have been blessed in this way when there are so many people more deserving of these blessings than we, but we try hard to remember to be grateful.  

We are open to suggestions for names.  Go ahead.  Lay them on us!  I'm pulling for James but I am not too attached to it.  We will also appreciate middle names that coordinate with James if you can think of any.  We sure can't!