#6

It’s about to get real, people. Real snuggly. Real loud. Well, louder than it already is anyway. Real crowded. Real hungry. Real everything. We are officially half way through the pregnancy, and I can’t wait to meet baby #6!! Our newest baby human will be here before we know it!

God has blessed us way beyond what we deserve with our children. There have been rough spots, just like every other family has, but overall, we have a pretty low-key family. Our children are amazing blessings from God. They are a tiny bit weird at times, but blessings none the less!

As long as we are on the weird subject, why are boys so weird?! We had three girls first, then two boys after that. Boys are a whole different ball game! I don’t understand them most of the time. Some of the things they do literally make me stop and wonder “why?”. The random yelling, wall punching, knocking things over, and thinking they can fly. The last one didn’t end so well for him…Either of them… And yes, they have both tried to fly in their short little time on earth. And they both figured out that they can’t seem to do it. The older one figured it out on the first attempt, but the younger one took a couple lessons before he got it. I truly hope he is done experimenting now though.

Back to the baby. We had our 20-week ultrasound and got to see the little miniature. I love, love, love watching the little heart beat and being able to hear it. I thoroughly enjoy that part with each and every baby. I think it brings us that much closer to our baby and starts the bonding process.

The other thing that always brings a smile to my face are all the baby kicks. To be able to feel all of those little punches, kicks, and stretches is unbelievable. Babies are truly a miracle from God. I can’t get over the appreciation and the awe I feel toward God for allowing us to be parents to these beautiful babies. I don’t know what I would do without them.

God has entrusted us with raising these babies. That is a huge responsibility. I don’t think we fully understood the responsibility when we first found out we were having our oldest baby. But, with each child that He blesses us with, we understand the magnitude of that responsibility a little bit better. There is always a sense of incapability when a new baby is born. Even though this isn’t our first baby, we always have a feeling of insecurity. There are days where we have no idea what we are doing. But God always sees us through them. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. His timing is always perfect.

So now, the real question. Is it a boy or a girl?? And here is the answer. I’m not telling!! I don’t like to find out the gender before the baby is born. I have been surprised with each and every one of our babies. Until this baby. I accidentally found out what this one is. My husband on the other hand, has found out with the two boys. He kept it a secret from me though. I was pretty proud of him! But this time, Phillip wasn’t able to come to the ultrasound with me. He wasn’t real sure if he wanted to find out the gender or not, so I asked the technician to write it on a piece of paper and put it inside a sealed envelope. That way, I can give Phillip the envelope and he can decide later if he wants to know or not. We’ll see if he holds out until the end or not! I’m not holding my breath that he waits until it’s born to find out. I kind of think he enjoys knowing something that I don’t know. The only reason I found out what this one is was because the technician put a copy of the picture that she printed for Phillip into the line of pictures that the doctor looks through with me. Neither of us knew it until it was too late. Oops! Oh well! It might be a good thing. You never know!

Most people ask me why I wouldn’t want to find out the gender. Honestly, I’m not completely sure why I don’t want to know. I am a major planner and really enjoy having everything thought out and ready. But something is different when it comes to babies. I think I enjoy the surprise. I’m not much for things not being planned. I like to know exactly what is coming so I know exactly what I will need to be prepared. But with delivering a baby, there is just something about that joyful exclamation of “It’s a girl!” or “It’s a boy!” coming from the doctor that I thoroughly enjoy. I love the excitement.

I also enjoy being different. Most people now find out the gender. I have always been one to go a little bit against the grain. Maybe that’s why I enjoy being surprised? I’m also more than a little old fashioned when it comes to a lot of things, so that could be part of it too. Who knows! All I know, is that I really, REALLY enjoy the thrill of having children and seeing them for the first time. It is one of the biggest blessings and highlights of my entire life. No matter if it’s a girl or a boy.

The excitement around our house right now is pretty close to spilling over. The older kids are bubbling and can’t wait to meet their new sibling. None of the kids came to the ultrasound today, so none of them had any clue if the baby is a boy or a girl. When I told Phil that I accidentally found out, he came up with the idea to tell one of the kids to see if a secret could be kept. We tried this last time with our oldest daughter, but she failed. She spilled the beans to a couple people. So this time, we decided to try our second oldest and see if she could keep it a secret. She was so excited when I explained that we were going to tell her the gender, but that she had to agree to keep it a secret. She vowed to keep the secret until the baby is born. Now, I just need to make sure I’m not the one who blabs!

The kids all loved the pictures of the baby that I brought home. Since none of them came with me, the technician printed off a whole bunch for them to look at. My husband thinks ultrasound pictures are disgusting, so he didn’t look for very long. Wimp!

I’m thinking it may be fun to have some sort of contest or something among the kids to see who can guess the gender. It could get interesting and a little grouchy around here though for the ones who lose! They are all pretty competitive already! Abigail still isn’t real sure about having another sibling, and RaeLynne is desperately hoping for a sister and not another brother. I’m not sure what the other kids think yet. They haven’t said much about whether they want a girl or a boy. These kids all have different opinions and reasons for which gender they would like. Only a few more months now and we will see who wins! The second half of pregnancy seems to go pretty quickly, so here’s hoping for smooth sailing and an uneventful second half.

But, in the meantime. Will it be a boy and the scales even out? Or will it be another girl and the scales tip way to their side? Time will tell! And we will be sure to keep everyone updated. I hope you all have an amazing week!