Parenting Baby #4

 We are approaching our fourth-born's first birthday. This baby was our surprise baby in a couple ways. We knew it was possible to be pregnant, but I did not think it was true. I was taken by surprise when I took the test and it was positive. I was very emotional about this, I knew it was true that God was blessing us with this little life, but I was also scared. I was scared of the pregnancy, the delivery, and the "hard" that comes with bringing a new baby home. I'm reminded of the quote "Hard is not the same as bad." And that is very true. Once I got over the initial shock, the excitement began to build. We decided to keep the gender a surprise until birth. It was fun to come up with names and ponder what either gender would be like. I would have been happy with a girl, I was pretty certain we were having a boy though.

I ended up not having gestational diabetes this pregnancy, which was a relief. Unfortunately there were other things that were not ideal during this pregnancy (there always are!) One of my most memorable incidents happened when I had to go to the primary location of my OB's office (I usually go to their secondary location because of the proximity and ease of drive). I met with a doctor for the first time, and throughout the appointment she made comments that were accusatory and incredulous about this being my 4th pregnancy, 4th C-section, and at my size. She alluded to me putting my baby in danger, I don't remember what about exactly. But she was extremely unprofessional and I left in tears. I refused to see her again. Eventually, I refused to meet with anyone but my doctor and the NP at the secondary location. Both of whom treated me like a person, with respect, care, and informed consent. 

Finally the day arrived for the baby to be born and it was exciting but I was also nervous. They had difficulty placing the spinal anesthesia, I had a huge bruise on my back for a week or so. Once we got into it, we told the doctor we wanted him to announce the gender of the baby and told everyone both names. Once the baby was out, the doctor said "It's a boy!" and I said "I knew it!!" This guy started out looking a lot like our second-born, but as he has grown he looks more like our firstborn. He is a sweet, happy baby. His brothers love him so much and so do we!

In some ways, he wasn't as easy as my third baby, but in some ways he was just as easy. I also think that I tend to block out the hard of the newborn phase and don't remember it being as hard as it is until I'm in it again. He didn't start out as easy of a sleeper, but he has turned into a good sleeper! We just recently arranged to have all the boys sleep in the same room and this baby loves it! Waking up to see his three brothers is extremely entertaining for him. Everyone is sleeping well and we are glad to have our room back to just the two of us. (#1 is on the top bunk, #2 is on the bottom bunk, #3 is on the floor  on a crib mattress currently, but his twin-size trundle mattress is coming today, and #4 is in the crib in their room.)

He started really crawling a few weeks ago, previously he would worm his way across the floor like a walrus. Now he is in to everything and is really fast. Just like most babies, he can be sneaky when he wants to! He's got a lot of eyes looking out for him though. I think his first word is "Mama." I am definitely his favorite person. We are preparing to celebrate his first birthday with a Peter Rabbit themed party. I can't wait to celebrate 1 year with this sweet guy!