A New Year, A New Love ...

❤ A new little BOY in our family! ❤

On New Year's eve, via level 2 ultrasound, Bill and I were able to "meet" our fourth child, growing so beautifully inside me. And the doctor declared him a healthy and handsome little fella! 

We are absolutely thrilled and feel so very blessed. And this great news comes as such relief after a screening test done last month had come back with concerns. I got the call the day after Christmas, that there was a flag on my test, and though I tried hard not to be anxious - how could I not? Nothing is more important than our children and all we want is for them to be healthy and safe.

I took comfort in the fact that my level 2 ultrasound was scheduled for the next morning - we'd find out what was what and could go on from there. So you can imagine our great dismay when we showed up at the hospital bright and early the next morning, only to be told the test had mysteriously been rescheduled for a whole week later!!

Needless to say I was upset - but Bill marched us right over to the OB office so we could find out what the delay was about. Thankfully my OB office was able to finagle us an appt. at a specialist's office in town - on New Year's Eve of all times! This meant we only had a few more days to wait.

{All this, by the way, coincided with my need for a blog break!}

So off to Boston Bill and I went late Monday afternoon. I had really been trying so hard to not worry ... and between some wonderful advice from a very dear friend (not to mention some fervent praying) I did feel a peace in the days leading up to the ultrasound. I was still nervous about that screeening, but I also felt that "what would be would be" and that God would grant us the strength and grace to accept it. He has always done this and I had to believe this time would not be any different.

So anyhoo ... come 5 p.m. New Year's Eve, it was finally time to "meet" our little one and see how "he or she" was doing!

Well, the technician who performed the initial ultrasound was SO wonderful - very soothing and upbeat. She talked things over with us, and assured us she would narrate the whole procedure, which is just what she did. What followed was an amazing tour of our baby's environment and the baby himself - we got to see him moving around, sucking his thumb, his little beating heart ... and of course once she saw his little you-know-what the tech told us we were having a son!

Now, we'd heard that once, twice or THREE times before, lol! But it was music to our ears. Especially the news, at the end of the exam, that everything looked great - the tech saw no abnormalities at all. She told us she would confer with the doctor who would do his own exam and then we could go forward from there.

And this doctor was - plainly put - possibly the nicest doctor I've ever met. Just so kind and warm and supportive. He knew our concerns and he addressed them immediately, telling us we had a very healthy and handsome little boy! 

So Bill and I drove home - honestly, it seemed more like floating - and delivered the BLESSED news to our family. The boys were so cute, I wish we had videotaped it! Earlybird especially, who, up till now, had not been directly told I was expecting a baby. (Though at times he would comment on the size of my belly, lol.) Well, EB walked right up to me and put his hands on my belly and said:

"Wow, there's a baby boy in there?!"

❤

Since then he's been exclaiming, "A baby's in mama's belly and he's coming out soon!"* And he loves the ultrasound pictures - so much so, Bill made him photocopies - and he holds them and says, "He looks just like me!"

So cute. :)

*Of course, "soon" is a rather abstract concept for an autistic child, so the five month wait will be a long one for EB. We've tried to explain that the baby will come "after the green leaves are back on the trees." Which in New England is usually mid-May. Hopefully this will give EB some perspective ... and patience!

I think the time will fly by for us ...

Well my friends, there's our little (big!) "New Year" news ... and I am now officially back from my holiday break. I have a few posts percolating ... a learning room update, planners & planning, baby lists and some winter television posts. Did you all watch the Call the Midwife Holiday Special? We waited till last night to watch it - it was wonderful! And I simply CANNOT WAIT for Downton to begin this Sunday night! I will certainly have a chat post up next Monday morning. :)

So Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2013 will be a great one for you!

See you all again sometime soon ...

*❤*