No longer a secret...

We are thrilled to announce that our family will be growing by one (yes, there's only one in there) later this winter!!

This baby is already so loved... Cooper loves to kiss my belly and remind me that the baby is pretty small, but, "It's getting bigger and bigger every day, mommy!"  When he says his prayers at night, he goes through his 'God bless' list and always ends with, "And don't forget about the baby in mommy's belly!" with a sweet little kiss good night.  Sometimes he blows on my stomach and tells me he's playing with the baby.  It's pretty sweet.  And he now likes to listen to my stomach and report to me what the baby is saying... This is one intuitive baby because just listen to the things he or she is already saying... (in the words of big brother Cooper, of course)

"I can't wait to sit by the campfire."

"I think I'm ready to go to bed."

"I'm hungry for pizza."

And Izzy is quickly following suit, giving gentle kisses to my belly and pointing out babies everywhere in public.  If a baby is crying, she either says, "Baby sad," or "Baby hun-gee."  She gives sweet soft kisses to her new cousins Drake and Laura, and she likes to be a little helper. 

Jeremy and I can't exactly imagine what baby number three will bring, but we have some good guesses.  We imagine this baby is going to be pretty laid back, mostly because he or she will have to be with the flurry of activity that goes on in this mad-house.  We think Cooper is going to be great with the baby, patient and understanding, and we think Izzy is going to be a bit jealous.  She already seems to fit the middle child mold be frequently reminding us not to take our eyes off her... she likes to push the limits to say the least.  Neither of us has a strong feeling what gender this little peanut will be... I'm still waiting for my 'mother's intuition' to strike me.  I was right with both Cooper and Izzy, so we'll see if I can go three for three.  Cooper insists it's a girl and that we should name her Penny.  (He also thinks his future dog should be named Penny, and his favorite dinosaur is named... take a guess... yep, Penny.)  Izzy keeps saying it's a boy.  So one of them will have a wonderful life lesson in 'getting what you get.'  

I can't believe in less than six months, we'll be pulling baby stuff back out of the closets, shifting bedrooms again, making room for new 'gear' around here (where the HECK are with going to put the swing, the bouncer, the bottles, the blankets, eek!!), buying tiny little diapers again, making room in our budget for another human... those are the parts that make me a little nervous... but I cannot wait for all the amazing things a new baby brings...  the sweet little smells, the teeny tiny little hands and toes, the instant bond with baby, the snuggles, the sleepy feedings, the first smiles and coos and giggles, sheesh... I could go on!  But one of the things that makes baby #3 so special is that we already have two siblings to LOVE him or her from the minute of birth.  

So, Baby Kalal #3... we are excited to meet you!  Keep growing big and strong each day.  We'll keep praying for you each and every day.  Love you already, and we can't wait for our hearts to grow!!