5 + 1 = 6

For months now I've been getting used to the fact that my children are getting older and more independent and my life is changing. I've come to love the place I'm at and all the places I can go now that we're past the infant/toddler stage and getting into the school-age stage. It's a wonderful place to be.

But, somehow, it's not to be. Because this momma is pregnant.

I owe a sincere apology to all you beautiful women who would love to be 10 weeks pregnant with a so-far healthy baby because I've been feeling very depressed and ungrateful.

Does it ever seem like just when you get used to one way of life, everything changes????

Fortunately, there's a little humor to brighten my long, wallowing days:

A couple of weeks ago, we told the kids about "the baby growing in mom's belly." I was lying in bed while we had morning family prayer. Jeff spilled the news and immediately all three kids swarmed me. Eliza rubbed my nipple and said "the baby will drink milk!" Ben patted my head and said "headache." Ethan said, "Human gestation period is 40 weeks, mom, how many weeks are you?" then ran to get his human body encyclopedia to educate us all on reproduction.

Since then, Eliza's play themes have changed to include lots of stuffed animals having babies. One day in the car she was talking to some imaginary friend about how babies are born. I started tuning in when she got to the part that you have to "squeeze it like a pimple and then they cut open your belly and pull out the baby and then you take it home and put clothes on it."

Today in church, I was holding a friend's baby boy on my lap. Ben, sitting next to me, hadn't noticed the handoff. I said to him, "Ben, who's sitting on mom's lap?" He looked and pondered for a few long seconds then said, "Did the baby come out?"

Oh, if it were only that easy!!!!! I've got a lot more barfing, aching and waddling to do before that May day.