#4

We are pleased to announce that baby Hamblin #4 will be joining us in April. I am around 12 weeks and excited to be finishing up the first trimester. I was not sick at all with my first two pregnancies and somehow I have managed to be nauseous and sick full time with this one. I am sleeping well at night and am not too tired during the day so hopefully that lasts for a while. It's fun to share this pregnancy with three bigger kids. Claire would give anything for a baby sister. She will often begin conversations with these phrases: "Mom, I really want a sister." "Mom, I never had a sister." "Mom, I hope the baby is a sister." Yikes! I hope this is a girl because I don't know how I can break her heart with a third baby brother! As much as I was hoping that sweet Sean would be able to comprehend the pregnancy, he doesn't. My sister-in-law told me that he will certainly get it when the baby comes! When I tell Sean that I have a baby in my tummy he says, "I have baby in tummy too!!" He tells us that he wants a baby brother. Luke points to my stomach and says, "woah!" I'm pretty sure he understands it more than Sean. Luke will tell us that he wants a sister. Mark is an amazing father. I have felt his kindness and sensitivity with me especially as he has picked up the slack around the house. It's nice to have quiet afternoons with Luke while the big kids are at school so I can relax and close my eyes if I need to. Mark and I are pretty good at crazy by now. We are thrilled to be able to add another child to our family and aren't too concerned with adding a little more crazy. We can't help but feel that having a pregnancy the old fashion way is a bit conventional for us after our adoption experience. Experiencing pregnancy again only reinforces how special and unique Luke's story is and how much love and respect I have for Kara and for how she sacrificed for my son. Thanks for celebrating this new life with us!