Change of Plans - November 19, 2010

I had originally planned as of January 1, 2010 to write a 365 blog entries. At the end of which I would have a book written full of fun family memories and interesting stories filled with lots of lessons learned. However, a surprise pregnancy in May followed with excessive fatigue and nausea I have completely failed this plan. Regardless, I could not be more pleased and excited for my reason to have failed this goal. Its only a few short weeks until we get to meet this little one. The boys are so crazy about babies it will be more than interesting to see their reaction to another sibling. As the weeks have passed I have seen Calvin and Clayton bonding in a way I never expected. Being two years apart I would have thought it would have taken a lot longer for them to have created such a friendship. Thankfully, I was wrong.

I was just sharing with Sean how interesting it is how similar they are in their interest in caring for others. They are always trying to feed us. It is such a sweet gesture but from a 1 year old with usually dirty hands its not an ideal way to enjoy a snack. Calvin has been repeating Clayton-isms for several days now. He doesn't repeat Clayton he actually uses these sentences in a proper context. Its pretty funny. They both just like to be so helpful, which means there is never a boring moment in this household.

We also added a new member to our family of a furry sort. We had sort of a dramatic change though in this decision. Unexpectedly, we bought a yorkshire terrier and were greatly disappointed that she got stolen a week or so after we bought her. So, to help heal our wounds from this serious heart break we bought another dog a few weeks later. This puppy is a pug who we have named Peyton. She is super cute and naughty of course. Her potty training is definitely coming with its challenges. Thankfully, I still have ability to bend down and clean up her "accidents" easily. Its exhausting though to get done cleaning up after my boys and to turn around and see what else I need to do before I can sit down myself. Good thing I love her and that my boys love her even more. She is good to my kids. She allows abuses of every kind and I can't thank her enough for her patience. We have another dog who is a chihuahua that isn't so gracious. So, she is a refreshing addition to our family. I dream of the future days where my boys will be taking care of her and loving on her as if she belonged only to them.

I wake up every morning now considering what life will be with all these changes in my life happening so soon. I am excited to meet this little one. Every time I see a little baby I smile and sigh with a warm fuzzy heart moment. It will be such a blessed day when I am holding my own baby in a few weeks. Praying each day for the health, happiness and safety of my little one. That's the hard part about being a Mom. You worry about them all the time. From the moment I became aware I was pregnant I started to worry about this little life within. I can not wait to be able to see who God has created within me and start loving the baby in person instead of within me.

I have washed all the clothes and prepared the bedding. I am going to have another c-section which I dread each time. It is a painful but necessary procedure in my case. My first baby Clayton was a big baby and at 37 wks was born an ounce short of 9 pounds. So, after trying to push naturally for 3 hours my Dr. said it was best to perform the surgery. Moving to Nevada they have a law here that if you have had a prior c-section it is required by most Dr's here to prevent law suits to continue to have them. I really wanted to try naturally again but to my dismay was unable due to this regulation. So, now that I am on to my third child I face the dreaded recovery time for my incision and the uncomfortable pain for weeks. It of course is worth every stitch and every ounce of pain but its still hard to endure. Thankfully, my recovery with Calvin was much faster than that of my experience with Clayton. Not having to push was helpful of course.

I still have yet to pack my bags for the hospital but I have a few weeks to get to it.

With all this said it is going to be a new world for this family in a few weeks. Sean and I are so anxious to meet and see this baby in a few weeks. Life here is going to be so different. So wonderfully different. Knowing that our family will never be the same without this new addition is such a joyful thought. We are unsure as of now if this will be our last one. Seeking God's wisdom and direction on whether or not 4 kids is too much for us or not. However, if God does somehow inspire us to do so the number 4 will undoubtedly be the last Kerrigan child in this household.

As Thanksgiving nears this year I can not express to anyone how truly grateful I am for all that we have been given. I try not to take anything for granted and to appreciate all God's many blessings. We wish so badly that we could be closer to one of our families but that is not in God's plan for us for now. So we press forward and try to teach our boys the meaning of thankfulness in all things, in all circumstances. Hopefully, someday in the future we will spend a national holiday with some extended family. For now, our little "clan" is more than enough family for me. God Bless you all during this wonderful Holiday season.

Gobble, gobble.