It's only a matter of time... :)

Well, now that I know there's really a baby in there, I've spread the word among my fellow teachers at school. Lots of hugs and smiles...and a few shocks, too... :) :)

I knew that my kids would start to hear things now that people know (Madison is very small and news travels quicker than the plague)...so I wanted to let them know the news before they heard it on the soccer field or at the local pizza parlor! :) I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable asking me if the rumors were true... :) So, we played hangman with the spaces that spelled, "Mrs. Rakow is going to have a baby." It took several letters before they called the "b," and I knew then that they'd figure it out. A gasp came from the center of the room when one little girl figured it out...and she turned around to whisper it to the others near her. The kids were so cute... :)

The questions were my favorite...

~"Does Mr. Rakow know?"

~"Oh great...so who will our sub be when you're gone?" (after this year and traveling to PA, my kids have seen their fair share of subs! :))

~"Do you know what it is yet?"

~"Umm, did you even WANT kids?"

~"Does it have gills?" (During lifecycles in science, we talked about how, as little babies on our mom's tummies, before we develop lungs, we have gills to help us breathe...)

~"If we hug you, will we crush the baby?"

~"If we hug you and we squish the baby, will it kick us?"

~"Can I tell my mom?"

~"Mr. Rakow wants a boy, doesn't he?"

:)

Thank GOD no one asked, "How did this happen?" :) hehehe :) Maybe they'll think to ask that tomorrow... :)

Hope you all have a great week! :)

a summary and a surprise

Hello, Friends! :) We wanted to share the latest happenings with the Rakows! We feel at a loss to keep in communication with our family and friends...so many of you live far away, and we don't do a great job keeping in touch like we'd like to do! So, a blog seemed like a great way to keep everyone up to date... :) Please come back and check us out often! :) After a challenging Fall and Winter with Robin's mom battle with cancer, Ryan's grandfather passing away suddenly, and Robin's grandmother having a stroke, things are looking up! Robin's mom is recovering after simultaneous radiation and chemo...and also had lymph nodes removed in February. Then, after a roaring infection and 30 days of antibiotics, we really feel like we're on the TRUE road to recovery! We're thankful for everything and stand in awe of her strength and grace! Ryan's family is dealing well with his Gung's passing. Gung was quite sick with metastatic cancer, but he never indicated feeling poorly until 3 or 4 days before his passing. He was a funny, smart, and honorable man...we will miss him. Robin's grandmother is doing much better...after some time in a rehab., she's regained all of her abilities and her friends report that they haven't seen her so good in 8 or 9 years!! We're looking forward to seeing her in the next few months... The blessings are abundant... We're excited (and Robin's still in awe) to report that we'll be welcoming a new family member into the Rakow household in October. A little Rakow will be gracing us with his/her presence around October 17th (which happens to be Robin's mom's birthday). We had our first ultrasound today and heard the heartbeat for the first time, and as Robin said, "I see it...this must be for real." This has been quite a surprise for us...it wasn't what we had planned in the grand scheme of things, but we'll take it! We both feel like it's just what we all need considering everything that's happened over the last several months. Life is more precious and our previous "self-centered" needs and comfort grew to be so small in comparison to what awaits... We'll add a few pictures, too…:) We figure you'll need time to soak in this news, too! :)

The Littlest Rakow

The first two are of the feet and legs (the legs are crossed at the ankles in the second picture). The rest are bird's eye views of the baby from the head looking at the arms, the whole baby (looking at the face) and then a side profile...
He/She measured 4.69 cm and the heartbeat was 176 beats per minute.