the best kind of surprises...

it seems like it was awhile ago when i sat in disbelief about being pregnant with K... i understood how it happened...and when it happened...and that it was truth, but, for months, i just felt like it was all a dream...

for weeks, i thought that i probably just had some "female issue" that mimicked pregnancy... as most of you know, you don't really "feel" much in the beginning of a pregnancy... i wasn't sick, i wasn't gaining weight, i wasn't having cravings...it just seemed impossible that a test "said" i was pregnant... i looked at that test for weeks after i first saw those two pink lines... weeks... in disbelief...


it wasn't until March 31st (yes, i remember the date) when we went for our first ultrasound that i had to believe it was true... the little legs floating around were the first things i saw... and i turned and looked at Ry and said, "i think it's really for real..." :)

i couldn't have ever fathomed the changes that would come from our little surprise... i would have never guessed that my "passion" for teaching would soon wane... i would have never guessed that i would resign from teaching, which was my identity for years...

and there are so many other wonderful changes that came from our little surprise :)


but, i know that the changes and surprises that we experienced are the best kind... i can't even begin to imagine life without my sweet Katherine... so many people told us, "ohhh, when the baby gets here, you'll never believe that life existed before it..." (no gender references here...we didn't know what we were having :)) how true that statement became... life is simply WONDERFUL! :)

well, new surprises await our family...

yep, Katherine is going to be a big sister this February...

i was emotional when i told Ry... i cried because i was scared at what this would mean for Katherine's world... i love how things are "now"...and i wanted her to have more one-on-one time with us before we rocked her world with a new little one...

but...surprise...again! :) it's not always about what we "want," is it?

i think experience has proven that surprises like this always turn out to be the most incredible blessing...kind of like that surprise back in the early months of 2008 when we learned that we'd be parents the first time...

and, now, i look at this "surprise" as an incredible gift... i can't imagine loving anyone more than i love Katherine...but i know we will... but i think the gift will be for Katherine... yes, it will be an adjustment for her, but what an INCREDIBLE blessing it will be for her to be a big sister... to have a little brother or sister with which to grow up with and to share life...

things will be a little different this time...there will be no "surprise" on the day of delivery :) i "made a deal" with Ryan when I was pregnant with K that if we didn't find out what we were having the first time, we could find out for the second child... :) so, in two days, we'll know if Katherine is going to have a little sister or brother. (and yes, we all know what Daddy wants! :)) and, well, knowing if we're having a boy or a girl will make it easier to pick out a name before we leave the hospital (Katherine was known as "baby girl" for her first 2 days of life...and the name has stuck :) that's what we call her a lot :))...and, maybe we will have a precious little blue or a pink outfit to bring home our newest addition versus the "non-gender specific" ducky sleeper we used to bring home Katherine :)

but, i think we're ready for a little surprise... after all, does it get any better than a sweet little one? i think they may just be the best kind of surprises... :)