About

We have been on a mini family get-away since Monday. It has been wonderful. I don't want to go home, but this evening we'll make the 1 hour drive back to our little yellow house and get back to normal routines.

I've taken as many pictures as I possibly could on a camera that was low on battery power (I can only think about so many things ahead of time, you know?) and will share them soon. Our internet connection here is... slow... so you'll have to wait until I get home.

In the meantime, here are answers to the Top 10 questions I was asked [non-stop] over the weekend:

1. Yes, I'm due mid-October.

2. Yes, we've known since early February.

3. Yes, the is the first time we've not told people right away.

4. Yes, Aubrey is still nursing a lot. So far, so good. It's been more painful for me, but she is finally exploring other foods in the past few weeks so that I'm not having to nurse quite as often as before.

5. Yes, I'm planning on a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I'm a great candidate for all intents and purposes, but I live in a really rural location so I still have an uphill battle.

6. Yes, I've been pretty sick. Most mornings start with me puking in the toilet and then it's anybody's guess from there as to how the rest of the day will play out. But I must say, I've been only nauseous while on vacation, and it makes me wonder if recent stress was as much the cause of my terrible "morning" sickness as anything.

7. Yes, I've been exhausted. Really, really, really exhausted. Between weeks 5 and 7, in particular, I was going to bed most nights between 8 and 8:30p. I kid you not.

8. Yes, five (as opposed to "just four") somehow launches us into a new category of Big Families. I already feel it. And I have to admit that there's this pressure to somehow be the perfect mom in order to prove that Big Families can be a positive thing in a culture that tends toward disdain for them. I keep reminding myself that we didn't take this step of faith because we're perfect or because I'm more cut out for it than the next woman (because, um, I'm not): we're taking this step of faith because we have a big God who has impressed on our hearts His love for children and the next generation, and I can trust Him to make up what I lack.

9. Yes, I am considered a high-risk pregnancy because of Aubrey's congenital anomolies. I will be sent to Syracuse for a fetal echocardiogram between 20 and 25 weeks for an in-depth scan of the baby's heart. Doctors here have made it very clear that they don't want to ever again deliver a baby as sick as Aubrey in our hospital if at all possible and, though it's fairly unlikely that we will have a repeat of events, they definitely want to play things safe rather than sorry.

10. Yes, we are increasingly excited! I'm not going to lie: I've over-analyzed everything I eat, drink, and am exposed to more than has been good for me. I'm more nervous than I should be about something going wrong. I feel alternately impatient about getting to the end and wanting to just stay right here and now because it feels more safe and sure. But God has swept me up in encouragement and support and prayer and words of faith in the short half a week people have known about this newest baby, and today I know one thing: I can trust Him. And that's enough to make anyone ready for the future.