A new little one

Praise God, after a few months of trying we have a new little miracle! Ryan and I are thrilled, and Beth has no idea what's going on! Of course we don't really expect her to, especially not at this point, but I have stuck her doll under my shirt a couple of times and she seems to think that's funny! My due date is October 19. I am feeling really good, I've gotten into the groove pretty easily (it hasn't been that long!) and other than just feeling really tired, I'm doing pretty well. A little queasiness here and there, but I've discovered that if I eat every 3 hours I can avoid it for now. And I've given myself permission to take naps when Beth naps, which really helps on the days when we're actually home for her to sleep. The house has seen better days, but I'm doing what I've got to do to get by!

The round thing is actually the yolk sac, the baby is the blob
(and I say that ever-so-lovingly) to the left! This ultrasound is from yesterday.
The baby is facing to the left, the head is on top, you can kind of see the
"tail" at the bottom. Right now he's as big as a coffee bean!

And FYI, I will say "he" when referring to the new baby because it's less confusing. Beth is obviously a "she". :-) Part of me hopes for another girl since these two will be about 22 months apart, I have this mother's fantasy that Beth and her younger sis will be best friends! Plus we already have a ton of girl stuff! But on the other hand, I really wouldn't mind shopping for little boy's clothing. So cute!!!

And now, for the Beth update! She has been very interested lately in the things I do around the house- laundry, sweeping, cleaning dishes, vacuuming... So I'm doing what any smart mom would do and putting her to work. :-) I plan to buy her a kid-sized broom and let her have at it. I have been letting her use the big one but today she discovered she can knock very tall things over with it- luckily I noticed before the picture frame fell over! And she already "helps" me with laundry (she pushes the basket) and the dishes (she splashes in the water).Today I got her some plastic tools for digging in the sand, which included a little watering bucket. It'll be great for our gardening adventures right now and then the beach this summer!