Here comes Baby V #3!

So it's a rumor, but it's a true one! We are so excited to announce this little addition to the Vanden Top family baby V#3 joining us in January 2019. We are currently 20 weeks along and are not finding out the gender of this little one. We are just trying to enjoy this last baby growing and changing and less is focused on sharing and posting just enjoying. I felt that something may want to be shared as this new year approaches and I am definitely pregnant - hello tummy! 

Senior pictures!!! HEHEHe

      For those who do not know, we have 2 other children, Emma and Elizabeth who are transitioning into the new thought that there will be another person in our family.  Emma is super excited as a 4, almost 5-year-old she would say, who loves to be the big sister. She has said "mom so when this baby comes to our house we will keep it and I can teach it to crawl and walk and they will stay at our house?" She said this after her enjoyment of being able to watch and help out our Niece's daughter for a few months. We had our practice with 3 children earlier in the year and Emma loved to help change, feed, and play with her but she would go to her house at night. Emma is excited to have this baby here all the time! Emma first told us that she knew this was another sister and her name will be Rainbow. But after letting her know that we won't know until this baby is born she is accepting that this baby may be a boy too. The name Rainbow is still in the running though. 

Our new tree in the front named Rainbow - Emma's name for our baby too! Yikes

        Elizabeth, or Dee, is our loving 2-year-old. She seems to know that though she can't see the baby that there is something in mommy's tummy. We used to play "baby" with Elizabeth, my favorite since I didn't know if we would have another child, but now when we play she says " mommy I not baby the baby in there." (pointing at my tummy). Emma was 2 when Elizabeth was born and it will be real here in January and take some time but she will be a wonderful older sister too! 

    I know we all have stories about parenting and pregnancy, ours is just of prayer and feeling blessed by this wonderful blessing. We did not always see ourselves as having more than 2 kids but God had been laying the groundwork in our hearts and after realizing I was already dreaming of these 3 kids growing, we said yes to whatever the three kids meant. Here we are in prayer for this new journey, new healthy baby (amen), and guidance as this calling to more children is not something we take lightly knowing that being parents is a high calling only to be taken in light of the parent God is to us! 

This pregnancy has been pretty different as each one has been. I was nauseous the first trimester not eating much because I didn't feel like it. Now I feel better, but my body is feeling like I am 32 and having another baby, sore. I am also feeling braxton-hicks early and both of my last babies I never noticed them or didn't have so many. One thing that has been the same is the feeling I have had while pregnant having hormonal changes, which play into some struggles I have had with the other pregnancies and post-partum stuff. I will be posting more about that soon.

I am excited to share some projects I have been working on during these first few months of pregnancy. More mommy stuff coming soon!