Our Kind of Wonderful

See, the thing about making plans is they're just that... plans. Just when you have it all figured out, when you think you know exactly what the future has in store... God goes and puts you on an entirely different map. And that's when you raise your white flag, roll up your sleeves, and trust in this new adventure. After all, He's been in the plan-making business a whole lot longer!

Well, there was a little surprise in the McCulloch household. But I'm assuming you've already figured it out... yep, we will soon be a family of six. (SIX!!!!) I'll let that sink in for a moment, because it's still sinking in with us too!

Josh and I had always been on the fence about having another baby. Three or four was always our plan. When Tyler was a newborn, I thought about it a lot. I couldn't help but feel a little sad that it would be the last time I'd bring a little baby home from the hospital (I mean, there's nothing quite like newborn snuggles... right??) And I couldn't help but wonder if there was this other little person that we were supposed to bring into the world. Josh mentioned a couple times that he was a little sad that Ty wouldn't have a brother and that he thought having one more would be fun, but there was an unspoken consensus between us that we were done with babies. I had settled into the idea of Ty being the baby of the family and having two big sisters to look over him. And as much as I actually enjoy being pregnant, I was kinda ready to give my body a rest - given that since 2004, there has not been a single calendar year when I have not been either pregnant or nursing (hello 7 year baby factory! ) I even started putting all our baby gear in bins to sell at our garage sale this summer (which thankfully got pushed back thanks to our backyard project!) Oh and then there's the Caribbean cruise and trip to Disney World we planned with my family for November 2012...

I was 10 days late when I finally decided I should take a test. I thought it was strange, but I had just started a new birth control a month earlier, and last time the doctor told me not to be surprised if it skipped the first cycle while my body got used to the new hormones. In fact, the only reason I finally gave in and bought a test was because I needed to start a new month of pills and didn't want to spend the $60 on them by the very, very, very small chance that I was pregnant. So you can imagine my surprise when the infamous plus sign appeared... before I could even put the cap back on! And then I took another one. Because... seriously, I couldn't REALLY be pregnant, right?? Oh yes, yes I was.

And then... I freaked out just a little (I'm a planner you know.) Josh?? He was completely calm. "Cool. We're going to have quite the little clan now." Correction honey, BIG clan. And then I ran through all the reasons he should be freaking out too. Where will the baby sleep? What about our car? We haven't even built our HSA back up yet! What about the trip? When will I go back to school? Are we going to be able to afford another baby? I don't know if I can go through another delivery!

Yep, still calm. "Honey, you can't freak out about it. I mean, obviously this is how it was supposed to be." And you know what? He's right. Based on all scientific reason (and the percentage odds on the back of my pill box) - we should not be pregnant. But we are. Which means God really, really wanted us to have this baby and obviously knew our hearts much better than we did. There are so many couples in this world who try and try to have children of their own, and can't. And God is blessing us with not 1, not 2, not 3, but FOUR little ones. Is there a greater gift that He could give to us?

Of course, I'm still wrapping my head around what my new days will be like and the fact that we have officially entered the "huge family" category, but I'm ready for this new adventure. And excited to meet this sweet little angel that God so desperately wanted us to have.

The other stuff?? We'll figure it out. We always do!