Busy summer weeks

NOTE: If you are reading this on google reader you might have to click : Show original entry to see the pictures and the entire blog. I'm trying this out... if you hate it let me know and I'll change it back :)
It's been a busy busy couple of summer weeks! I had my trip to Woods Hole, MA for work. I loved it there! I could actually see us living in the NE one day. The people were really nice, the town was so cute and quaint, the water was beautiful... there are actually jobs for a coastal scientist up there (although who am I kidding... I am going to be mom for awhile longer... which takes priority over jobs these days)... my bff Katie lives close by. This is a picture of Katie and her adorable little boy Isaac... LOVED seeing you Katie! I really enjoyed it there, although I'm sure the winters would be a whole different story! I think we'll just stick to good ol' C'ville for now. My pleasure on the trip could also have been related to the fact that it was the first time I've been alone on a trip in I don't know how long... years though. I missed the kiddos, but I think it was good for Gregor to experience two full days with the kids, maybe now he'll understand why my patience fuse is gone by the end of the day.

Shortly after I got back my sister-in-law Cat and her 2 kids, Ronan (almost 2) and Isla (2 weeks), and Cat's mom came to stay with us for a night. We had such a fantastic time. The kids adored Ronan and Isla and I really enjoyed having Cat around. I wish we all lived closer so the cousins could play more... maybe one day. (hint hint... Cat and Brandon... you should move to Charlottesville... great hospital... nice people!)

I don't know why, but all these pictures look like an ad for Horizon Milk... what's going on here ???

Yesterday I tried so hard to take a photo of all the kids. WHY IS THIS SO HARD! The first one (with all the crazy kids) fully captures my experience. Larkin was being nuts, Brooke wanted off that bench, and Hudson was just being a total goofball. The next picture is honestly the best shot I got... not so good... I guess I'm going to have to try again another day.

Brooke is a walking machine these days. She finally put her steps together and is now choosing to walk everywhere. With this huge milestone under her belt now though, she seriously thinks she's three years old and wants to do everything the big kids are doing.... walk down the stairs holding the rail (she just falls face first.. scary), pick out her own snacks (oreos all day everyday), play with ALL the toys (especially the ones the other kids are playing with, unload all the drawers in all three dressers (there are clothes everywhere all the time), not wear her diapers, etc etc etc. Whenever you don't let her do something she has this super loud scream that is truly deafening! I don't remember the other kids screaming like this. She's nuts now... plowing through the pool, tripping over the curbs... she's in that exhausting stage where I feel like I have to bend over and chase after her all the time.

So as a treat to those of you dedicated enough to read through this long kind of boring blog entry... I'm going to spill the beans that I've been keeping for the last few weeks. Gregor and I are expecting our 4th... that's right... 4th baby January 18th (Hudson and Brooke's birthdays are both January 9th... so who knows... maybe 3's a charm). I'm 9 weeks pregnant! This news is as much of a shock to you as it was to us. We were done having kids. I've given away or sold all of my baby gear, baby clothes, maternity clothes... I have nothing... we purged all the baby stuff months ago. But this little nugget just wanted to be... it overcame my birth control and held in there. But the timing...We had just gotten the kids settled into their own rooms, my job was coming together and I was getting ready to sign on for a 2-3 year contract where I was ramping up my hours... we were finally feeling like we were getting to a place where we could handle it all... and then my period didn't come... and didn't come... surely I wasn't pregnant... isn't that what the Yaz birth control is for... didn't come... until one day... the doctor confirmed with a blood test that the fatigue and nausea I was feeling wasn't some weird disease... it was another baby. We were totally overwhelmed. Where are we going to put this baby, where is the extra money going to come from, where do we find the extra sanity to make it through the days... all these worries. But, I had my ultrasound last week, and I saw that little 8 week old heartbeat pounding away, and I was flooded with love for this little being in my tummy. Somehow, I know that everything is just going to sort itself out and be okay one way or another. So, it's still early, but it's all that's been on my mind recently. I have to say though, that this is the sickest I've ever been with a baby. I feel nauseated all day long... throw up at least once a day and I am so tired I swear I've fallen asleep while standing. So that's that.... the beans are officially spilled. Hudson and Larkin have figured out what's going on. There responses are so funny:

Hudson: Yay, I'm so excited! I hope it's a boy. I really want a brother. But, it's okay if it's a girl too, because all the babies I know are girls. If it's a boy can we name him Ron? And if it's a girl.. How about Suzy.

Larkin: I have a baby in my tummy too... she wants to go to subway and then wants a cupcake. (The baby in her tummy now wants all kinds of things). I don't want to share my room with the baby mom. okay.

The other day, I was feeling sick and Hud looks at me and says: "Mom, do you want me to make you a bagel... that makes you not feel barfy right" He is so Freakin' cute sometimes!