Round 3

The news is out. Clark Baby #3 is on the way! This is from the girl who SWORE to never have another child. Two was pahhhhlenty....right? Well, yes....and no...not for me anyway (the current me). It's funny to watch yourself grow up, I've decided. Remember your 18 year old self? Younger, hotter, more energy, full of potential, and you thought 26 was OLD?! I did anyway. My poor friend Angela...we still laugh about that comment. As an 18 yr old punk, I told her I thought 26 was old. (And I meant it). She's just a few years older than I am and she just laughed at me and my naivety, knowing full well I'd be there in no time! Now that I've surpassed the "old" number, I realize how funny it really is.

It's the same thing with the "I'm never going to have another kid" mentality. Tis the words from my old self. Here's the short story behind the transformation.

The baby thing was tossed around in my mind over the last year or so. It happened though, one gorgeous day, as Steve & I, the girls, and Rosie Posie Clark strolled through our little neighborhood; I looked around me, surrounded by awesome little people decked out in pink bike helmets & glitter, a fantastic husband/father to my babies, and the yellow doggers, and I realized, it just doesn't get better than this....not for me anyway. And I blurted out to Steve, "I want another baby." BOOM. I nailed him with it. I held my breath for his response, knowing that I fully meant it, and I fully wanted it....but he just chuckled and said, "I knew that was coming." That's Steve for you...never one to get bent out of shape, even at the most assanine out of the blue comments.

Here we are now, and baby #3 is coming sometime in late July. I have exactly NO baby things as I've given them all away to friends as they have had babies, but it's all good. I'm a bargain shopper, and shopping is my thing. Plus, this baby is born into the consignment store, EBay, Half.com, craigslist type of world.....and what a world it is.

So, we're anxiously anticipating Round 3: the office to be transformed to babyland, us-returned to the world of needing a highchair and a car seat, a stroller, diapers, and a diaper bag. Life will change for us, for the better. We need a little person to bop their head to music for the first time and squeal with delight at their first view of Christmas lights. We need big dance parties in our living room again and tiny shoes and tiny sockies.

The best part was the girls' response to the whole thing. I told them I had something to tell them. They ignored me. "GIRLS!" I upped my voice a bit. "Look at me. Mom has something to tell you." They stopped and listened. I told them how they were going to become big sisters. Sophie wouldn't be the baby anymore, but a BIG sister! I waited for it to sink in, not knowing how they'd react.

They started squealing and jumping up and down. Sophie beamed ear to ear, apparently willing to give up the baby title. Then the questions came. Where do babies come from? We've already discussed this. I reviewed (in short watered down detailess statements). How does the baby come out? Sigh...I don't want to think about this right now, but again, we reviewed. Does it hurt? YEP. Sophie: "The only thing I don't like about ladies having babies is all the yelling." :) How does she know? I wondered. It's not like she's witnessed a birth...Mid question answering, Olivia interrupts (this is true):

"Let's pray." She bows her head and we follow, I keep one eye open smiling and watching her. Normally, Sophie is our tiny pastor. Anyway, Olivia continued on, "Dear God and Jesus, Mom is having another baby! But, you probably already know that. Anyway, thank you for our new baby! We will be good big sisters. Amen."

I melted. I am so glad they are excited. I really didn't know what they'd think. We took a poll:

Clark baby #3 is a GIRL or a BOY?

Olivia: Boy
Sophie: Girl
Me: It IS a BOY and no one can tell me otherwise. Except for maybe the ultrasonographer. Maybe her. That's it though.
Steve: What if it's a girl?

:) We are obviously ecstatic for either option....but polls are just so much fun. I really do think it's a boy though. Stay tuned....

In the meantime, what do you think? BOY? or GIRL? Let's hear the predictions! And don't you dare say twins.