God Is Good...All the Time.

He really is, even when life doesn't seem so good.

But I am happy to report that yesterday, we got good news to attest to His goodness.

Amazingly, we are already halfway through this pregnancy. And yesterday was the "big" ultrasound. Blessedly, the baby looks great. A little heavy (13 oz), a little long, but perfect in all other ways.

Always great news. Technology is amazing, as I could see all the chambers of the heart, the corpus collosum, fingers, toes, ears, and a nose. Seeing  that perfect little being makes it all seem so much more real. I guess I haven't swallowed a ball that kicks and punches, after all.

But, the second most exciting thing, other than the perfectness, is the fact that it is indeed a HE.

So, I introduce to you, Mr. Elijah, due 15 Aug 2012.

Here's the sweet little guy, getting a bit squished. His head is on the right, you can see one eye, his nose, and chin. His belly is on the left, the big white circle. The little black circle is an organ, I'm not sure which one, it may have been his stomach.

(I have a condition diagnosed as an Irritable Uterus. I contract pretty much the whole pregnancy and many things bring it on- including having a full bladder-necessary for the ultrasound- and pressure on the uterus-necessary for the ultrasound. I no longer get excited for ultrasounds as they hurt so badly. But, I've had this will Noah, Selah, and Micah as well, and there have been no consequences so far- besides my misery. So I'm grateful for the healthy, full-term children, even with the misery!)

Here's his foot. Pretty amazing how you can see his toes (pointing to the left) as well as some of the bones!

Pretty good profile shot- enjoy this was so painful I couldn't even watch the screen for this part. It's worth it now!

Saving the best for last- she turned on the 4d for a second and grabbed a quick picture. Bryan and the kids weren't able to come, so this is a great one for them. So much more real looking. He is "sleeping" on the placenta, and again gettign squished from a contraction. Looks pretty cozy to me! And he probably wasn't asleep, just doesn't really open his eyes yet. He was quite active during the scan. Noah thinks he looks like he's sleeping in his carseat. You can see his little hand in the bottom right. His little thumb is so cute!

The kids were all excited, though we had pretty much thought it was a boy, so it wasn't too surprising. Bryan was still holding out hope it might be a girl, but not this go around. (For which I am grateful. Selah's more than enough girl for me, right now. Maybe next time I will be ready for another girl...we'll leave that to God!)

The kids comments were:

Selah (squealing): A BOY! YAY! I LOVE boys!

Micah (following Selah's lead): A BOY! YAY!

Noah: Another boy, that's a lot of boys. I wish it was a girl.

 (Perhaps he doesn't want yet another kid in his room?)

Jonah: Thankfully! (While he adores Selah, her drama really gets on his nerves.)

Bryan just thinks it's funny...and improbable. 4 boys are "a lot!" But could you imagine 4 girls?? That's terrifying to me.

So he often asks me "How'd you get so lucky with all these boys and I only get one girl?"

And my reply is simply that God knows my limits. And I'm at my girl limit with Selah right now.

I usually hear from people, "I bet you're really hoping for another girl!"

And to that I reply, "Nope, one's enough. Grateful for her, but I'll take the rest boys if I get to choose."

They usually look at me funny. But I think I'm just better equipted to handle the boys. Of course, part of the funny look might be "the rest" part of the comment. Most people think it's shocking we're about to have number 5. The thought of having more is just so overwhelming to them. But I assure you, God gives you the Grace to make it work. We are so grateful for not only His Grace, but for these blessings He's given us!!