Monday, March 12, 2007

news

I'm sitting here listening to the baby scream and VGR be fawned over by NPR. Thank you so much, Bishop, for everything you do. Thank you so much, Bishop, for everything you are. Thank you for your courage, Bishop. Thank you thank you thank you. Honestly. Glad the screaming baby is making it difficult to hear.

Its already afternoon, because of blighted Daylight Savings, and I am sitting in my bathrobe, on the couch, surrounded by bills and slips of paper with telephone numbers on them. There is glass everywhere because E flung a bowl on the floor this morning while trying to extract a waffel from the toaster. There is syrup lathered over everything because she then ate said waffel with syrup she'd poured herself. There is potting dirt liberally sprinkled over the carpet because, well, I don't know why. I must have been looking the other way.

Into this chaos, mayhem and filth I am happy to announce that we expect Baby Number 4. I know, I know. These kinds of things can be prevented, but not when you practice NFP, which, as we all know, doesn't work. So we're delighted, while the world, the church, and everyone else we know, laughs at us in shock and horror. This news will explain to you the lack in blogging, of late. I haven't been able to think, or stand up, or do work, or anything without fighting down some of the worst nausea to which I've ever been subject.

But I hope you will whole heartedly congratulate me. I'm having my fair share of babies, and someone else's fair share as well.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. As a never married, single woman I admire you. Wish you were closer--I do make a good great aunt. I have 2 great nephews 6 and 12 that I spent Saturday at soccer and TBall.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I enjoy your blog--hope it helps to keep you sane admidst all the madness and joy.

Anonymous said...

P.S. And when is new baby expected to arrive?

Anne said...

Thank you all so much.
We are thinking early October, at this point. I haven't been in to see the doctor yet, been putting that off too. gasp.

punctuation without capitalization said...

well, nothing better to do than name the baby micah. especially since we shall share october birthdays!

if you do, i might be tempted to stay and play the organ for another year!!

Anne said...

Done! If you stay and play organ another year, we'll name it Micah even if its a girl.

This news should explain to you why I was unable to stop laughing two Sunday's ago at your mildly inappropriate but extremely timely commentary.

Anonymous said...

We're excited! I keep forgetting to tell you- Kass predicts twins this time because you didn't get them last time, and wanted you to know. :P I have no idea what his track record is for this sort of thing, though.

~R

Father Lee Nelson, SSC said...

Congrats!

So we really "all know" that NFP doesn't work? Works fine for my wife and I!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I'm very excited for you. :)

Anne said...

Father Nelson,
I was only quoting our favorite Catholic priest, Father John, who has noted that those 'good' and 'faithful' Orthodox priests in Binghamton must be 'contracepting' because they 'clearly don't have enough children' given that 'of course NFP doesn't work'. Obviously, we need some help--heh. Or maybe we don't.

Father Lee Nelson, SSC said...

Oh... thanks for the clarity...

At least I can count on you to be clear! :-)

NFP is one of those funny things. I don't know anyone using it who doesn't want to have at least 6 kids.
We want to have 10, which means we'd better get moving!

Needless to say, it is so encouraging to see families embrace life with such generosity. Makes me feel less alone.

eulogos said...

Anne, I saw that you looked a bit rounder and wanted to ask...but I knows what it feels like to be asked that question when the answer is no...so I didn't. Congratulations!

There is NFP not working, and then there is cheating a little bit around the edges. When you are very fertile, you can't cheat even a little bit. I could almost always figure out what rule I had broken, afterwards. A woman who wrote a column for Our Sunday Visitor once wrote that NFP was the only area in which your failures bring you joys!

However if you ever get to where there is a serious reason, like a life threatening health situation or something else equally devastating, why you shouldn't have another child, there is help available with NFP, people you can mail your charts to and talk about it over the phone, etc. But then, maybe you knew that.

I wasn't good at it either....
Susan

eulogos said...

There is a book, an old book of course, old like from the 1950s or early 60's, called The Family Book of Child Care, by Niles Newton, one of the founding mothers of La Leche League.

She says that even in families where the parents both hope and plan to have a generous family, there is often a crisis for the wife around the fourth pregnancy...sometimes it is the third or the fifth....when it all just seems too much, she can't do this, she can't go on doing this again and again, etc. After that crisis passes, subsequent pregnancies are easier, psychologically.

I found that after the fourth, the oldest child was old enough to be of substantial help. I had my fourth when the first was just starting kindergarden. You may be moving along just a bit faster than that, but at least you do have this to look forward to.

Susan

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I just read your news, right after reading the statement that came out of the Camp Allen HOB meeting, when they spat in the face of the Anglican Communion. It was good to see some great news after that, so I wouldn't go to bed completely depressed!! Liz