THE MORE THE MERRIER IN MERION

It's a beautiful Sunday here in Merion. The birds are chirping, the house is somewhat calm and our dog hasn't eaten anything overwhelmingly expensive yet today. I've also been taken to breakfast by my very attentive husband (at least when it comes to feeding me, lol) and had some great french toast. So why am I inside blogging on this gorgeous day? Well, I'm not allowed in the sun anymore. But that's a-ok because the babies are doing well, the boys are doing well and Weston and I are doing well too.

As of tomorrow we are 22 weeks pregnant. The doctor seems to think that we have 8-10 weeks to go! It's amazing how quickly the time has gone by. We have two or so weeks left until we reach the "safe zone" of viability, and I am thankfully still moving around quite well for carrying 4 babies. My biggest concern now is carrying them for as long as I can and making sure that they continue to grow well. I am now going to the doctor once a week, which is both great (I love seeing them during the ultrasound) and overwhelming. Every week I essentially prepare for bad news. Thankfully we haven't received any to date!

At our last visit the babies each weighed in at over a pound each. They are big, gorgeous and unfortunately very cramped. So much so that John's head has a home nestled inside of my liver. But as I said they are all healthy, and growing at an exceptional rate. We really do feel so blessed.

Our concerns and fears now lay more in the logistics of how life is going to be for the next few months. We leave for our shore house in 2 weeks for a 3 week stay. How am I going to survive at the beach for three weeks, not being able to go in the sun or extreme heat? Especially with Jakob and Owen being as active as they are. What the heck are we going to do if an emergency occurs and the babies are born while Weston is flying? Like anything else in life, we'll adjust and make due because that's what we have to do. There are no other options. But trying to plan for the "what ifs" when we have no idea what's going to happen is often a tedious and exhausting task.

People continue to ask if we're nervous or apprehensive and "how on earth we think we'll manage" everything. First and foremost this is not a situation "to manage." It's our life, and just like anything else in life, all things will be dealt with accordingly as we continue to raise our SIX children and live as a family. Yes, we need to be prepared and we'll have help (thankfully we have the ability to have help). But to over simplify the joy of having such a family by making it out to be a business proposition seems so unjust. To the kids, and to us. We are of course nervous, about the health of the babies and about the adjustments the boys will have to make. But honestly, we're pretty damn excited too. Some people we encountered have such a negative thought process about what WE are going through that it is utterly amazing. I mean, we chose this for ourselves. Who are these people doing the second guessing for us? On the other hand, we have encountered so many people who are just beside themselves to be introduced to such an amazing situation, which is always something I find endearing.

In other news...Hmm.....I guess there really isn't any other news...At least nothing huge. Jake has fully recovered from his surgery and has regained his usual energy and endurance. Owen has been soaking up the sun (when it's not raining- YUCK!) and is learning to ride his scooter just as well as his brother. Both of them are enjoying all of the time they can at our pool, and getting as dirty as possible while they play outside :) They are just boys being boys....

I suppose that's it for now. I'm headed outside under our covered porch to at least enjoy the weather- even If I can't be in the sun :)

Enjoy the week!