Number 3...

In September our first born will be 4 1/2, our second born will be 3 1/2 and our unborn will be born.

Our sons will adopt a baby brother or sister into their lives and this baby will adopt us 4 as his/her forever family. I am pregnant but I use the word adopt because it is language that is understood in our family that means forever. When we explained to the boys that a baby was coming it made the most sense to say to them that they and we would adopt this baby that is growing in my belly. Just as we say they adopted us as their parents and we adopted them as our sons and Nick and I adopted each other as husband and wife, we are all one big adopted family:) I love using this language because it implies there is a choice. I choose to love you forever. I choose to be your family for all time. I choose you.

Speaking of love it seems as we make this announcement of our pregnancy some people assume (all of these people are NOT adoptive parents) the we will finally know what it's like to love our own child. This thought either implied or stated by others hurts my heart. I felt in my heart of Friday when I saw baby the same feeling I had when we were looking at children available for adoption. My heart just grew. I believe with my whole heart that I can and do love my adoptive children as much as my biological. My husband is one example of how I know this. I love him more that any other. I have not known him in the womb (I wasn't alive yet), I didn't know him at birth, and yet I love him more than any other. Christ teaches us about adoption and love, He reassures me that my love for these two is as strong as any other child of mine.

We've also become the poster family for "you know, after you adopt you'll get pregnant." Yes, I'll admit there truly are MANY families who adopt and then get pregnant but I would argue there are just as many who adopt and don't get pregnant. For the record, all of the adopting families that I know that struggled with infertility did not adopt in hopes that it would get them pregnant. Maybe some of you remind us of this out of shock that it happened to us, or to say "I knew it" or simply to imply this is what we hoped would happen if we adopted. Whatever the reason know that I don't really care!

All of this to say, we're excited about our growing family. In this year alone our family will grow from two Muccis to 5! God is amazing and we're blessed to be on this journey in his love.