No way. No WAY. NO WAY.
Funny joke, Lord. Haha. I'm laughing. Hear me? Hear my laughing? YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY, DO YA?
Turns out, the Lord does have a sense of humor. 3 days after weaning Will, and 3 days after feel like a real, grown up woman who had things semi in control, and 3 days after feeling like I'd be able to dress beautifully and fit into those new skinny jeans I just bought, and 3 days after thinking we were heading out of the super-infant-crazy-napping schedule, and 3 days after thinking Mama was free to go places as she wished without an infant…
Well. Yep. Psh. You know what happened.
Y'all. Elliott Baby #4 was all like “Hey yo, Mama! I'm here! Ready to make you all pukey for the next 13 weeks and miserable for the next 40! Holla!”
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pregnant.
SURPRISE!
If I'm being honest here, I'd confess that I cried for a week. Not that I wasn't happy, but I just didn't feel ready. How did this even happen?!
Don't answer that rhetorical question. I know how it happened.
Luckily, as these things go, the Lord works in his own ways and in his own timing. We're blessed to be carrying this little one and oddly enough in our self-consumed culture, we still believe that: Children ARE a blessing. And raising children IS NOT just something to survive. And children are a HERITAGE from the Lord! And family is where it's at, man.
… I wasn't set for or against a fourth child, and besides the moments where I'm green and exhausted and want to throw up everywhere, I'm really starting to appreciate already getting a big ‘ol belly again.
Man. That happens faster the fourth time…
I've had lots of time over these past few weeks to think. We found out we were pregnant right when the Sally Saga was goin' down and in my nauseous, exhaustive state I spent many hours sitting and chatting with the ‘ol girl. It was special. Exhausting, but special. I've also spent a lot of time in prayer, questioning my ability to do another. Doesn't He see how terrible and inadequate I am with the three already given to me? I'm so unworthy of this work. Of this honor. A fourth time mother doesn't go into this situation without knowledge and experience of what is to come, and yet even still, I feel completely unprepared to be a mother again.
But isn't that where the Lord wants us? To rely on His goodness, His mercy, His grace, His strength, and His promises?
That's all this mama is clinging to.
Lord, you promise to give me the grace and mercy I need each day.
And I'm holdin' you to it.
And Amen.
P.S. If you're counting, this is the 3rd pregnancy y'all have gone through with me. Thanks for still being here!
Amanda @ The Whiskey Diaries
CONGRATULATIONS! I’m so excited for you! I’ve always wanted a big family and think this is just great!
Marge
God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. God has blessed you!
Ashley
Congratulations!
Chaundelle
Congratulations! What a wonderful blessing!
Jo Marie
Congratulations! Just so ya know, 4 is easier than 3. :-). Mine are now grown (almost) and I’m so pleased with our kids. You’ll do great! Always a blessing.
Sabrina
I am a lot less surprised than you! When you had to spend saved money on an expected expense a month or sogo, you mentioned you cried because you had saved it while hoping for #4! I guess just sooner than expected….
Laura W.
WOOOHOOOO!!!!! Congratulations!
Fred Olsen
Its a blessing for that baby to be born in a good family
Jennifer
My dear Mother-in-law ( who had 9 children) told me, ” Three children is the hardest, four seems like three, and after four it doesn’t matter.” We have six and I have to agree with her. God does give the grace to raise the children He blesses us with. They truly are a blessing.
Amy McMann
Well said! We have 7 and I agree with your mom:) Except I think 1 child can be really hard. My first was not hard but my first girl was hard if her brothers weren’t around!
Michelle
Oh, so many congratulations to you momma!
I’ll dare to share a secret, this mommy of two envies you very much! π but the Lord works in his own ways in our lives as well so I won’t complain. We are very blessed. π I hope you stay green for as short of a period as possible! π
Emily
Congratulations! I found out I was pregnant with my 4th while we were spending a week at a children’s hospital with our 3rd. But God knew what he was doing. (And we now have 5). Congrats and may the Lord grant you an extra measure of grace and and a few less measures of nausea.
Jodi Dundas
Congratulations! How well I remember the almost heart stopping realization that I had another baby on the way. And the joy. And the almost instant connection and dreams for this child. I am so thankful for all six of my children.
Pam
Congratulations Shaye! Don’t worry. You’ll do great. After all, my niece is pregnant with her 10th!!!! baby and she’s doing wonderful. I thought she’d stop with enough for their own baseball team, but I guess they wanted an umpire too.
Sarah
Ha!
Patrica Harris
Oh Shaye! Congratulations! I can almost understand all your thoughts & feelings! I really like to reading your blog & wish you all the best, all in God’s timing! I have much admiration for you & your growing family! Love to imagine your busy life & your homesteading! Whew! Take care!
Rachel Chapman
Congratulations! What a roller coaster your last month or two have been! I hope you take every opportunity in the next few months and years to allow God to prove he will provide all you need, I know with my three tiny ones (and no farm) I am learning well to rely on Him! May this new one be as much a blessing as your other three have proven to be.
I also totally feel you on the clothes thing. I’ve been nursing or pregnant for the past 4 1/2 years and I CANNOT wait to buy something and not have to wonder ‘is this nursing friendly? Could it work in early pregnancy and postpartum?’ Lol
Rachel Chapman
Congratulations! What a roller coaster your last month or two have been! I hope you take every opportunity in the next few months and years to allow God to prove he will provide all you need, I know with my three tiny ones (and no farm) I am learning well to rely on Him! May this new one be as much a blessing as your other three have proven to be.
I also totally feel you on the clothes thing. I’ve been nursing or pregnant for the past 5 1/2 years and I CANNOT wait to buy something and not have to wonder ‘is this nursing friendly? Could it work in early pregnancy and postpartum?’ Lol
Annica Collstam
Oh congrats! I envy you, I really do. To have this beautiful feeling of a new baby growing, fantastic. I have four children of my own, now adults all of them. They are now giving me wonderful grandchildren and I just love it<3
Wish you and your family all the best
With love, Annica in Sweden
Lauren
Congratulations! I am truly happy that you get to experience the blessing of another child. God will bless you with what you need to meet the needs of all your children as you continue to follow Him. Much love and many blessings to you.
Olivia Watson
Congratulations, Shaye! What a blessing!
Karla
Congratulations! Eh… what’s the fun in planning life? God certainly knows what He’s doing. π I lost baby #4 three weeks ago, and would happily trade places with you, despite knowing how big I was going to get and how hard it is to lose weight and yadda yadda yadda. Just a little perspective. Good luck!
Katie
Shaye, In putting your world and life in the spotlight for all of us to see, in all of its messiness, imperfections and stress (I totally mean that all in an admiring way, seriously!), along with all the beauty of it all, you’re really inspiring. I’m 3 months pregnant with our 3rd baby, and in all (so far), by the time this one arrives, we’ll have 3 kids from 4 years old and under. And bearing the brunt of all the comments, looks, and whatnot, it’s so refreshing knowing that there’s more married couples out there who let God plan their family, and who are totally open and obedient to His will and timing, and that as hard as it is, living this way makes as much sense to you as it does to me and the rest of us and we wouldn’t change it. I’m really excited for you, and I hope everything goes well for both of us. π Your sister in Christ, Katie
Melissa @ Bless this Mess
Hurray!!! What a beautiful surprise!
Abby Jo @ Forgotten Way Farms.com
I’m so thrilled for you! I just can’t believe you rocked that red dress at convention π I have suggestion for morning sickness, (I had it real bad with my first five) standard process Utrophin PMG. You can find it on Amazon. I had a midwife friend suggest this, it changed my life! Look into, google it, it’s worth your time! Blessings on your up and coming baby love π
Monika
I’m going to agree with Jennifer…
We have 7. When we had 3… it was by far the hardest. 4 (for us) we felt so much more capable and realized that our rhythm was so much there already – that it was actually easier than we thought. Plus our oldest was SO excited to help which………. is very helpful! When we had 5 and 6 and 7 (our 7th is 3 months)…. it really does get easier. I get so many comments daily about family size…. But one thing I repeat almost daily is… “I think I have it easier with 7 than you have it easier than 2 or 3!” And it’s not “easier”. It’s just perspective. I think it really does seem that way. The kids develop a rhythm… they each find their own niche in responsibility with each other. NOT EVERYBODY will be the good blanket fetcher… or the one who wants to hold the little one when they cry – however, it’s clear that siblings love each other and are there for each other and that helps mom and dad out and it’s sweet to see. π The other neat thing about having so many is that EVEN THOUGH you do NEED to spend quality time with each one and TEACH each one… when you have a brood like that (4 or more) I noticed that they just follow the pack in learning behavior. For instance… I had to teach my first two not to throw food at the table or to sit still quietly in a restaurant…. when the little ones watch the bigger ones now… they pick so much of that behavior up on their own. It’s like a little ‘herd’ learning from the older ones. I could write a book on a large family… so I’ll stop now. But congratulations to you, your husband and the kids! And above all… I love that you CHERISH the children you’re given. I can’t wait to keep following your blog. BIG HUGS! ~Monika
Ellen
Love it π
Melissa
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! So excited for you!!!!!
Linda Long
Congratulations! So very happy for you all. My own #2 is due very soon now and only God’s grace has seen me through these past few weeks. May He see you through this next part of your journey.
Christina
Didn’t I read earlier that you were hinting to your husband that you wanted to be pregnant again? So this post came as a bit of surprise. I’m over the moon happy for you while, at the same time, completely understanding the feeling you might just want to throw up your hands, or shake a fist at the sky, and say, “REALLY?”. How do you do it. Not that there aren’t women everywhere who are doing it but, hey, they all want to throw up their hands and say, “I surrender. Can’t do it. Kill me know instead of peeling away little layer after little layer until I have nothing to fight with. No sleep, no personal time, no creative time, no time.”
I pray your pregnancy goes well, that the kids welcome a little tadpole and that Stu remains the marvel of a man he is. Rest when you can. Ha! I’m a doula, and I totally get it. Wish I were there to help you through it all. Doulas make a difference. But, since I think you’ll have a midwife you have the best of both worlds.
Christina
Oh, and for the heartburn of pregnancy, chew celery. Works every time.
Chris
Morgan
Sending a heartfelt congratulations!!!
Katie B.
God obviously has as great a faith in you as you do in Him! I can only imagine how the first few days must’ve felt, just when you saw light at the end of the tunnel. But you’re doing a fantastic job raising your kids and, though it may feel challenging at times, you’re up to this. Kids ARE a blessing — you’ve just been blessed more than many!
Morgan
Congratulations!! What a beautiful blessing!
Laurel
Shaye, I just gotta tell you and I hope it leaves you in stitches! It took awhile for me to get to reading this story, “surprise”. While I was waiting for the page to download, I swear I never thought of another human baby entering into your world. I thought you were going to write about getting another cow! Ya, know….9 months for them too!
Laurel
Congratulations !! Be well> Be Blessed>
bobbi dougherty
congrats to you all. π
Ellen Valentine
Dear Shaye,
I was so happy to hear the news of another blessing on the way! I too thought that maybe someone had surprised you with a new milk cow, before I started reading, but that may come to pass as well, as you and your family are very blessed.
Things always happen for a reason, and trusting God is the way to go with it. Your older children will learn to help you more, and you will be amazed at how it all comes together. Just take care of yourself by eating right, and you will have the energy to do it all.
Think of it this way…in this day and age, where human life is so desecrated in so many ways all over the planet, God is planting seeds in good families such as yours, with good values to nurture the planet. We need more believers, and more wholesome families walking with God and appreciating the pure and simple things in life. You and your family are living that. Congratulations on getting it right.
Sincerely,
Ellen
Stephanie
Oh Shaye!
Congratulations! What a humongous blessing. I know there will be times when you are exhausted, especially doing what you do, but you are right that it’s always an honor to be trusted with another baby.
I was your age when I found out we would be having our fourth. It was also a shock since I had mono at the time and don’t even remember MAKING any babies. Lol. That baby boy still stubbornly asserts his position in the world. We went on to have seven, and are now done out of necessity. Even though I am rather enjoying being out of diapers (our youngest is four), I will always miss that special “surprise!” feeling. It truly is a gift from God!
Be well!
Rachel Payne
I had a suspicion when you posted your convention photos! I guess it’s true that pregnant women have a certain look about them. Congratulations!
Brigitte
Dear Shaye,
Thank you so much for your beautiful blog. Not too long ago, you reposted a blog you had written about how children are a blessing from the Lord, and how hard it is, these days, to appreciate fully the value and worth of a growing family. That repost was for many readers pertinent, but I felt as if God had spurred that on just for me- I had only just found out that I was pregnant with a very much surprise number four. This was the only child I’d ever greeted with shock and dismay. But your post helped refresh in my mind that God is sovereign, and He does not see babies as a obstacle to body autonomy….As much as i wanted to be done, and able to pursue life outside of wee babes sooner, God wanted to bring another human being into this world. So I’m thrilled for you, and amused that you helped an anonymous reader through a situation you, madam, are currently experiencing. Thank you again, for your lovely words and pictures, and your sweet heart.
Amy
Congratulations! We have four kids, and the 4th came at a time when we were CERTAIN we were done having more. But God had a bigger plan for us, and our 4th has been such a blessing to our family.
God has great plans for you and your family!
Cori
CONGRATULATIONS!! What a blessing, it gets better after the morning sickness is gone π
Sarah
Congratulations, Shaye!! And, that’s a really pretty picture of you!
Deb B
Oh Shaye! I feel for you, totally , completely understand how you feel!
We had a daughter in the hospital for most of her life -due to complications from RSV- when she was 3 we had another daughter born with an extremely rare condition, who, thankfully turned out mentally fine and after the first year the physical problems were ‘gone’…meaning we / she were dealing with it all and doing fine… THEN I had a ‘surprise’ positive for a test and found out I was pregnant. ..AGAIN…and cried in the Doctor’s office telling him I couldn’t do this again, we already had a sick 3 year old, a challenging 8 month old , how could we have another?!
Our Doctor is such a Blessing in our lives, one of the old fashioned ones that called just to make sure we were doing alright, or made house calls!… anyway, he hugged me as I cried and told me to remember to put my trust in God, that He knew what He was doing and didn’t make mistakes, and this little one would probably be just what the girls needed to help them!
God knows what we need before we even think of it… our new little Blessing taught the other two girls how to crawl, then walk and climb and dig…it was like having triplets for awhile! The physical therapist told us we didn’t need him, the baby was teaching the girls more then he ever could!
God will give you the patience, and strength it takes raising these little ones…and He already Blessed you with a wonderful husband to help you through anything that comes your way…
It might be hard to think of now, but I agree with others here -3 is the hardest! Four? All of a sudden it’s so much easier! Why? I don’t know… maybe because by the time you have 4 you kind of know what you’re doing…and let those things slide that really aren’t important…and slowly the older ones become more help every day! And the love you feel towards the newest little one, somehow muliplies the love you have for your husband and kids! I am really Blessed with a husband that helps, and has such a great sense of humor! He makes me laugh when I want to cry…and somehow the tears and laughter makes it all end up right…
You will need breaks though! Do you have family nearby? When I would get overwhelmed we would have a night out, or a weekend away…even if it was close and cheap!
So anyway… Congratulations and many Blessings to you and your wonderful husband and kids!
Vanessa
What a wonderful surprise! I am happy for you and Stu and for Georgia, Owen, and Will. This baby is joining a wonderful family! Congrats.
Rachel
I laughed and laughed through your whole post. I’m 6.5 weeks pregnant with my 3rd and although we were wanting more this was a total shock.. Working on weaning on baby, fitting into clothes, having energy and feeling good and BAM pregnant. wow can I relate… God is good though and I’m glad to have 9 sick & huge months of preparing. π
Gabi
Oh, this baby is so blessed to get to be a part of your BEAUTIFUL family! Congratulations!
Clare
was smiling uncontrollably after reading this! so excited for you & the expansion of your beautiful family. xoxo
Melissa
Congratulations, Shaye!!! <3
Kathey
Congratulations! I’m 13 weeks with our second, it’ll be fun to be pregnant with you! Your stories give me a lot of courage with everything on the farm from slaughtering meat chickens to having a milking cow to doing it with kids. God is so good. Praise the Lord!
RaisingCropsandBabies
God will indeed give you grace for the challenge!!! I had my first 4 children in 4 years and now, 3 years later, I wonder how it all worked so well… GOD’S GRACE! π We have a gap with our 5th baby and while I KNEW he would be a blessing, I cried a lot too when I was pregnant with him. I wasn’t too excited, but I told God that I welcomed this baby and I knew He’d give me the grace I needed when he arrived and I knew he’d be a blessing. Sure enough, God provided! I started feeling excitement around 19 weeks pregnant, and that was another blessing to get me through the last half of pregnancy!
So, as you head into this adventure: pray, prioritize, and take care of YOU too.
Emily
I’ve been a fan of your blog for a while now but I’ve been too shy to post any comments until now. But a baby is such wonderful news I just had to chime in! Congratulations! This little one is already so blessed to have you as a mother and to share all the beautifully “real” experiences of homesteading life with you! Best wishes π
Sheree
Congratulations! That is beautiful news!
sarah
Congratulations!
Marlene
Congratulations! (and God does know what He’s doing!) If it’s any consolation, my 4th and last baby boy was the easiest of all of them. Well, at least until he turned teenager… but that’s another story! All babies are precious, at any rate, and I’m sure you will enjoy this little one to the fullest!
Angie
oh hun – this is such exciting news!!! such a blessing! and tish tosh – you are a beautiful mother, perfect for this! Now I wonder what it will be? a girl this time π Congratulations from all of us here in S Africa xxx
Maggie
Dear Shaye,
congratulation, what wonderful news. We are pregnant with our second and its truly a blessing. Can’t imagine at some point never wanting children and hence started late. My first is under 2. Am 34 now. Raised as an only child, i believe life was hard alone.You always need a shoulder to cry on, and that is why brothers and sisters are important. I have a wonderful husband and am truly blessed to have him. Simply love your blog.
Denise
Congrats!! I too had a surprise bundle, mine at the age of 40!!! ? the first month I walked around in shock and did’t tell a soul, was apprehensive as my hubby is 6 years older than me! Was trying to do the math in my head ” how old will we be when? ” kinda thing! LOL but I will tell u my son Samuel was a blessing, although at the age of 14 some days I wonder, LOL but rest assured if the good Lord brings you to it he will see you through it!! I wish you good health, God Bless!
Annie
I had a surprise, too. My surprise is now 14 years old and I love her to pieces. I, too, was in shock. I was coming up on my 42nd birthday. Married 22 years, had a 20 year old in college, had five children already. Now, I can’t imagine life without her. She keeps us young. Congrats, Shay. Enjoy this unexpected blessing!
Katie
Congratulations!!!!
Kelly
Congratulations! A few questions which I suppose isn’t rude if someone owns a blog about their life π Did you/ are you quitting coffee? Do you have another raw milk source? And, how many rooms do you have in your house. These questions may seem random but I’m actually considering a third and these relate to my life… I love coffee now but didn’t like it yet when I was pregnant with my two, our local source of raw milk has gone up to 9 bucks a gallon but I know WAP says to drink a lot of it when pregnant and 3. we only have 3 bedrooms. I’ll add one more for the heck of it… do you take prenatals or cod liver oil? Have you weighed in on the cod liver oil war?
Miley D.
Hi Shaye!! Congratulations on your new addition! Yes, God does work in mysterious ways – I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd after having a bad c-section with my second and the doctor saying I would never get pregnant again! I thought I was well on my way after getting the 2nd child well on her way to being self-sufficient – when KABOOM – God had other plans for me. π Well, that 3rd daughter has been my true testament of God’s ability to humble us and make us remember He has bigger plans for us. She was the complete opposite of my personality from day ONE! Yes, she is my huggy / kissy daughter who would run up for just a hug and run back and play again. I learned to be more patient and to take those days one at a time! That wonderful girl is now 16, driving, working, independent – yet she still runs to momma when she has issues. So, enjoy every second, every minute – just everything – for it will fly be before you know it. π
Kate
Congratulations!! Yay!! 4 is Fun! Welcome to the family of six club!