Give Me a --B.A.B.Y.--

What's cute and chubby and about to get not so cute and even more chubby so there will be something new that's cute and chubby?

Baby Maurer  edition 1 will be arriving in cute and chubby form  around February 3, 2014.

I had beautiful plans of getting our pregnancy announcement pictures done by the amazing photographer who did our engagement pictures. But the idea of paying for professional pictures when I could miscarry, plus the pain of organizing schedules lead me to decide that..... we'd use father in law's professional grade camera, husband's editing skills, and sister's talented posing skills for almost professional pictures. Brilliant plan, right!

But, father in law's camera went out of town (state, actually). So, we used an iphone--much to Stephen's chagrin torture.

Ok, so the real stuff.

I'm twelve weeks pregnant, and we discovered the latter part when I was five weeks pregnant. Babies weren't supposed to be on our official radar for another year ish, so when I found myself super tired and horribly irritable I assumed it was because we were at a Manthei family wedding. (A Manthei wedding  involves a lot of work and a lack of sleep.) Once we got home from Colorado, I decided to officially acknowledge that my monthly visitor was being a rude guest and was a week late. 

We were staying at my in laws' house that night, so I had to buy a pregnancy test from a drugstore in a very small town. And did I mentione, the cashier was a seventeen year old boy. He smirked at me and I flashed my wedding ring. I won the silent discussion.

I took the test in my mother in law's pretty guest bathroom

Postive. Very positive.

I pulled Stephen into the back room and just stared at him. Wide eyed, amazed, shocked, scared, happy, amazed. 

He hugged me and I hugged him and we laughed and cried.

Perfection. 

So the little chublet is a surprise. An awesome, perfect, blessing of a surprise. I've always wanted a surprise baby. Planned pregnancies have always struck me as everything from  prudent and slightly weird, to weird and awkward, to  some people act like they're trying to play God. (We will have a child in this month and then a second child 972  days later.)

The only slightly interesting snafu in this entire venture is that baby is going to be arriving while I still have classes. (Darn you, Regent and your lack of classes.  I'll have three total--two at a time.)  This seems daunting, and I keep dealing with people's shock that I'm gong to graduate.

But of course I'm going to graduate. 

I'll have a baby on my lap when I write my capstone (senior project) while very sleep deprived. It's going to take some careful planning, some using of a free nanny service called "sixteen year old sister", and I'll probably beg my best friend to edit my papers since I'll  be writing with mommy brain. 

If I was an average college student, this would be impossible. But I'm not, so it's possible--barely.

So 2014 brings me a squishy baby, a diploma (finally), and an entire new adventure. 

We are so excited!

(On an official note, I am even more thankful than ever that Stephen is in the military. It is such a blessing to have insurance and a stable income. Seriously, it is such a blessing.)