We are having another baby!

Although we were quite happy with the size of our family my husband and I decided that we should have one more baby.  We wanted someone a little closer in age to our youngest child and only son.  I knew as of the first week of October that I was pregnant.  But mid month I was struggling with morning sickness, the all day kind.  We kept quite about the pregnancy for a while. My husband thought I just wanted to get past the part of pregnancy in which most miscarriages happen before we told anyone.  For me it was for a very different reason, or rather reasons.  First, knowing that this was going to be my last pregnancy I wanted to hold it close to my heart and keep it just for me.   Second, to keep it close and special I didn't want to hear the negative comments that come when announcing a pregnancy.  I particularly dislike, "Another one?  Are you trying to repopulate to world all on your own?"  I know plenty of people who have families bigger that ours.  At the moment we have 4 children.  In a few months time our fifth child will join us. 
During Thanksgiving we sort of announced the pregnancy.  I say sort of because we didn't get up in front of everyone and make a big production out of it.  Instead, it was more of a thing where pictures are being taken and one of my sisters comes over to show me a picture she just took.  As she shows it to me she asks, "So when were you going to tell us?" I look down at the picture and it is a close up of my belly.  Sheepishly, I reply with, "Right now apparently."
Shortly after Thanksgiving, we go visit my husband's grandmothers to tell them.  Later on in December that turned out to be very important when one of his grandmothers suddenly died.  We were grateful we took the time to go see her and share our joy with her. 
Last month I anticipated the ability to feel my little one moving and kicking inside me.  Toward the beginning of the month I thought I felt movement but wasn't sure because as the weeks passed it was not repeated.  I began to fear the worst.  I prayed to feel movement.  It didn't help things when I noticed that my appetite had decreased significantly.  I waited day after day for either a sign of life or a sign of a life cut too short.  With all the stress and such my husband was going through at the time I stupidly chose not to tell him my concerns.  A few days before my next appointment I got to the point where I couldn't handle the stress on my own anymore so I finally told him.  He soothed my soul.  Sharing my concerns lifted the burden I had put on my own shoulders.  Reaching out to him gave me the relief of knowing the grief I was feeling wasn't mine alone.  When we went to the appointment to our relief the baby was moving so much the doctor was having a hard time keeping the heart beat long enough to get the beats per minute counted.  Finally he did and the baby have a nice healthy 160 BPM heart beat.  It was so nice to see evidence of my baby healthy and alive.  After the appointment I was set up for an appointment to get an ultrasound.
That is what I did today. I saw my baby!  All fingers and toes have been counted and body parts measured.  The baby is measuring at 23 weeks and one day which moved my due date from June 16th to June 11th.  To find out the gender you will just have to come back next time.