At 9:30 am today, April 18th, Gabriel Drew Litscher was welcomed into the world at 7 lbs, 12 oz & 20 inches long. After months of waiting and praying, Baby Brother was finally introduced to his family. He’s got a good bit of red hair and the general consensus is that he closely resembles Papa Phil. Renee had an appointment for an induction at 5:00am this morning, so we got up dark and early and made our way down the mountain to the hospital. By 6:00 she was started on pitocin, by 7:00 she had her water broken, by 8:00 she had an epidural, by 9:00 she was pushing, and after a couple big pushes Gabe made his appearance.

Renee and Gabe are doing great…she feels 20 times better this time than she did after Jonathan, and Gabe has been a good eater and sleeper so far. Jonathan was SO excited to meet his baby brother and absolutely adores him. He was so good holding him and stroking his face and giving him kisses. He wants him to come home to play cars with him Both the boys are doing great and we can’t be more thankful. Well, enough with the story…here’s the rest of the pictures from Gabriel Drew’s Birth Day!

Jonathan was born one week and one day before his due date. Today is one week and one day before baby brother’s due date. We’ve been incredibly antsy and impatient this time around. We were still setting up the crib a few days before Jonathan was born. Now we just look at each other and say, “why won’t this kid come out?” Last Tuesday Renee had a doctor appointment and when the doctor checked her he first said, “My goodness, how are you walking?” Then he said that she was 3-4 cm’s dilated and her membranes (amniotic sac) were “bulging like an old tire about to blow.” Yes, our doctor is a hillbilly.

We were so convinced her water was going to break next time she sneezed we had Renee’s mom fly in on Thursday afternoon. It’s been great since she’s been here, but still no baby. We go in again on Tuesday to see what’s going on.

In other news, I’m back on the wagon again. Running that is. I gained the freshmen fifteen (again) when we moved back onto a college campus and started eating cafeteria food again. The freshmen fifteen quickly turned into 25 and I finally got frustrated with creeping back up towards the weight I was at a year and a half ago. So, no competition this time to get me on a strict diet and exercise routine, but I did make a New Year’s Resolution (in mid-March) to run 500 miles in 2008 or give up watching LOST. You can see the progress in my monthly goals in the red box to the right. So far I’m over 10% done.

Welp, I think that’s it. I’ll be sure to get pictures and info up as soon as baby brother gets here, so keep checking! Thanks for praying we’ll have PATIENCE these last few days! Last belly pics here.

As far as the pregnancy goes, Renee is moving along just fine. We had another ultrasound a few weeks back-I’ve added the pictures to the Ultrasound gallery. She’s 37 3/7 weeks along and the doctor says she can go really anytime now. Everything that needs to be soft is soft and everything that needs to tip is tipped. She’s been at 1cm for the past couple weeks and she’s ready to get going. The baby has dropped some, so she’s pretty uncomfortable and gets up to pee at least 3 times a night. But she’s a trooper and is into a hyper-nesting phase. Everything in the house is clean, it seems like the laundry gets done every other day and she when she sits down to rest she’s antsy to start doing something else. They say once the baby drops and the extreme nesting phase kicks in it could be only a few more days, so we may meet Baby Brother soon! Renee also got her hair cut yesterday. Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting it to be as short as it was and didn’t have a reaction appropriate for a pregnant woman you’ve been married 6 years to. There were tears. The lesson, as always, I am an idiot.

Things at work have been pretty busy for me and will only get busier these next few weeks. Now that RA’s have been hired for next year we have a leadership conference this weekend, we’ve just kicked off the housing scramble (also known as “Get Your Feelings Hurt 2008″), we’re interviewing candidates for open RD and ARD positions and at some point we’ll be having a baby. I sat down and figured out that April 12th would be the best day for that. It’s on the schedule.

We also had a great time a few weeks back when Priscilla and Eric Peters came down to visit. Renee met Priscilla the summer she spent at Focus on the Family Institute and the two of them and Kelli Owens (who moved to Chattanooga last fall) have remained close friends. Priscilla and Eric were married in Cincinnati this summer and it was great spending time with them.

And the little rugrat is doing good too. He’s been in a better mood lately-he seems to go in phases these days. He had fun on Easter doing an Egg hunt here at home. Then he got to go to the Aquarium the next day because he had 10 gold sticks. Too hard to explain right now, but he gets a gold stick each day for being a good boy and helping do chores. Once he gets 10 he gets a special treat-it may be a new matchbox car, or a trip to the mall play place, or to the Aquarium to see the fishies.

He’s also been making us laugh with some of the things he says. A few of the best are below:

When giving me a kiss on the cheek when I haven’t shaved in a few days: Ouch! Your face is crunchy.

We were taking his shirt off and putting his PJ’s on and Jonathan wondered what the two spots on his chest where. After being told they were nipples, it was time for bed and we were tucking him in. He said he wanted to feel my face to see if it was crunchy, and then followed with: I want to feel your nibbles.

And: You have big nibbles, Daddy.

Yeah, Renee and I lost it (I didn’t actually let him feel them). More belly pictures here and some recent pictures from March here.

Okay, I’ve done it. They are finally up. Sorry I’ve been such a slacker getting Renee’s belly shots up here. I’ve been badgered enough, and here they are. Also included are a bunch of the pictures from Baby Brother’s ultrasounds. We’re going in for another one next week, so keep checking back. While Renee feels like she’s huge, you still can’t even tell she’s pregnant from behind. Or from the front apparently…we’ve had a bunch of maintenance guys in our apartment this week fixing a few things and after talking with Renee for a few minutes, she turned around to look at something and one of the guys eye’s went wide. He didn’t even know she was pregnant until he saw her profile.

In other news, apparently Jonathan has saved his terribleness for three instead of two. He hasn’t been horrible, but he’s definitely more ornery and strong willed now than he was even a month or so ago. We’re embarking on a new discipline and structure program a friend of ours developed, so we’ll see how it goes. He has been supremely goofy lately though. He now thinks that he and I also have babies in our bellies. At first I thought he was poking fun at the “freshman fifteen” I have put on since coming back to college, but now he believes he has a baby sister in his belly. In fact, he told us the other day that he needed to eat all of his noodles because baby sister was hungry. He also likes to ask random women if they have a baby in their belly. Awkward. Some other quotes from recent days:

Telling the painter in our apartment what he just got done doing: “I just went poopy. It was stinky. Yecchhh!”

Renee and I were introducing ourselves to a Covenant professor at the local pizza joint, and he pipes up and says, “I’m Jonathan and I’m three. I’m not two anymore.”

There were a few others that I’ve now forgotten, but I believe Renee wrote down. Leave ‘em wanting more, right?

We left the day after Jonathan’s birthday and flew right out of Chattanooga to St. Pete/Clearwater airport. It was only a hour and ten minute flight… somewhat of a luxury compared to the 2.5 hour flights we were used to out of Denver. Jonathan was a great traveler and he LOVED every minute of being on the plane. He sat right by the window and never stopped talking the whole time.

Papa and Nanny picked us up and then we drove the hour or so to their park in Frostproof. We had absolutely beautiful weather the whole time we were there… pretty much 80′s and sunny. It was a little toasty for the pregnant mommy at times, but I wasn’t going to complain too much because last year when we went it was 50′s and cold. Jonathan had a great time swimming in the pool at the park and also going in the “hot bath” as he called it. Jack was excited to see us, but I think he may have been a little worn out near the end of our stay from all the lovin’ from Jonathan. Papa and Nanny take such good care of Jack (thank you!!!), and he has gotten used to the slower-paced lifestyle free from a 3 year old.

We were able to do a lot of fun things while we were there (seeing the goats, making OJ with Papa, making brownies with Nanny, swimming, shopping, going to the park and the library, out to eat, etc…) but one of the highlights of the trip for Jonathan was going to Sea World for the first time. He had no clue who Shamu was prior to our trip, but once he arrived at the park he was VERY excited! We watched the sea lion and dolphin shows first and then went to see “Shampoo” after that. Jonathan sat completely still on Papa’s lap (as he did for all the other shows) and laughed with complete glee once Shamu came out and did a big jump. It was so cute! The only part he was very concerned about was when Shamu splashed all the people in the front rows… Nanny and I explained to him that those people wanted to get wet, and then Papa told him that when he gets bigger and comes back with Daddy that Daddy will sit in the Splash Zone with him. He made sure to tell Daddy all about it on the phone that night.

Those of you who know our son well, know that he sometimes gets fixated on some interesting things… Like he has a stinky blankie, he loves goats, he has to run and jump into his bed every night, etc… well, he was very interested in the Park Map. He had to have his own copy and would sit in the stroller and talk about where we had gone and where we should go next. We took home extra maps and the entire rest of the week he would take it out and tell us everything we had seen, including which bridges we had walked over and where we had eaten lunch. He was also very happy about getting his Kid’s Meal for lunch in a Shamu lunchbox. He carried it around the rest of the day at Sea World and is still carrying it around at home. It did get searched in airport security when we were coming home, and he was very concerned that the men weren’t going to give Shamu back. The TSA people did chuckle a little bit to find it full of tractors and matchbox cars.

On our tickets we had gotten a second day free so we went back for a second day just to see the Shamu show again and to see some other things we had missed the first time around.

We had a great time visiting Papa and Nanny… and thank you to them for hosting us for ten days!! Daddy was definitely ready for us to come home and we were excited to see him too. One of my favorite and most precious moments as a mother happened at the airport when we were getting off the plane. I had Jonathan in the stroller and told him to be looking for Daddy… well, he spotted Ken from probably 50 feet away and started calling “Daddy – Daddy- Daddy!” Then as soon as I pushed the stroller to where Ken was, Jonathan was crying big tears down his cheeks and yet laughing all at the same time, still calling his Daddy’s name. It was so special to see his absolute joy and excitement to see his Daddy – who he hadn’t seen for 10 days.

Ken has also been bugging me about writing about the pregnancy… It has gone very well, and I am feeling great. I am still working about once a week and it is nice to stay busy and active. We will be 31 weeks along tomorrow and so things are closing in fast for baby brudder’s arrival. I went about a week early with Jonathan and so my doctor is thinking it will probably be either the same again or a little earlier this time. We are actually a bit more prepared this time than with Jonathan. I think Ken finished Jonathan’s crib and we got it all set up about the week before he was born. The crib is actually ready and waiting this time… and it has been for about a month or so. Jonathan is sleeping in the queen size bed in his room and is very excited to have his big boy bed right next to brother’s bed. Ken has been itching to put up some pictures of my belly so I am sure those will be coming soon.

Well, Ken is giving me grief that this post is longer than anything he has ever posted before so I better wrap it up…. but like I said at the top, it may be awhile before you hear from me again… Ken is very busy the next few weeks with interviewing RA staff for next year… he and the other RD’s have 55 one-hour interviews to do between tomorrow and next week Tuesday. But he is still loving his job and as a family, it has been a great place for all of us. Love to you all!

Here is a link to the rest of the Florida pictures if you are interested.

Jonathan turned three on Tuesday and had a great birthday party. We invited a bunch of friends from the college and our new neighbors, the Owens’, and partook of a fantastic cake Renee made with Kelli’s mom. Seriously, it was gorgeous. Check out the pictures here. Anyway, Jonathan had a ton of fun, though he made sure to point out to everyone that even though his party was on Monday, he “was still 2, he’s not 3 yet.” He finally turned 3 on Tuesday and spent the night sleeping in the big queen-sized bed in his room. And didn’t fall out…which is a miracle the way he sleeps. Then he got to go on a plane on Wednesday, is hanging out with Papa and Nanny and Jack now and is going to Sea World in a few days. I don’t know if he’s had a better week before.

Renee and I also had a little bit of a start when we realized that Baby Brother will be coming in about 10 weeks. Sheesh, that seems awful soon. I don’t know if it was the stress of the first trimester, but it really seems like this pregnancy is flying by. Jonathan still wants Baby Brother to come out now, and I think Renee is starting to be about ready as well. In fact, she could probably write about how everything is going herself, but might need a little encouragement. So, if you’re getting sick of hearing from me about everything, why don’t you go ahead and start badgering Renee to start posting on here.

Before we lost Brit, we knew of several families dear to us who struggled with infertility or had a miscarriage. We tried our best to be supportive and pray for them, but it’s such a unique situation to discuss with people. You try to balance empathy with hope, and there’s such a fine line between supporting through grief and and playing the “God has a plan and I know you’ll be pregnant soon” card. Not to mention how hard Mother’s and Father’s Days are. The thing that we didn’t know or realize is that miscarriage is a possibility for people who have had a healthy baby already. We (naively) assumed that miscarriages only happen when you first start trying to get pregnant…if they continue, then it’s time to try infertility treatments…if you carry to term, then you should be set for the rest of your pregnancies.

After losing Brit, we came to know several more families who lost a baby to miscarriage after having a normal, full-term pregnancy. Most of these friends had other children soon after losing their child and were a great hope for us as we looked to the future of our family. As the months went on though, we began a different grief process as we wondered why we weren’t pregnant yet. Honestly, Jonathan was a (most welcome and joyous) surprise and we were pregnant with Brit the first month we tried. As six months went by with false pregnany tests and hopes dashed, it was like we lost Brit all over again. And then we started going through the comments that all parents who want a child but don’t have one get.

“So when are you going to get pregnant again?”

“Do you just have one child?”

“It’s about time for Jonathan to be a big brother, huh?”

“Do you want more kids?”

And honestly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with these questions. But you start to feel incredibly bitter and inadequate when they keep coming. When so many of our friends started getting pregnant we would attempt joy and be envious. When doctors told us nothing was wrong and to just keep trying, each month that went by caused us to question our faith. I just scoff at those who say that faith is just a crutch for weak-minded people to get through harder times. I think one of the hardest things I have ever done is to trust in God through this time. It would have been easier to just call it quits. Sometimes faith is work.

Anyway, I bring this up now because during this designated holiday of thankfulness, our family has much to be thankful for. We are in a new home, at a job we love, among people who have fast become friends, with a marriage that has stood through hard times, and a beautiful, exceptional son who brings joy to everyone he meets and is excited to be a big brother. Yesterday Renee went for her 19 week ultrasound and we saw a healthy baby boy(!) squirming around inside.

The past 3 and a half months have been pretty stressful…we found out Renee was pregnant the weekend that freshman moved in, had a scary night when Renee was bleeding a bit (everything was fine), adjusted to new jobs and held our breath through every pain, cramp and weird feeling in Renee’s tummy. But we are now half-way home–baby boy is due April 21 (three weeks before graduation)–and we are able to breathe a little easier now. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for us over the past year and a half. We know it is awkward to know what to say, and we so appreciate the thoughts and questions as to how we are doing. So, this Thanksgiving we are thankful for many things…and you are all up there on the list.

No, you can’t know the name (when it’s decided) and yes, Jonathan is excited. He said last week that he wanted a brother and says good night to the baby in mommy’s tummy. He initially thought that the baby lived at the doctor because we had several ultrasounds and Jonathan could see him on the screen. Now he knows the baby is in Renee’s belly, but still doesn’t quite get that he used to live there too.

I’ll try to get some pictures and the video of the ultrasound up in the next few days…Happy Thanksgiving!