#4!? Why We Are Growing Our Special Needs Family: Trust Your Gut

Four kids? That’s crazy.

Or is it?

Four kids, and special needs? Definitely crazy.

Right?

The addition of #4 has been a topic of discussion for me and The Queen for quite a while. Four kids always seemed like a stretch. Especially when SATB2 was added to the equation.

But every day we grow. What once seemed like a stretch becomes a possibility.

And then a must.

The quiet moments in the wee hours of the morning are my opportunity to sit, breathe and meditate.

At some point in the quiet, I hear the creek of the door as a groggy Mack emerges from sleep.

The boys are early risers.

Mack suspended in the half-wakefulness of breaking slumber. Me suspended in the half-wakefulness of meditation.

We shoot for 8 hugs per day, but the first is always the sweetest.

He sinks into my crossed legs and melts into my lap. The embrace is silent, but deep. A warmth, a love that is hard to put to words.

While the mind is quiet and the world is slow, answers are clear. Your intuition knows. Trust your gut.

Dad is my superpower. The Queen is made to be a Mom. These kids were crafted to support each other. This family was designed to be together.

But we’re not done yet.

The Mrs. summed it up best in the FB announcement…

Are we crazy?! Heck no!

You could ask the internet:

Or you can trust your gut.

We’re going with the gut.

Does special needs play a role in our decision? Of course. Special needs is part of our reality. But it doesn’t define us. It doesn’t limit us. Special needs makes us stronger, more capable, more daring. Embrace every moment, every opportunity.

One more person to love Awesome Mack.

There are no “right” answers. We’re all making it up as we go. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Trust your gut.

The Dudes are growing, and we couldn’t be more excited!

PS – We’re getting a puppy too!!! Yeah, that’s kinda crazy. 🙂

Update: 2.17.18

#4, Baby Boy

Littlest Dude’s First Trim

The Littlest Dude (aka – the boy with too many names) is 9 days short of the numero uno! Crazy.

And this dude needed a haircut, something fierce.

His self-created mullet lasted longer than his older bro, who scored his first buzz cut week 15, but it needed to go.

With buzzers in hand, we knocked that toupee-looking coif down to a awfully handsome shaved melon.

Lookin’ good for that 1st b-day!

 

Dude Nesting?

We are days away from adding a new mouth to the Dude Clan. We will officially be out numbered any day!

Mrs. Dude has gone from, “we better make it passed Christmas,” to “this baby is coming soon!”

I’m not really sure what that means, but my guess is the baby will be coming soon.

We all prepare for life’s milestones differently. The Dude? He packs up Little Dude and hits Walmart to torture himself purchase a bunch of unnecessary crapola and organize under the bathroom sink.

Seems logical. Organization under the bathroom sink = ready for baby? Ok.

I guess the Dude has been bitten by a bit of pre-bambino nesting.

Seriously. I Googled it. Dudes nest too.

See you soon baby. 🙂

Dude Nesting - Part 1 #walmartisthedevil

Dude Nesting – Part 1 #walmartisthedevil

Dude Nesting - Part 2 #underbathroomsinkorganized=readyforbaby?

Dude Nesting – Part 2 #underbathroomsinkorganized=readyforbaby?

Baby On Board

Baby on Board

Baby on Board

We had our 24 week baby checkup today. That’s 6 months! I.E. – 2/3 of the way to new baby land!!

Three kids under one roof?! We’re really doing this, huh?

Great news, everyone is healthy and looking good for the estimated shipping date of early January. We’re super jazzed to welcome the newest dude/dudette.

And as I wander through life pondering the newest Dude Family addition (and wondering how we’re going to manage three at one time), I often find myself singing “Baby on Board” by Homer Simpson and the B Sharps…Homer’s barbershop quartet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pURFU3pL93o[/youtube]

This always brings a chuckle to me. Walking around laughing to myself. Tis the world of the Dude.

Then I look at Mrs. Dude for confirmation of my incredible wit…and nothing. No smile, no chuckle, nada.

At first I thought this was because she was blocking me out – she’s really good at that – but then I realized that she doesn’t have any clue about the “Baby on Board” song! She is not a Simpsons fan…at all!

Blasphemous, I know!

It turns out that Mrs. Dude thinks that “only boys watch the Simpsons.” Oh Mrs. Dude. Muy mal, muy mal, indeed.

Well, add the Simpsons to the list of shows that Mrs. Dude has missed out on. If you’re keeping score, Mrs. Dude has no idea who Bob Ross is (wha, wha, what?!!), and detests Seinfeld…crazy, I know. I finally got her to watch South Park (which she loved – but won’t admit), but I had sit on her and hold her eyes open to make that happen (Just kidding Rex…no physical violence was required. :))

So, what’s the point of this post?

  1. The newest Dude bambino is a short 3 months from delivery and all is well.
  2. The Dude is hilarious and has fantastic sense of humor and  a great taste in TV.
  3. Mrs. Dude is missing out on the finer things in life…like The Simpson and South Park.

That’s it. Nothing else to see here. Keep on truckin’.

PS – These are the kind of posts that the 3rd child gets. 🙂

First Pictures of the Newest Dude Bambino!

Mrs. Dude, Little Dude, and your’s truly made an hour + trek to the baby doctor the other day for our first baby appointment. We are officially 13 weeks preggo now, and probably should have had an earlier visit, but we’ve had a difficult time determining the Doc of our choice.

We’re stuck in an interesting position. The closest hospital – the joint where Little Dude was welcomed into the world – is not very open to natural birth techniques. In fact, their c-section rate is almost 50%! That’s ridonculous.

Now, the odds of us having a c-section are pretty slim considering Mrs. Dude’s awesome performances for bambinos numero uno and numer dos, but that stat is pretty telling for the overall birthing atmosphere. And we are all about a natural birth.

We’d love to have this baby born in a tub in our bedroom, but NC has some pretty crazy restrictions on home births. As a result, we are seeking a happy middle ground, a great midwife in a medical facility. However, this middle ground is over an hour from our house.

So, we’ll trek an hour to see the Doc and/or midwife for the next six months. However, I see potential for some excitement around the birth.

In the birth story I wrote about Little Dude’s entrance into the world, you’ll notice that from the water breaking through laboring at home, driving to the hospital and giving birth, we only covered a three hour period. Heck, the doctor didn’t even make it to the birth. The nurse and Mrs. Dude’s Mom, Nina, helped Little Dude make his entrance. And this hospital was only 15 minutes from the house.

So, how are we going to get over an hour on the third baby with Mrs. Dude trying to labor in a car? Great question.

We’ll work that out when the time comes. For now, we are jazzed about the great visit we had with a Doc that we could relate to, and we’re looking forward to meeting with the midwife.

We had the pleasure of seeing the little bean – or peach I guess – on the ultrasound, and he/she was even jumping around a bit – another lunatic like Little Dude?! Little Dude even seemed to enjoy seeing his newest sibling, although he still changes the subject when we ask him where the baby is. 🙂

Here’s the first picture of the newest Dude bambino. Best looking ultrasound you’ve ever seen, right?

Newest Dude Bambino

Newest Dude Bambino

The Dude Family is Growing by Two Feet!

Dude's Growing by 2 Feet

Dude's Growing by 2 Feet

Hear ye, hear ye…

We are amazingly excited to announce that the Dude’s are adding a couple more feet to the family tree. Yep, we are crazy enough to bring three kiddos into the family…and officially outnumber the adults!

A few highlights…

  • We are expecting in mid January, but given the track record of early arrivals, we’re predicting a New Year’s baby.
  • We won’t be finding out boy or girl until that beautiful little melon pops out to the see the world.
  • We’d love to figure out a home-birth, but NC has some crazy regulations for home-births, so we’re still figuring out who will have the honor of welcoming the bambino into the world.
  • The Princess is super jazzed to be a big sister again.
  • Little Dude keeps changing the subject when we ask him where the baby is…seems like he’s still adjusting. 🙂

Stay tuned for more Dude Family updates!

Baby In the Belly...

Baby In the Belly...