Stewart Family News

So I know some of you have already heard my news, and none of you would have a hard time guessing...but I am pregnant with number 3! We will have a little boy, due on January 25th. So far everything is going really great, we were having some trouble getting our medicaid sorted out at the beginning and due to the cost my doctor and I decided against getting a cervical cerclage put in this time. We talked a lot about my history and all the unsuccessful pregnancies as well as the ones with Ayana and Asher and he said he felt comfortable trying it without this time. I will have an ultrasound every month at my appointment and if there is any sign of my cervix opening we will do an immediate rescue cerclage. It is a little scary because it is something that could happen quickly if it does, but we just couldn't justify using all our savings plus getting debt on the speculation of one doctor years ago who said I might have incompetent cervix.

We decided to find out the gender this time for a couple of reasons. Trever said he knew Asher would be a boy from what he saw on the ultrasound, and I didn't believe him, so I told him to prove it. He did and knew immediately it was a boy, I didn't have a clue until every part was pointed out to me, everything looks the same to me in an ultrasound, they are all just fuzz. So he is pleased that I now believe that he did know what he as talking about with Asher. Also, I have been spending quite a bit of time sewing since getting my fancy new machine last Christmas. I have been doing some quilting and am excited to make stuff for the baby, however, I did not want to make everything in neutral colors, so we found out. (Though I have to say finding things to sew, even quilt patterns, for boys is much, much harder) Along those lines, I am not sure we would find out before birth again. It just isn't as exciting, I like the anticipation and the wondering the whole 9 months. Finding out half way through I felt like I barely had time to think about it much before I knew, and Trever agrees. Waiting just makes the excitement for the baby to come that much more sweet because you finally will know what you get. Maybe my feelings will change before the next one, we'll see, but for the few of you left in this family that will still have more kids, you should consider waiting to find out, I really think it is a lot more fun!

We are excited to have another boy, though Ayana bawled her eyes out when we told her because she wants a little sister so badly! Asher keeps us on our toes a lot more than Ayana ever has, and he has a mischievous streak 10 miles wide, but he also makes us laugh all the time and when he wants to be, is the sweetest little boy on the planet. Plus Trever thinks Asher needs a brother so he will stop asking to get his nails painted and playing with dolls, etc. He just likes to copy his sister, so Trever is hoping another boy in the house will give him reasons to not want to be quite so girly.

On other notes, Trever is in his last semester here, and will graduate in December. After that, who knows... We will be going to graduate school, but that will not be until September, and they will not even be making their acceptance decisions until march or April, so we will graduate here without any idea where our next school home will be. He is applying to 5 schools that are spread all over the country, so we could end up almost anywhere. We will have about 8 months of empty time between one school and the other to fill, the plan at the moment is to get an internship during that time. At the moment we feel like just trying to stay as close as possible to here will be the best financial decision to avoid expensive moving costs, but that depends on finding an internship nearby, so wish Trever luck in that regard. As soon as we know where we will be next year, we will let you know. I am excited for the time in our lives when we can plan more than a few months in advance, but I am enjoying the excitement of this time too.

The kids are doing great, Ayana turned four in July and is a constant joy to us. She had a pirate birthday were we hid a treasure chest in some local caves and then made her a treasure map and she led her pirate crew on a hunt to find it. She had a great time and loved the party. I made her cake and find I enjoy doing that quite a bit, but just a few times a year are enough for me, that way I don't get too tired of it. She is not in preschool right now ad misses it terribly, but I am sure she will survive. She loves to imagine and has imaginary kids that are almost always around (and usually blamed for any trouble that occurs) She loves books, and playing store. She talks pretty much non stop and has some crazy ideas. She also loves to sing, and will sing a song about anything for very long stretches of time. She also enjoys pretending that she is a dog and playing with her toy puppies.

Asher loves anything Ayana loves. He also loves food , and will eat almost anything that is not salad. He is a mama's boy through and through and will always choose me over anyone else, but he also loves to roughhouse with his dad. He loves puzzles and books as well as jumping and trying to do everything by himself. He is a constant ball of fun with energy coming out his ears most days. He is a very silly boy who loves to make people laugh and will do just about anything to accomplish it.