And then there were three...

So I think most of you know by now what this post is about. You may have heard the news from our families. You may have heard the news on facebook. You may even have been perceptive enough to catch the little hints we left you in the past couple of posts.

Why is Jessie drinking water on St. Patrick's day? I mentioned Mother's Day right after, too...

But in case you still don't know yet, our little family is growing.

My converse, Jessie's converse, and baby's highland cow booties

Baby Bib and Rattle, from Jessie's friend Dani

Waving hello

Two lines means...

Yes, we are going to have a baby! A strange mixture of pride, terror, and joy still courses through me when I say it. The baby is due for late September/early October. We aren't going to learn the gender until birth. We're just hoping and praying for a healthy baby.

The doctor's appointments have gone well so far, towards that end. We are going in for the second ultrasound appointment in a couple of weeks. All the baby's tests have come back normal.

Jessie is doing well. She had a bit of trouble with morning sickness during the first trimester, but it has more or less cleared up in the past week or two. She thinks she may have started feeling the baby move within the past week, but it also could be gas bubbles. It is hard to tell since it is still so early and she has never experienced it before.

A special (free!) pack Jessie got from a local pharmacy

The pack contained our first baby diaper (or nappy, as the Brits say)!

I remember swaddling my younger siblings, but baby Jessie doesn't like it.

She may not like it, but she learns fast. Baby Jacob is content.

This experience has only strengthened our pro-life views. The day of the ultrasound, at twelve weeks, we saw our baby. S/he kicked and jumped for us on the screen. We watched the little heart beating away, as it will continue to do for the rest of our child's life. The little one was (and is) nearly perfectly formed. It is so sad to think that most abortions occur at about that time. There is no mistaking this baby for a mere clump of cells. We are now praying more strongly for any expectant mothers who find themselves struggling with that decision. We can better appreciate how difficult that situation must be.

Pray for us, as well, that we can be all that we need to be for this baby. We love him/her already.

~Jacob, Jessie, and Baby Wilkerson

P.S.

The baby will be born just in time for Halloween, so we are actively thinking about Halloween costumes. Here are some ideas we found searching online. Comment if you like any, or if you have any more ideas! Extra points if it can be something Scottish (Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties?) or literary or nerdy. =)

Jessie's favorite idea

My favorite idea (anyone remember Man-spider?)

Jessie could make something like this