Engaged!

When Erin was two, her friend Keaton pushed her down. Erin quickly informed him he was sorry and for years to come, his name was "Keaton pushed me down". We knew then we needed to pray for Erin's future husband as grace was apparently not her strong suit.

Erin met Jake almost two years ago after finding him on tinder. Greg and I were apprehensive, to say the least. But much to our surprise, Jake has proven to be exactly what Erin needs in her life. He balances her free spirit with level headed decision making. He likes lists, balanced budgets and detailed plans. She prefers to throw caution into the wind and see where she lands. We like Jake. Erin needs Jake.

Erin has always maintained we will find out after she elopes during a lunch hour someday that she is married but Jake says as an only child, a wedding is important in his family. Time will see how that shakes out, but they both contain the capacity to laugh through a lot. We pray they navigate life with humor and love well.

Welcome to the family Jake. We have been praying for you and already love you.

(P.S. Ty has done the math. Adding Jake and the baby this year will even out the numbers in our family. We will have five boys and five girls. Obviously this is good news.)

Happening Here

On Tuesday of last week, Erin got really sick at work. So much so, they started IV's and a heart monitor. When I picked her up, I brought her home to watch her health for the next 24 hours. Roommates are great but when it comes to scary illnesses, I will just do it myself thank you very much. This is the second time Erin has literally collapsed with an unknown illness and scared the snot out of anyone witnessing it. What concerns me the most is the lack of explanation.

On Tuesday of last week, Lauren met with her new high risk obstetrician. The remainder of her pregnancy will be under his care now that she has officially been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. To say we are all surprised would be an understatement. But the good news is she and the baby are both very healthy and her diet alone is controlling her blood sugar. We are within a month of his birthday and very excited to meet him.

On Wednesday, God reminded me He is in control in all the areas I am not.

There have been Valentine parties at school and glimpses of spring in between ice storms and freezing rain. Sidewalk chalk took an interesting turn on Friday as Ty was drawing a cemetery alongside Kate drawing hopscotch games. Anna, blissfully unaware of Ty's unique game was happy to play along. It's a wonder I haven't been fired.

A large fort adorned the living room all weekend and housed a sibling sleepover Saturday night. I love the moments they stop bickering long enough to cooperate on a project. The results are as sweet as the silence. Winter doesn't bring out the best in us Baughmans as we tend to get on each other's nerves.

A jet pack was a necessary addition to Ty's wardrobe this weekend as well. Thank goodness enough neighbors and friends collect two liter bottles we were able to provide a matching one for his friend. My only hope is no one tests their ability to fly off high places.

Maternity Photos and a Girls Weekend

I took Kate and Kenna out of school Friday and Erin took the day off to join us for a roadtrip to Lauren's. It was worth all nine hours each way to spend a weekend with my girl one last time before she becomes a Mommy herself.

She wanted me to take her maternity photos to celebrate her 34th week and the pending birth of her son. We cannot wait to make our way back down at the end of March to meet him.

Taylor lead us into downtown Augusta for pizza and a brief tour of the river walk because whereas it was warmer than what we left in Louisville, it was still a breezy 46 degrees. But a birthday was celebrated at the table next to ours and when that party left, Lauren helped herself a piece of forgotten birthday cake! No one told Mrs. Preggo this was not appropriate. She scares us all a little these days.

This road trip was pretty sweet as it let me drink in their combined energy and world views. We are obviously in a transitional season. By the time we are all together again, my baby will be holding her own baby.

The nursery is ready with the exception of a shark sign containing his name over the crib. Other than her fears about labor, she is ready too. Baby Baird is coming soon and we are all beyond excited.