Yep. That's the reaction we've received.

Wait...what?

Was this on purpose?

How many other kids do you have?

Are you trying to make a basketball team?

Is it because you want a girl?

You know you'll have to work the zone defense now?

Are you still going to work?

Wow. That's a lot of kids.

Oh, and of course, Congratulations!

Yes, its true. 3 kids are technically more kids than parents. It will be an exciting adventure to say the least. And, yes, the other kids are just babies themselves but having kids crazy close together means that they will be close together when they are older too.

No, we don't really know what we're getting into, and yes, it is overwhelming. Its also thrilling and exciting and amazingly awesome. Our little family that started with just two of us will pretty soon fill our house with five people. Five noisy, independent people all bumping into each other as a family, hopefully filling our house with laughter and love.

There is so much I don't know about having 3 kids. (Like how will I take my babies on a run with me again...do I make the oldest just bike along?) However, there is a lot that I do know. I do know that our hearts have already grown to welcome this new baby into our lives. I do know that watching the love between my boys is one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed and I can't wait to watch it happen again. I do know that we are incredibly grateful for this blessing. I do know that I am trying to enjoy every moment (that I'm not nauseous) of this pregnancy, because no, we are not in fact trying to make a basketball team and the plan is for this to be our last go round. So, I'm going to just sit here, feel the little flutters in my belly and enjoy all of those questions I get when someone sees the quickly growing bump.

Wait...what?

If you are anything like me, when you got pregnant, one of the first thing you did was start to plan the nursery. I spent days hopping from website to website meticulously researching every single item that went on my registry. Car seats are understandable, but did I really need to read reviews to pick out the best hairbrush? So I went a little crazy :) I had wanted to be a mom for a very long time and was beyond excited!

One of the things I spent the longest time looking for the "perfect" one was the bedding set. We were finding out if it was a boy or a girl, but I didn't want a "girly" room, even if it was a girl (it was). The room was painted a soft cream color with curtains and an area ring that were a floral pattern in Williamsburg blue and brown. And it was going to stay that way. I finally found a bedding set that I fell in love with. A white background that was embroidered with a tree and all kinds of little animals in and around the tree with white and green striped sheets. My mom and mother-in-law gave it to me as a shower gift. It completed the nursery perfectly!

My baby girl arrived (a month early) and slept in a cradle in our room the first four weeks. It was time to move her to her crib and reality started to set in. Was I really going to keep the oh-so-cute bumper set on the crib and risk my baby suffocating? Of course not! But the bumpers were adorable and made the room. I'm not superficial enough that I would put my baby in harm's way for looks. And only four or five people ever saw the room on a regular basis, although I was spending quite a lot of time there, awake in the night with a one month old. I also don't like to waste money so I didn't want to put the bumpers in a closet and never use them again. I knew there had to be a solution.

I can't take 100% credit for this idea but after searching the internet for ideas I came up with this.

Tie the bumpers to the outside bottom of the crib. You actually see the design better and they hide the mattress edges. (I just retied them and they need a little adjusting to snug them tight to the edges and get rid of the pull in the middle.) I love this solution and hope it gives you some ideas!