And baby makes five
Well, I might as well say it out loud. It was confirmed on Friday. Patti, my wife, is pregnant with our third child. Our oldest, Emily, is 2 years and 3 months older than our (current) youngest, Ethan. When number three is born, Ethan (then middle) and the youngest will be 18 months apart. Patti is entering her 5th month.
This was definitely not planned. We had been discussing IF we wanted a third child, and IF we did, we were going to try when Ethan (current youngest) was around 2. But “plans” and “life” are two different things.
When Patti was feeling ill she took an EPT which turned up negative. During a normal doctor’s visit a couple of days later, they took a blood test and it came back positive. When she called me she said, “I’m pregnant.”
I said, “Who is this?”
After the initial shock wore off, about 2 months, it started to set in. Three kids, all under 4. Three kids, all in high school together. Three kids, all (God willing) in college at the same time. Two kids in diapers. Three kids, three bedroom house. Three kids, one and a half baths. Three car seats in one car, and all being used. Three kids on a plane and only two of us. Three kids at a restaurant. Braces. Bicycles. Toys. Sports. Activities. Temper tantrums three times over. Three Dobrindt children to make me realize that life is not all about me. I’ll sacrifice, Patti will sacrifice, we’ll make do. Having Emily changed me forever. Ethan added to it. One more can only be more fulfilling. If we have to fly less to visit family, so be it. They can come to us. If money is tight because we have dance lessons, hockey lessons and piano lessons, I’ll do without a new sports coat. Life goes on, and we have kids.
Send money!!
- Dave
P.S. Baby is due on February 5. Exactly 18 months after Ethan. We will have had a child in 2002, 2004, and 2006. And my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary is February 4th, so maybe he/she will be born on that day.
One other thing. Patti is about 19 weeks pregnant and we had an ultrasound yesterday. We found out the sex of the baby. To keep things interesting, we are not telling anyone the sex or the name. It’s a mystery until February.