Surprise, Surprise!!!

Soooo....proof that the adventure never really ends; it just changes!  Whether you've known us for years, or whether you've just met us in the last couple years, you probably know that Steve has been well convinced that four kids completed our little family.  Ironically, I have a vivid memory of sitting in a little KFC somewhere in East Texas 16+ years ago, discussing our hopes & dreams for the future.  We knew we wanted to get married, and Steve professed his desire to have four kids--two girls close together, followed by a five year gap, then two boys close together. :)  I saw no reason to dispute his grand plan, though I knew that desiring something such as that & actually achieving something such as that were two entirely different things. ;)

Fast forward to the last two years...while pregnant with our youngest, Jake, Steve was very vocal about this being our fourth child, thus his quiver was full. :)  And, he was ready to make sure that there would be no surprise additions.  Although I, too, felt like my plate was full, I just wasn't ready to make the commitment to ensure no future Zavocki's.  In other words, I wasn't asking for more kids, but somehow, I wasn't at peace about closing the door on the option forever.  This caused a bit of tension, periodically. ;)  However,  I felt strongly that this was something we should be unified on, so I requested insisted that we both pray about it, separately and together, and I was convinced that eventually, we would be unified about the issue, one way or another.  Soooo...pray we did, and every few months the subject would resurface, and the sentiments of both of us remained unchanged.

After settling down here in Salt Lake City, I knew the subject would surely resurface soon, and I was bothered that still I didn't feel at peace about Steve getting a vasectomy.  On the other hand, when I threw the two options on the scale--to have another child or not to have another child--they came out equal, in my mind & heart.  I felt compelled to approach Steve about my dilemma and propose that we pray about it one more time, give it one last whirl, and trust God for the answer.  I knew that whatever the answer, I would be both happy & sad; as a mom of four already, I knew that to say goodbye to this season of having & raising small children would be bittersweet, but I also knew that to have another would be incredibly exciting, and yet also challenging!

Despite being certain that I would have a tough time convincing Steve, I approached him & presented my proposal.  Much to my shock, he patiently listened, and said, "Okay."  Seriously, was this the guy I knew??  I could hardly believe it, but besides questioning whether I would truly be content no matter the answer, he was willing!!

And two weeks later, when two lines showed up on the pregnancy test, I told him that, "It looks like we'll be having another, but no guarantees, of course."

His response, "I knew that," befuddled me, until he shared his side of the story.  Apparently, a couple weeks before I approached him, he was walking out to the truck, when a thought "popped" into his head---"You should have another kid."  He thought to himself, "Where in the world did that come from??" and then basically told God, "No way; you already know how I feel about that!"  Although he pushed the thought aside, it never really completely went away, so when I approached him, he knew he was supposed to say, "Yes!"  And the rest is history. ;)

Soooo...our little family of six is due to expand around the middle of August.  And....the big reveal was today!  We were all so relieved to see what appears to be a healthy baby growing inside.  And....much to our shock, we're continuing with the estrogen-dominant theme around here. :)  The girl contingent was delighted to hear they will have another baby sister, and Jake, well, he's clueless. :)  As long as she plays trucks & trains with him, I really don't think he cares! :)