If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you probably know my sister, Hannah! Well, our family has some very exciting news: she’s pregnant with baby #5! 🥹
I thought it would be fun to sit down with her for a little pregnancy Q&A all about this sweet baby, how she’s feeling, what the kids think, preparing to become a family of seven, and more. There have also been some really neat ways we’ve seen God working in the details already—from providing just what their growing family needs to reminding us that His timing is always so good.
So, let’s talk all things baby #5! 🤍
Can you give new readers a quick intro to you and your family?
Hi, I’m Hannah, Allie’s younger sister. First and foremost I am a Christian. I love the Lord and I love my family. My husband Josh and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this past June and we have 4 children. Caroline is 7, Lawson is 5, Titus is 4, and Gideon is 1. We keep busy but also thoroughly enjoy having evenings of doing nothing together.
Outdoors is our favorite place to be. We homeschool our children, love to garden, hunt, and are active in our church. Josh is the associate evangelist where we attend. I am one of the leaders of our church’s homeschool co-op that meets once a week from September-April and enjoy teaching and organizing the details for this ministry. This June we found out we are expecting our 5th child and we are overcome with joy and amazement.
When did you find out you were pregnant, and what was your immediate reaction?
June 29th. Well, at first I was totally surprised but then the dots began to connect as I thought about it. I felt humbled and at peace about it.
Did you have a feeling you were pregnant before you tested?
Yes. My only inclination though was that my skin broke out more than it usually does, lol.
When are you due and do you have a birth plan?
March 6th. Birth plan: whatever is necessary to have a healthy baby. We are praying for no emergency c-sections this go-around. A natural birth, a c-section—fine, but not emergency please! lol.
How did you tell your husband?
This may sound lame, but I texted him and told him I was going to take a test because I was late. Then I sent him the test and he said “that’s a good bingo” LOL.
How did you tell the kids, and what were their reactions?
We put a shirt on our youngest, Gideon, that both Lawson and Titus wore when they became big brothers and Caroline read it to us. It took them all a moment to realize what that meant.
Was baby #5 planned, hoped for, a surprise—or a little bit of everything? 😂
I’ll be honest, this baby was not planned (by us!) but certainly a blessing. But I will admit that I had hoped for one more child!
How has this pregnancy compared to your other four so far?
It’s about the same! Nausea in the beginning and definitely tiredness looming.
Any cravings or food aversions?
My biggest thing is I never know what type of food I want until that moment. So, sometimes I am excited for dinner all day and then it comes time for dinner and I feel like I have to choke it down. 😂 Biggest cravings = cheese, eggs, any type of gummy/candy 😆 and lunch meat (don’t worry I cook it 😬).
Do you have a feeling whether baby is a boy or girl?
I keep feeling like it is a boy!
What do the kids think the baby is?
Caroline feels it is a girl! A girl can hope!
Are you finding out the gender?
Yes!!
What are the kids suggesting for names? 😂
Caroline said if it’s a girl to name her Caroline and if it’s a boy, Gideon 😂
Who is most excited to become a big sibling?
Probably Caroline! She’s at such a fun age and I have noticed her babying Gideon a lot more lately.
Is there anything you’re especially excited about with having five kids?
Just the joys of a big family. My kids will never lack a best friend and each child we have added has been such a huge blessing. My kids have doted over Gideon so much and I know it will be the same with this one. Caroline is learning to be a mom in so many ways and recently told me she would take care of Gideon when I had the baby! And honestly, I don’t doubt her.
Is there anything about becoming a family of seven that feels intimidating?
I already feel this way at times, but just the sheer mass of us going places. Like someone invites us over and they probably have to triple or double their recipe. We don’t notice the noise/chaos that is typical with our four kids ages seven and under, but then when we are in the presence of maybe an older adult or a couple that doesn’t have kids, I just imagine their eyes are popping out of their heads. But hey, what’s one more. 😂
What do you think will change the most going from four kids to five?
Maybe how much we commit to, at least while the baby is an infant. But one thing I have learned through motherhood is that there are seasons. There are times where you can do more and there are times where you have to say no. Some things are worth sacrificing for, and some are not. It is hardest to have someone babysit when you have more kids, but it always, always works out.
What have you learned from your previous pregnancies and postpartum experiences that you’re bringing into this one?
I have felt a bit more on edge this pregnancy just because of the loss we have experienced with our last pregnancy, but overall I am more relaxed with everything else. I am finally realizing that this is a short season that pretty much fades away into oblivion once you have the baby.
Postpartum, phew! I struggled with my first three with having these totally unrealistic expectations that you just bounce back in every way and nothing major happened and life continues on. Something about Gideon’s traumatic birth and breastfeeding him for a year when I did not do so with my other kids made me realize that I need to chill out and be easier on myself. I need to slow down. Soak it all in. Just let things settle as they do with time instead of forcing it. I am totally looking forward to this slow down at the end of winter this coming year.
What baby gear have you kept, and what do you need to buy again?
Unfortunately a lot of things are finally wearing out. The #1 purchase we need to make (because it is one of the first things you need) is the infant car seat. We used the same one for all of our kids, but carseats expire after 7 years. So, Gideon was able to use Caroline’s right up to its expiration! We still have our same high chair, baby bottles, boppy nursing pillow, and I do have Gideon’s nursing cover still tucked in his diaper bag for some reason (5 months post-nursing him 😆).
We have a pack n play, a bassinet, mattresses, sheets, cribs, crib sheets and mattresses, and obviously wipes because Gideon is still in diapers. I’m sure there are some swaddles and other miscellaneous items I am not thinking of, but we really do have pretty much everything. If we happen to have a girl, Caroline and I will absolutely be going on a girls trip to Once Upon a Child and stocking up because I have maybe 10 of her baby outfits. The rest have been given away!
Did finding out about baby #5 change what you needed in a vehicle?
Yes, lol. We *could* fit in our Honda Odyssey, but we would have one spare seat and would actually have to trade out our car seats for slimmer models (and we all know how expensive car seats are). Also, we have always left one seat out so our big kids could walk into the back row. We would have to have that seat back in and they would be climbing over either the seats or be entering through our trunk and climbing over that way, and honestly we didn’t really want to do that everywhere we go. In addition we would need to have a trailer for every big trip because minivans do not have a huge trunk, especially enough for seven people to go to the beach or camping for a week.
Tell us the story of getting your new vehicle—how did that come together?
We started to look online and realized the only options with bigger seating would be a type of “sprinter van.” We talked to many friends with large families and they all loved theirs. Are they ugly? Yes. Are they practical? Double yes. One day I was driving home and happened to stop to get coffee where I do not usually stop and I looked and saw a white Ford Transit van sitting in a parking lot with a “For Sale” sign on it. When I realized that it wasn’t a utility vehicle (there are so many of these always, but the passengers are harder to find), I called Josh and we met in the parking lot because it was 3 minutes from our house.
We checked it out and gave the number a call. It was a nurse staffing agency that was selling it and they had just put it out there that day. We scheduled a time to look at it I think 2 days later and not even a week after seeing it, it was in our driveway. We have named our beloved white boat of a car “Vanna White” because we felt like the Israelites when God dropped Manna out of heaven for them to eat. And of course it’s a white van, so Vanna White it is. She’s a beaut!
Have there been any other practical needs that God seemed to provide for at just the right time?
In addition to the purchase of our van, we also had to sell our Honda. We had it listed on Marketplace for a few weeks and were planning to immediately pay off the loan we had with the selling of the Honda and some extra help from our savings. Finally we called Carvana and were set up to go there on a Monday night at 7pm because apparently they couldn’t come to us?!
Anyway, our neighbor stopped over at about 3:30pm and told us out of the blue that he wanted to buy our van. That Saturday the Honda was across the street in his driveway. And when I tell you that God is amazing… we never had to make one payment on this loan, we just paid it off and I almost cried because unnecessary debt makes me antsy (fellow Dave Ramsey people, you know). But we knew that the deal we got on Vanna White was way too good to pass up.
Is there a Bible verse, song, or truth you’ve been holding onto during this pregnancy?
I have been loving the acoustic version of I Will Trust In You. The song is by Lauren Daigle, but the acoustic version I have been jamming to is by Greg Skyes.
How can people be praying for you, the baby, and your family during this season?
Please pray for a healthy baby. For my anatomy scan to be a positive one, and ultimately for God to be glorified through this whole thing. I do not ever want to take for granted what God has blessed us with. No this wasn’t planned, but God knew before the foundations of the earth we would be in this season. He knows that when we seek Him, He can use our family and this baby and this whole experience to advance His Kingdom. Please pray that we can do that by putting God first.
What are you most looking forward to about meeting this baby?
I have never felt that a baby was the “last” and I feel this way now. I look forward to going through the most “difficult” parts of pregnancy/labor/delivery/postpartum/infancy with a fresh air knowing that we “plan” to be done lol. It is a different feeling and it already feels sweeter. When a chapter closes, a new one opens. So I feel like we are at the very climax of the chapter of our life called “Having Lots of Babies” lol.
What do you picture life looking like with five little ones?
Chaotic, but oh so amazing. Some tireless nights (or lots). Some crying on everyone’s part. But mostly, just a happy family that serves the Lord.
If you could describe how you’re feeling about baby #5 in three words, what would they be?
Humbled, grateful, and blessed.
And most importantly… are you officially going to be a 15 passenger van mom forever now? 😂
Oh boy, probably not. Once we have a majority out of car seats I hope to go back to normalcy, but you never know, maybe the Transit Life has chosen me!
Thank you for letting me interview you, Hannah! I cannot wait to meet my newest little niece or nephew and be part of this sweet season for their family. 🥹
More than anything, I love seeing how God has already been at work in the details—from the unexpected blessing of this baby to providing Vanna White at just the right time. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for their family as they begin this next chapter!
