And Baby Makes...5!!

Sometimes dreams come true in the most unexpected ways.

For Tanner's entire life, I've wished for a husband, so that he could have a dad and I could have a partner. As he got older, I wished for the opportunity to have more babies, because he so wanted brothers and sisters and I wanted a bigger family.

Never in a million years did I think that I would get all of the above, all at the same time. I wasn't sure any of it would ever happen for me. I dated and never found the right fit. I was at times discouraged, at times determined, and at times content. But always in the background was that deep desire for more family.

Enter: Jason and Jayden.

Jason and I began discussing plans for our future together early on in our relationship. No one was more surprised than we were when it actually clicked between us. We just knew. I've waited my entire life to feel that feeling, and when I did....there was no mistaking it. Lucky for me, he felt it, too. Eventually, we began to establish a timeline for the rest of our lives.We talked about marriage, living arrangements, finances, our boys, future babies, holidays, families.... We talked about being anxious to begin our life together, but knowing we should try to pace ourselves. We thought next year might be The Year.

And the whole time we talked and planned and basked in the warmth of a shared vision for our future, there was a surprise for us forming in my belly. We didn't know it yet, but our tidy little hypothetical future was about to get up-ended. In early September, we found out that we've got a baby on the way!

Rather unexpectedly, we had hit the fast forward button. We're not married yet, and we were not prepared to expand our not-yet blended family. We were knocked a bit off balance - at first.

But here's the thing about us: we both have had a fair share of difficult circumstances to deal with in our lives. We are no strangers to bumpy roads. We know we can handle whatever life throws at us and that we will come out together on the other side. We believe that God has given us a pretty obvious reprimand, but we also trust that He will be walking alongside of us, blessing our family as we navigate the coming months of change.

We know the circumstances are not ideal. We would have much preferred a different scenario for welcoming our first baby together into this world. And yet...serendipity is the word that comes to my mind over and over since learning about the baby. It means "fortunate accident." This baby was an accident, but we consider ourselves so fortunate to be parents to the child we created. In spite of it all, we are both in awe of the miracle of life and so excited to meet our baby.

This blog will be going in an entirely different direction from here on out. Instead of single mom experiences, it's going to be about the preparation for, and implementation of, blending a family. It will be about having a baby 8 and a half years after my first one, and about the experience of step motherhood. It will be about Jason and I, and the life we create together.

Eventually, Single Mom REVEALED will transition over to Step Mom REVEALED. I will definitely keep blogging, because I feel a deep conviction that I should keep sharing my victories and hardships, trials and lessons learned. Not because I'm an authority with all of the answers, but because the exact opposite of that is true. My hope, as it always has been with this blog, is that something will resonate with someone reading, and they will not feel alone. From time to time, something I've written touches someone in a unique way. When I find out about things like that, I feel like my struggles have a purpose. I hope that as my life continues to unfold, my blogs will continue to reach people. That's what it's all about.

I hope that you'll stick with me, and follow our journey from a family of two toward a family of FIVE. I have a feeling there's going to be a LOT to blog about.