Good secrets are so fun and exciting and we've been keeping the best kind - we are going to have another baby! It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around it. After not being able to have children for more than 7 years, it's so incredible that after our miracle child Nathaniel was born, we are having another one less than 2 years later. It was such a happy surprise and we couldn't be more thankful and most definitely don't take it for granted.
I am currently 18 weeks pregnant, so we will be having our baby this coming November. When we started out this year, we had no idea that before Thanksgiving, our family would be expanding and we would be enjoying a precious newborn again. When I wrote in my post about the 30 things that I've learned in my twenties that life is full of surprises, I really meant it.
My pregnancies are "difficult" to put it mildly, but I will gladly put up with anything since it will have such a wonderful outcome in the end. Pregnancies don't last forever, and in the grand scheme of things, are just a snippet in the big pictures of our lives.
This time, we found out we were pregnant pretty much right away, so I was determined to cram in as much nutrients and vitamins into myself as possible while I felt good. Since I felt my best in the first trimester with Nathaniel, I wanted to be very proactive immediately. I think it really helped. I think it also makes a huge difference that this time I'm not working 12 hour night shifts as a nurse, which obviously takes a big toll on a body. It's such a blessing to be able to work from home. 
So far, this pregnancy has been very similar to how I felt when I was pregnant with Nathaniel, so the further along I am, the worse I feel. I am really, REALLY thankful that I haven't needed any IV infusions. It's hard for me to keep anything down now, so I'm still losing weight, even this far along. I'm sure no one is interested in hearing me whine, so I'm not going to go into any more details.
I'm glad that I'm still able to cook on most days - it's my hobby and my creative outlet, even though I'm not able to eat most of it, lol. That's ok, though. I am very comforted knowing that babies will take everything they need to develop from their Mamas, so our little bitty person is growing and strong. We are so excited (how many times have I used this word in this post already? Can you tell how thrilled we are?) that our Nathaniel will be a big brother very soon and we are already in love with our new family member. 
9 years ago, we went through one of the most difficult times in our life when we lost our daughter. 3 short years ago, we had gone through a long adoption process that completely crashed right before we were about to fly to Russia to meet our possible children, leaving us devastated, a lot poorer and discouraged. We were going through the long process of getting certified for foster care, which as you all know we loved, but we had to say some tearful, heart wrenching good byes to all 7 of our foster children one at a time.
When I turned 27, I wrote a blog post where I said that one of my biggest dreams was to be a mother. I couldn't have imagined that by my 30th birthday I would be a mother to not one, but 2 babies! (I do consider myself a mother of three, but you know what I mean.) Life has been a series of astonishing surprises and definitely NOTHING like what I imagined in my teens and early twenties. Miracles do happen and the life of our family is the perfect example of it, over and over again. 
Praise God!!! This wonderful news brought me to tears! Congratulations!!! May God bless your growing family and fulfill your every need. Praying for a healthy pregnancy, birth and recovery and for the health of this baby to come. You know, I can kind of relate with having to wait for these precious little ones...in the course of almost 10 years and actively trying (haha) we had 2 children (where I always hoped we would have several by now.) Well, just recently we found out we are expecting a 3rd and let's just say I know what all the excitement is about!;) So, I shall be on the journey along with you and will keep you in my prayers.:)
Thank you for sharing your story, Anna. Children are such a gift from God and I don't take granted being given the privilege of being a mother to my babies. May God bless your family as well and a huge congratulations on baby #3!
Congratulations Olga! Our God is truly amazing and we are so happy for you! May God bless you and your family and I hope you feel better soon!
Thank you, Olga. I agree that God is amazing and continues to surprise us all the time:).
Congratulations!!!! Happy for u guys!!!!👍❤️
Thank you:).
This is amazing!!! God is so good beyound our understanding. Will be praying for your pregnancy and delivery of your precious gift from God!
I really appreciate the prayers, Ira! Thank you.
Congratulations! I know the process is such a challenge for your body. Rely on God to see you through. Blessings to you and your family. You are an inspiration to so many people.
Pregnancies are very challenging for me, but I am so thankful for the blessing of my babies, that I don't mind having to go through some hard months. Thank you for your encouragement, Kel.
This was so heart warming to read!! I have been following you for a few years now, and your journey's are so inspiring. I am so excited for your growing family!! May God bless you dear, your health and your precousin little miracle #2!! God is good. Blessings to your family!
Thank you, Oksana. We are so excited and I'm thankful for wonderful readers like you who are sharing our joy with us.
Wow! Congratulations to your family!! This is is so exciting! Praise to the God who creates miracles when we least expect them. May God bless the remainder of your pregnancy, strengthen your health & give you peace about anything that comes your way. Very excited for you!! ❤️
Praise God! I am so thankful for all His blessings and for showering us with miracles. Thank you for sharing our excitement, Viktoriya.
What a beautiful family - so excited for you. Sending positive thoughts and prayers to you - you have an amazing attitude! Love your recipes - many are now favorites!!
Thank you for the kind words, Jan. I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes too:).
God bless you and your little ones Olga. I'm very happy for you! It's very true that life after 30 is nothing like we imagined in our teens or even early 20ies, but I am very happy that your journey has met with such joy and blessing and thank you for letting us all share your joys along with you. There can never be too much happiness and you are a little bit of joy and sunshine in a world that can be dreary. Blessings and best wishes and keep on shining!
I'm so happy to share the things that God has done and continues to do in my life, Anita. He has blessed our family so much, by giving us strength in the darkest days and giving us so many wonderful blessings.
Olga, I´m so happy for you! It just shows what a great GOD we have! I do follow your blog almost a year now and tried many recipies. Everything in delicious and my family loves it. My 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter really love the garlic knots and my whole family asked for the recipe 🙂 I very much appreciate your recipies, that way I can cook and bake all the yummy russian things! And not everything is "na glaz"...;-) you know what I mean....
I hope you are feeling better soon and I am so excited for you!
Thank you and God bless you from Germany
God is amazing and He sure has blessed our family so much!
Thank you for your sweet comment, Christina. I am so glad that you and your family are enjoying my recipes. It means a lot to get your feedback.
God is good! Congratulations, I'm so happy for you guys!😀 May God bless your pregnancy. Praise the Lord
Thank you, Yana:).
Congratulations to a wonderful family! ☺️ ❤️ I'm so excited for you guys that you are blessed with another baby on the way! When I read your post today I was overwhelmed with tears of joy, because I have been reading your blog for a long time now, and I know all that you've been through. Miracles happen when we least expect them...that's the wonder and beauty of life!☺ How we handle lifes circumstances makes us who we are....and you are AMAZING! Wish you the best of luck with your pregnancy! Relax and stay strong!
I still feel so overwhelmed with thankfulness for the miracle of another baby. Thank you so much for your encouragement, Vita.
Prays the Lord. Waw this is wonderful news. I'm so happy for you Olga. You are a beautiful person inside and out, my inspiration 🙂 I will keep you in my prayers May God keep you and your little baby in His hands. Nathaniel is so big already and so cute. Congratulations to you and Sergi you make a beautiful family.
Thank you for the sweet comment, Tanya. I really appreciate the prayers too.
Ive been following you on all your social media, and so inspired by your story. I am so happy for you and your family. I so agree working as a night shifter rn 12 hr is sooo difficult, i cant imagine doing that pregnant!! You are such a blessing and inspiration Olga:)
Love from the West Coast<3
Lenka
Thank you, Lena. I am really thankful that this time I am working from home. It seems to help a lot. I'm thrilled to be having another baby.
Olga, I am SO SO HAPPY for you and your little family. You will remain in my prayers and I trust he lord will continue to show his Grace.
Thank you so much, Liliya! Pregnancy is a daily health struggle for me, but it's 100% worth it and I really, really appreciate the prayers.