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. 
How wonderful! Hoping for an easier pregnancy this time around.. Blessings on your growing family...
Thank you, Valentina.
So exciting ! Congratulations to you and your family! How wonderful for your precious little boy to have a baby brother or sister to love. Hope this pregnancy will be much much easier for you! God bless!
We are so thrilled that Nathaniel will have a sibling. Thank you for your encouraging words, Marina.
Olga, what a pleasant surprise!!! I am a busy mom of 5, so I rarely comment on blogs even though I've made many recipes of yours and loved them all. But this announcement!!! Very excited for you! Congrats to you and your family!
Thank you for taking the time to write and share our joy, Zhenya. I really appreciate it.
Awwww what a great news!!!! 📬Congratulations!!!🌹 🎊 😀 May God bless you Olga and your family!!! May your pregnancy be the easiest and blessed ever!!!! So happy for You!!!! 😃
Thank you, Inna! Pregnancies for me are very difficult, but it's all worth it for my babies and I would happily go through it all, since my babies are such a gift from God. I am forever grateful for the privilege of being a mother. We are so thrilled that Nathaniel will have a sibling:).
Congratulations Olga! You have no idea what a tremendous inspiration you are!! Your life is a testimony of how great our God is... How faithful He is.. And that His timing IS perfect. You and your beautiful family is a reflection of Jesus. I hope you continue to trust Him so that we can all continue to be encouraged by your life testimony. May your pregnancy and baby be blessed in the name of Jesus!
Your recepies have blessed my family sooo much that I can't thank you enough:) but most importantly, your humble spirit and joy can be felt through the Internet. And it's inspired me to be a better wife, mother, and homemaker. Blessings!
We are so honored to share the amazing work of God in our life. Thank you so much for your encouraging words, Tanya.
I'm so happy for u! Thanks God. May God bless u and ur baby!!
Thank you, Alina.
Such wonderful news Olga! Hang in there. The good thing is that pregnancies don't last forever and you're almost half way there!
Thank you for your encouragement, Tania! I tell myself that all the time:). I will be halfway there is just a few days, so that is very exciting. Having a very active toddler to take care of helps the time to pass even faster.
Congratulations!! I bless your family and your pregnancy! God truly has blessed you. Hallelujah! I pray your pregnancy isn't as difficult as before, and that you get showered with even more blessings 🙂
Thank you, Eleanora. I appreciate your encouragement. I feel so blessed to have another baby. It is truly a wonderful gift to our family.
So happy for you ! Take care of yourself 🙂 little mommy.
Thank you, Viktoriya!
Simply crying ( tears of joy) for you, not even knowing you in person, following your story from the beginning of your blog journey. I'm so happy for your family!!!! I know how it feels to loose a child and have a chance to have another baby in your hands. The same day when I said goodbye to my 17 months old daughter I found out that I was pregnant. It was 20 years ago, she was #4, the same year we had a little boy ( he is 18 now) - they both was born in September (they would be 2 years apart). All I can say that God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
I wish you all the best, be healthy, happy, joyful and blessed!!!!! You are in good hands as long as you trust God! Gods love definitely shines in your family.
With love and excitement for you,
Larissa💕
Thank you for sharing your story, Larissa. I can't even imagine going through such a devastating loss of your precious daughter. May God bless your family.
Thank you for sharing our joy.
Wow Olga darlin that's gr8 news to hear congrats so very happy for you can't wait till November srsly please keep us posted Nathaniel is gonna be such a gr8 big brother I can already see it
Thank you, Tzivia. We are really excited for Nathaniel to be a big brother too:).
Your very welcome olya darlin good luck and g-d bless you and the family cheers
Wow! Olga! What an excited news!!! So happy for you! May God abundantly bless you!
Thank you, Svetlana. We are so happy and excited.
Olga, I'm so happy to read this! We are also expecting with a due date on thanksgiving after a devastating miscarriage at 12 weeks gestation in January. May the LORD bless your pregnancy and postpartum and give you and baby miraculous health!
Congratulations, Tallya! Babies are such a joy and a gift. I am so sorry you lost your baby. It is so difficult to go through a loss. May God give you comfort.
I hope you have a wonderful, healthy pregnancy. Thank you for sharing our joy.
Congratulations, even I don't know you, I am happy for you ! Cool T- shirt your little boy's got !
Thank you, Laura.
As soon as I saw the t-shirt, I knew it was the perfect one to get to announce our happy news to our families:).
What a wonderful news! May God bless you! Praise the Lord
God is so good! Thank you for sharing our joy, Natalya.