Shock news!

My sister dropped a bit of a bombshell when she rang me earlier today. She's unexpectedly 6 weeks pregnant! (hey, at least it's not 7 months like Sarah-Journey of a Co-Mom-'s sister). She's in shock, and I have to say, so am I. When we were up there a few weeks ago, she said that they definitely didn't plan to have a third child in the near future, if it all, so it was obviously accidental, not planned. To be honest, the timing of it couldn't be any worse, and I actually feel rather sorry for her/worried about how she's going to cope.

Their children Ella and Lewis have just turned 4 and 1 respectively, so she's already got her hands pretty full (especially as Lewis is just starting to walk, and is a really active little boy), as well as working part time as a GP. On top of all this, the family is supposed to be moving to Australia in the next few months, for her husband to do research/further his career. As if the actual fact of emigrating to the other side of the world (for 2 years, not permanently) wasn't stressful enough, they don't actually know when they are going. It was supposed to be October, but her husband has been utterly useless and not organised his work stuff in regard to visas - he has to get all his medical qualifications recognised by the relevant boards in Australia, something he has apparently known that he would need to do, in order for them to be able to get the right visas, since last November! Chris only found out recently that this was what was holding the whole situation up, and has been running around frantically organising it all for him. He's a nice bloke, but he just doesn't make her life, and their family life, very easy. Work is his number one priority, and even though they are going out there primarily for his benefit, he still can't get his arse in gear to sort these things out.

So it's all very unsettling right now, with no-one knowing what's happening when. It could all happen pretty quickly, and they've got to pack up their belongings, put some in storage and ship essentials to Oz, then rent out their home. But no date is fixed! So my poor sister has been stressed enough anyway, and now this; still all the uncertainty, and wondering how the hell she will cope with being pregnant/having a 3rd child many 1000's of miles away, without the huge amount of family support she has had up until now (especially from our mother). She really did sound completely shell-shocked when we spoke.

If I'm honest, after I spoke to her, I felt a bit upset about it for us. Obviously it's not on purpose, but I feel like it's taken a bit of the shine off the specialness of us expecting our first, and very longed-for, baby. Even though our due dates are about 6 weeks apart, Chris has never gone past 36 weeks due to pre-eclampsia both times, so our babies could end up being born very close together, especially if I'm overdue! In some ways, that's a lovely thought, as we'll want all the cousins to be close anyway as they grow up. But it's going to put my mother in a very awkward position, as she is going to feel utterly torn as to who she should be with. She has already said that she'll be with us, and I hope that that will stay the same (I don't think that she would go back on her word, and she also really wants to be there for us, to help in the early days, and to welcome this baby. She's been a real support to me/us through ttc, and is absolutely thrilled that I'm pregnant at last). But on the other hand, I know that she is already worrying about how Chris is going to cope in Australia, without the support network; and now there's a new baby to add in to the mix. I think that my poor mother is more stressed than my sister!

I suppose that we'll have to see how it all turns out as time goes on. Chris is going to ask for an early pregnancy scan, as she lost 2 babies, both at 12 weeks, in between her 2 "term" pregnancies, so we all know that there are no guarantees that this one will end happily. Despite the crappy timing of it all, obviously we all hope that everything will go well for her. It's worrying though. I wish that they weren't going so far away!

And, being totally selfish now (but mainly joking), I'll have to give my sister back her maternity clothes that she lent me! Oh well, an excuse for some shopping.