And then there were three

Sometime in September, there will be three little rug rats 'round these parts.

No, the third one won't be ours. Maybe in a year or two, when my nursing-sensitive body decides it's ready again!

The third one is a little baby boy who will be coming to hang out with us for a couple of days each week. I will be caring for him while his mom returns to part-time work. He will be about four months old when he joins us.

I'm really excited about this. I've been keeping my eye out for childcare opportunities for a long time now, waiting for just the right arrangement to come along. This will be really good for us. The baby boy will be just a few months younger than my baby, so it will be fun for them as they get older. My boy adores other kids, so he's looking forward to it too. I feel privileged to be able to provide a safe place for this child. Since it's only part time, we'll still have plenty of time to do our own things on the days he's not with us. And, on a purely selfish note, the bit of extra income will be more than welcome.

My husband will be returning to school in the fall. The last school year ended mid-May for him, and he has been unable to find summer work since. This was definitely not something our budget had in mind. He does have part time work lined up for the fall, which will help, but unfortunately we're likely looking at student loans now. I'm not happy about it, but it is what it is. Nevertheless, we intend to use as little of the loans as we possibly can, so the extra childcare income will be, as I said, more than welcome. It was good news indeed when she contacted me after the initial interview to say that yes, she would love for us to care for her son in the fall. Praise God for His unfailing provision.

On the other hand, things could be interesting around here! Two babies and a rambunctious preschooler - oh boy. Still, two days a week will be a nice way to ease us into things, and if I need to accept another child or two at some point in the future, so be it.

In the meantime, we're looking forward to getting to know this little baby and welcoming him into our family each week. I know how difficult it must be to leave your child in the arms of a stranger for the day - I can't imagine having to do it myself - and I am grateful for the opportunity to provide this child with a safe and nurturing place to grow.