Well, this week the Chesser family got some big news: we’re expecting baby number two!

Now, Ben was planned. We decided that we wanted a baby, and I especially wanted one NOW. I knew Matt was about to deploy, and that if we got pregnant right away there was a very good chance he’d be home for the birth. We only had a month before he left to get pregnant, so we went to work and got it done. I was shocked, actually, that it was able to happen for us that quickly. But it did, and Matt was miraculously home for the birth.

This time? Yeah, not so much planned. I’ve been getting baby fever for a few months now, so I’ve definitely wanted another one. And I also want my kids to be close together in age. My brother and I were only 21 months apart, and I remember how great that was for us. I want my kids to have those same wonderful experiences. But I didn’t want to go through another pregnancy all alone and stressing about whether or not he would make it home in time. So the plan was to get pregnant as soon as he got home, in the hopes that he’d be there for the entire pregnancy and the birth.

Well, we did what married people do, and the particular day I conceived, I knew that I was pregnant. Don’t ask me how, but I just did. As soon as we were done I looked at Matt and said, “Well, we just made a baby.” I also immediately thought it was a girl — I knew deep down with Ben that it was a boy, as much as I hoped otherwise — but we’ll have to wait and see on that front. Anyway, a few days later he told me he thought I was pregnant, too, because I had that glow. Two weeks and a pregnancy test later, and bingo, I was right. I am officially knocked up.

I have to say, I am thrilled to be adding to our family. I can’t even tell you how excited and happy I am to have another little one. I want a big family, so this is absolutely a good thing. There’s only one downside: Matt will not be here for the birth. He’s deploying again (I obviously can’t say when), and there is no doubt about this one. He won’t be here. No ifs, ands, or buts. I don’t mind so much for myself… while of course I’d rather him be there, I’ll have my family and my friends to help me get through it. I feel bad for him though. I know how much it killed him last deployment, thinking of missing the birth of his child. He told me over and over again how worried he was about missing it. And now he will miss one. Its not all negatives, of course. The homecoming will be just so incredibly emotional and amazing, and we’ll be able to Skype in the delivery room while I’m in labor. But it’ll be a moment that he’ll miss, and never be able to get back.

On my end, what I worry about is how I’m going to manage a toddler and a newborn, all by myself. I spent so many nights crying with Ben, because he just would not sleep unless he was being held. He screamed in his bassinet, and we got him to sleep for a little while in his car seat at night. But for a guaranteed good bout of sleep, he had to be held. I’m just praying that this next one will sleep on their own. I don’t expect sleeping through the night or anything, just please dear God, sleep in your bassinet and take naps during the day. That’s all I’m asking for. It’ll probably be a rough first couple of months, but on the upside, it will definitely mean the time will fly, and Matt will be home before we all know it, meeting his new little one and reuniting with his son, who will be walking and talking by then. I know it will be hard, but I also know that I can handle it. Shoot, what other choice do I have but to handle it? I’m a Marine wife. I’ve got to do my husband proud.