Wow. This pregnancy is going by so fast! Of course, the next six weeks will probably crawl by, but I can't believe it's so close already. I suppose having a toddler (along with the two teenagers) doesn't give me much time for just hanging out preparing for baby. Our days are packed and it's only going to get busier. We did get the nursery painted already, and I ordered most of the baby stuff, so at least that's done. I don't remember being this tired last time, but I didn't have a toddler then...

We had so much fun taking a family trip to Myrtle Beach. It was our first time there, and it didn't disappoint. We spent a week at the Hilton's Kingston Plantation, and it had all the right elements for a great family vacation. We stayed in a two bedroom villa, which was more than big enough for a family of five. In addition to the two bedrooms, it had a full kitchen, dining room, living room, patio, washer, dryer, and two bathrooms. There were several pools on the property, including a kids splash park with water slides and lots of spray elements. We tried to spend a little time on the beach every morning, and Ian absolutely loved it! Bea did a lot of body boarding, and the girls had fun in the waves.  

Summer is in full swing here. Bea's friend Laura arrived from France for a three week visit.  A few days after Laura got here, the two girls traveled to Florida to visit Bea's grandmother. On the same day that those two went to Florida, Serena headed west to spend three weeks with her dad in Oregon. We're all excited to welcome her back later this week.

While the girls were away, Kevin and Ian and I checked into a local hotel for a few days to take a break from the everyday and spend some time swimming and relaxing. Ian absolutely loved the pool and he did so well sleeping at the hotel - this kid is a traveling pro!

We're so happy to share that we're going to be adding one more McLean to our clan! The time is flying by, and in just three more months our little BOY will be here! It's seems so right that we'll have our two older girls and our two younger boys. Ian is going to love having a little brother to play with as he grows up. 

It will be interesting to give birth here in the U.S. after my experience delivering Ian in France (which was pretty fantastic). Already I'm noticing that there are a lot more doctor visits here but way fewer blood tests. In France you go to the doctor once a month right up until you go into labor - unless there are complications, of course. Here, it's once a month at the beginning, and then it jumps to twice a month in the last trimester and then EVERY WEEK for the last month. That seems like a lot after my last pregnancy, but when in Rome (er, America)...

And just like that, we've been back in the U.S. for almost a year! Obviously, I haven't done a great deal of blogging over the past few months - there's a lot to do when you move to a new place, and when you add a baby/toddler to the mix, time just slips away. So, I'm throwing together some highlights from our first months in Raleigh...we've managed to get out and experience some fun things, while also furnishing our whole house, lining up doctors, dentists, hairdressers and such, and just getting into a groove here. ​