On August 25th I helped run a school supply giveaway to children who can't otherwise get what they need for school. As I was cleaning up my station at the end of the day, the Life Center Church janitor was helping me load my car. As we walked away, he turned to me and asked if I am a Jesus girl. When I told him I am, he said, "The Lord told me to tell you that you are going to have a baby." He smiled and walked away. No sooner did he leave did I wish I had asked him when! Does that mean soon or eventually? Would it be a natural pregnancy or an adoption? That short conversation did give me peace, knowing and trusting that I would have another child.
Towards the end of September Parker and I joined Justin on a work trip to San Diego. When we returned home I began to suspect that I was pregnant. When Justin arrived home from work on the 24th, I ran upstairs and took a test. Positive! I decided to put the test in a gift bag and handed it to Justin. When he opened it, he was surprised! We were both in shock. Parker was sitting in his high chair wondering what was up with his parents. It was special to have him part of our moment. We even got him to say "baby".
On October 16th, we went to see our OB, Dr. Nelson, for an intake appointment and ultrasound. It turned out that I was 6 weeks pregnant. The baby was very small on the ultrasound pictures. It sort of looked like a shrimp. We could make out the head and curved body. It was fun to see this stage of development!
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| The baby is in the center of the black. The head is the larger, white circle on the left and the body/legs curl up along the head on the right. |
Justin and I decided to keep our new baby a secret until 12 weeks. This was difficult! One person, however, figured it out. Tiffany asked me if I was pregnant the week after Justin and I found out. I thought that her and her husband, Derek, figured it out because they knew I was taking extra naps and had turned down a drink or two. It turns out that God told her. She was praying and heard the words "Fear Not" and she knew! This is a big deal for Justin and I. If you've read our Presentation Sunday blog post, you remember that we went to a special service to receive prayer while trying to conceive Parker. A woman prayed over us and kept repeating the words "Fear Not" to us. Soon after I found out I was pregnant. When I told Tiffany about our experience, she reminded us that in the Bible those words were used when God wanted people to know good news was coming.
Luke 2:10: "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy".
In Luke 1:12 an angel of the Lord said, "Fear not, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth."
Luke 1:30-31: "The angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus."
It's amazing to me how much the Lord cares about us and how he takes care of us. It's not always in our timing, but it's always in His. This baby is in God's perfect timing. He or she is a miracle and a gift. Praise God.
We were so excited and about our new addition, that we wanted to make the baby part of the holidays. It's fun to be pregnant during these special occasions because we have something extra to celebrate. When went to the pumpkin patch before Halloween, we got 4 pumpkins. The baby needs one too! We hoped no one would think twice about an extra pumpkin sitting on our porch.This pregnancy has been quite different than my first. With Parker I was hardly nauseous. This time, I felt quite sick the first trimester. I was even unlucky enough to throw up a few times. I was am just as tired. Last time, I was busy teaching 27 students and this time I am chasing a one year old. Both don't allow for much down time. Of course, I welcome the sick feelings because I know these are signs my baby is healthy and growing. It is all worth it for a new, precious little one.
November 20th, Justin, Parker and I went to Maternal Fetal Medicine at Saint Joseph's Hospital for an extra ultrasound. This was to detect for any possible complications. We don't have any reason to believe there would be an issue. Our OB always offers it, so we thought we'd do it just for extra piece of mind. This ultrasound was a lot of fun. It was more in depth than normal and we got to see our baby's heart, brain, and other vital organs. The baby was much more developed than the last ultrasound, even though he or she was only about 4 centimeters. We could see him or her wiggling around and waving arms and legs. Exciting!
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| You can see the baby's profile on the left and his or her body on the right. The legs are curled up. |
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