Outnumbered

That's right folks...Come late October 2011, Brian and I will officially be OUTNUMBERED!!!

To say that we are thrilled about the blessing of two new little feet in our home would be an understatement. We are over the moon ecstatic about this new blessing that God has given us and we feel equally blessed that He has chosen to entrust us with another little life.

Brian's Valentine's Day "Gift" - I put the positive test in a box!!! And he certainly was SURPRISED!

New shirts for the Big Sisters "To Be" :)

I think it is safe to say that we are even more excited about sharing this news with "the world" NOW because of all we have been through the past 9 weeks since finding out we were expecting. The next part of this post might be a little "TMI" (too much information) but I am happy to share in the hopes that it might help some one else some day. Also, this kid already has an amazing "God Story" as it grows in my womb, so we would like to share that as well. However, if you don't like TMI, then you can just be excited about our initial news and stop reading now. LOL!!! :)

On Friday, February 11th I started feeling really dizzy, every time I would lay down, or even bend down to pick up Chyler, or stand up, etc. I honestly felt like I was going to pass out. The entire world would spin round and round, it was the strangest thing. I had mentioned it to Brian (who was working that weekend) and he suggested that I get it checked out on Monday if it was not better. On Sunday after church, knowing that I would need to obey my husband's wishes to see a doctor on Monday, I decided to pick up a pregnancy test at the grocery store; because of course I was NOT pregnant, but wanted to rule it out; after all, we have been very careful to make sure that we didn't get pregnant. Well, you know how those tests tell you to wait until the morning to use them, I was so confident that it was going to be negative whether it was morning or evening, so that night, while home alone, I decided to take the first test (it was a 2-pack). Needless to say, I took the test and within 2 seconds (literally) the positive line was appearing. Again, I was home alone, so I totally started flipping out. Pacing the floor saying "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" Looking back now, I think I was in shock. LOL! So, instead of calling the doctor about the dizziness on Monday morning (Valentine's Day), I was sharing the wonderful news with Brian and assuming the dizziness was just an early pregnancy symptom. We were both very surprised!! :)

A week went by and we were literally both in shock and trying to figure out how this happened (haha!) But it looks like my cycle was thrown off track because of still breastfeeding, so when we thought we couldn't conceive (based on our "natural family planning" chart), we actually did! :) Once again, we are reminded how much God's plans are much greater than our own; certainly we thought Chyler would be at least 2 and the girls would be sharing a room, we would own our own place, have a bigger house, etc....we would have things all figured out....Nope! God's plan prevails! :) We are now very thankful for 9 months to figure all these things out! :)

Well, after that first week went by, we were just ecstatic as the news set in, and then boom! Everything changed in an instant, such as it seems with life. On Monday night, February 21st I was at Bible study and I went to the restroom only to find that I was bleeding - bright red blood - bleeding. :( My heart sank. I excused myself calmly and left Bible study immediately. As soon as I got home, I crawled in bed next to Brian and I told him the news. We were both terrified but also in prayer that God would protect our baby. I even found myself pleading with the Lord to save this baby. I was unsure how Brian and I both would get through this type of loss.

The next morning, I was still bleeding and so I called our midwife and went in to have my blood drawn for HCG levels to be checked. Two days later I had my levels checked again, and the following Monday, February 28th they called to tell me that the numbers went up, but they were not doubling like they think they should so they scheduled an ultrasound. We went in for the ultrasound a little nervous about what we would find but were elated when we saw a sac with a teeny, tiny baby growing and although I was only about 5-6 weeks pregnant, there was a tiny flicker of a heartbeat....113 beats per minute. Such a peaceful moment for both Brian and I. However, they also spotted a bleed. A small area behind the (establishing) placenta that was bleeding. :( This was concerning and a little unsettling for us, but after seeing that heartbeat we were just so thankful and really placing trust in God for full protection over this tiny little life.

The weeks have obviously flown by and I would like to say that the bleeding has stopped, however, that has not been the case. But the glorious news is that after 3 ultrasounds later (that is more than I have ever had with the girls), the tiny little life inside of me is developing and growing and happily bouncing around in there. The bleeding has continued on and off for the past several weeks, but has slowed down considerably. Our midwives have diagnosed me with a subchorionic hemorrhage, which is just a really big medical term for a bleed in the uterus. Through prayer, we are confident that the Lord is healing it and we are so thankful for a precious blessing growing in my healthy womb!!!

Many have asked why we have waited this long to tell "the world" that we are expecting, (I am now 13 weeks along) and my main answer would be that we like to tell family in person, if possible, and this past weekend was the first time we were with my entire (immediate) family (see video below). Because of travel plans we were able to tell both sets of parents and siblings in person when we were expecting Chyler, but due to living so far away from all our family, my parents and siblings were the only ones that we could tell in person this time. I was able to catch the moment on video and here it is!



The other reason is just because of all the stuff that has been going on this pregnancy (also, we didn't "spill the beans" with either of the girls until I was 12 weeks along). Of course we know that babies are blessings from the Lord and we desire to share that news with all our friends and family; however, we also know (a little too well, on my part) that the Lord "gives and takes away." If the Lord saw fit that we were to only have this baby for a few weeks, than that is something Brian and I would have wanted to deal with in private. So, with that said, we hope that if any of you are disappointed that we waited to share the news, you will understand where we are coming from and you will still be committed to praying for us over the next 27+ weeks left of this pregnancy. :)

We thank you in advance for your prayers and are thrilled to introduce our newest blessing to you come late October (or early November, as our babies tend to be late arrivals)! :)