Love at First Sight

It wasn't long before news of our news had spread far and wide. My bulging belly was causing a bit of a stir out in public. No one actually said anything, but I could see people looking (a lot). My guess was that they were trying to figure out if we had some religious opposition to birth control. Hmmm, we were pretty normal looking. In any event pregnancy was in full swing, and our biggest concern was WHERE were we going to have this baby?

Our beloved midwife had recently stopped doing in-hospital births, leaving us with few options for the kind of birth I had enjoyed with our daughter. We searched far and wide (like a 100 mile radius) for other midwives offering the same services, without much luck. It seemed to us that given my increasingly short labors traveling 75 miles just wasn't going to be an option. So it was with much apprehension that I decided (however temporarily) on a large obstetrical practice with the hopes that I could just tell them how our birth was going to be.

At 14 weeks pregnant, off we went to our new doctor. The day was filled with apprehension for me. I had so dearly loved my midwife, and here I was about to meet one of 10 doctors who may or may not deliver our baby. The only consolation was that we did have an ultrasound scheduled before our appointment with the doctor. Getting a sneak peak at our little peanut six weeks earlier than we would have with the midwife was VERY exciting.

So, there we were, lights off, belly bare and ready to go. The tech was so sweet, and in no time there was our baby up on 3 screens. We watched in delight as he flipped and flopped. The tech took her measurements, and all but confirmed that we were having a boy. He was measuring perfect, and healthy. His little heart flickered in his chest at 150 times a minute, he kicked and punched and rolled around showing off his gymnastic skills for us to see.

I just can't explain the relief that comes from a healthy ultrasound. Knowing that our baby boy was safe and healthy and growing right on (or just ahead of) schedule was peace of mind for us like no other. At this point our biggest concerns about our baby were what to name him, and what color to paint his room.

Sharing Baby Number 5

We had waited nearly 14 weeks before we shared the news of our last pregnancy. We'd had a miscarriage 4 months before, and wanted to be "sure" things were o.k. before we told everyone we were expecting. Our pregnancy with Ellise was absolutely perfect, not one concern; a completely natural birth with our AMAZING midwife Laurice Dunning, and a beautiful baby girl. Once we found out we were expecting again we couldn't wait to share the news with our friends and family.

While, I think most of our family was initially shocked, we found that nearly everyone we told was practically jumping for joy. Again, and again when I told other moms, I was met with overwhelming support, excitement, and congratulations. I had expected the opposite. (5 babies? Are you CRAZY? Were you TRYING?) I was pleasantly surprised at how warmly our new addition was embraced. To add to our joy,within two weeks we found out that 2 of our friends were also (surprisingly) expecting within a week of us!!! Oh, what fun we would have with our new babies!

What had started out as an unexpected surprise had turned out to be a huge excitement. I remember sitting at a traffic light thinking "Wow, God knew what he was doing." While I had always felt blessed with beautiful children, the new pregnancy had somehow flipped a switch inside me. I found myself looking at our life, taking a contented breath and thanking God for a wonderful marriage to my life's best friend, healthy, fast growing children, and a life that I just could not be happier with. God had been particularly good to us, and I was more grateful than ever.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3, 5-6

The First Morning

I just had a feeling. There wasn't anything specific, I felt fine, and I wasn't late...I just knew. I guess after 4 babies, a mommy can sense a new pregnancy immediately. We hadn't exactly been planning for another baby quite yet, but there's something about a positive home pregnancy test that changes your entire outlook on the future.

I walked into our bedroom where my poor unsuspecting husband had barely so much as opened an eye to the day, sat on the side of the bed, and said something that I think came out like "can I talk to you I'm pregnant" in one breath. So much for all of the creative ideas I had running through my head of how to give him the news. The poor thing sort of looked at me blankly for a moment...and then said "how do you know?" as if he thought maybe I'd seen it in a dream, or had some other unreliable source of this very exciting, but surprising piece of information. At this, I eagerly whipped the pregnancy test from my robe pocket like it was some sort of newly discovered treasure. (sadly, in my enthusiasm I forgot exactly how dangerous this can be, and managed to baptize my shell shocked hubby with the contents of the test stick) After a couple of "I'm sorrys" and a good laugh, we both laid back, took a deep breath and contemplated this new chapter in our lives. It was official, we were expecting a baby.

The first few days that we knew we were pregnant were a bit like a walk in the backyard on a foggy morning. We knew it was familiar ground, but everything appeared different. Little did we know then how different everything would soon be, and how irreversibly our lives would be changed by the little person growing inside me.