The Details of Baby #2

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their kind words, emails, and comments yesterday at our family’s announcement. Knowing that so many of you have been thinking about us and praying for our family over this last year mean more to us than you will ever know. It has been a long year, but finally having that positive and knowing that this little baby will be joining our family in November makes every bit of that wait worth it. Several of you emailed/facebooked/tweeted me questions about this pregnancy and I thought I’d answer them here in a post rather than responding individually.

Exactly how far along are you?

Right now, I’m exactly 7 weeks and 2 days. Simply because of how hard it was to get a positive when I was pregnant with Noah, there’s a slight possibility I could be rather along than that (by a few weeks), but we won’t know for sure until Monday when we have our first Ultrasound.

What’s your official due date?

According to all of the due date calculators online and the information my doctor gave me at our appointment Monday, this baby is due on (or around) November 26.

You’re not out of the first trimester yet…what made you decide to spill the beans early?

I know it’s becoming more common for families to keep the good news to themselves and a select few others until they’ve gotten through the “danger zone” of the first trimester. We debated it and talked about it and considered waiting until May to announce the news. But, I’ve always kept an open and honest outlook on life and on my blog. If something were to happen (though, we’re praying fervently that it doesn’t), I know that I would share that here anyway. But for right now, this baby is part of our lives and this site is about documenting our lives. The good, the bad and the unfortunate. Our doctor assured me that I’m at the lowest risk for miscarriage because of my health and lifestyle, so even though that chance is still there (and never does go away), we wanted to share the news with our friends and families. This baby already has a future planned out and God knows what is in store for him or her. Sharing or not sharing our news wouldn’t change that.

How are you feeling?

It’s still sinking in that we’re having another baby. I lay in bed at night and wonder if it’s really happening. But, I’m always reminded that YES, there’s something going on with my body in the mornings when I wake up. I’m not living next to the toilet, but nausea and all day morning sickness have been present for a while. The nausea started almost as soon as this baby was conceived; which was my first clue that something was up. So is the fatigue. I’ve cut waaay down on my work hours in the last couple of weeks because I just don’t have the energy. I’ve been in bed by 9:00 every night for the last few weeks.

Are you guys wanting a boy or a girl this time?

As cliche as it sounds, we just want a healthy baby. I love being a boy mama. I love my son and the relationship that we share between the two of us. I wouldn’t mind having another son and being responsible for raising up another “good guy” for this world. But, that being said, I’ve always wanted a daughter. I’ve always dreamed of having a little girl of my own. We plan on finding out when the time comes, so you rest assure that I’ll be sharing the news here.

So, how did you find out? How did you tell the husband?

I had intentions of sharing the big news with Josh in a fun, exciting way. I’d brainstormed dozens of different ways to tell him, but on the morning that we found (March 31) out all of that went out the window.

I actually took the pregnancy test on a whim. After 11 months of failed results and negative tests, I’d reached the point of not even being hopeful or expecting much when my monthly visitor was a few days late. Birth Control screwed up my cycle so it wasn’t uncommon for me to go 35-37 days before “Aunt Flo” came to visit again. I’d hit day 41 (which was the longest I’d gone between visits since coming off the pill) and decided that I’d take a test just to see. The only thing I had was the ClearBlue Easy Digital. And anyone who has ever spent any time charting or reading fertility forums will tell you that these are (supposedly) the hardest tests to get a result on, especially early on. So I really didn’t expect anything.

I set the test on the counter, straightened up the bathroom while I was waiting and when I saw the little dial blink off I was shocked beyond words to see that the word PREGNANT was on the screen.

I sat dumbfounded for a few minutes. Then I went downstairs, test in hand, to tell Josh.

Keep in mind that it was about 9:00 am on a Saturday morning. He was on the couch reading on his iPad and Little man was already awake and watching cartoons. I came downstairs and told Noah to take the test to daddy. He took it to Josh (dropped it on the floor beside him actually) and Josh just looked at me. Then, I lost it. I had a minor emotional breakdown and started crying. It was, of course, a happy and overwhelmed with excitement kind of cry. The realization that we wouldn’t have to go through fertility treatments was like a weight being lifted off of my shoulder.

We spent the next few minutes making phone calls. Josh called his mom and then his dad, I called my mom (still crying…I think I scared her to begin with) and told her, my sister and my dad. It was…a surreal day.

Is this pregnancy any different than your pregnancy with Noah?

For those of you who have known me or followed for a while, you’ll remember that I didn’t know I was pregnant with Noah until I was almost four months. I don’t remember having a whole lot of early pregnancy symptoms with him. I was working at the hospital (long, long shifts and lots of running around) so if I was sick, I don’t remember having time to dwell on it. There was one week that I remember being sick (really sick) but that was it. So far, the nausea in this pregnancy is coming and going pretty heavily and the fatigue is definitely worse (as I expected it to be).

How far apart will Noah and the new baby be?

If the new baby comes in November as expected, Noah and his baby brother or sister will be about 4 years and one month apart.

Are you showing yet?

Well, whether I’m showing baby or just bloat, there’s something to show for sure. I have been so crazy bloated lately it’s ridiculous. I already ordered a Belly Band because my jeans are too tight around the waist and really uncomfortable (especially when I’m sitting down).

I wanna see a picture!

Pardon the crappy lighting (since I was in our downstairs bathroom). My weekly bump pictures will be better than this. I promise.

Again, thank you all for your prayers and your encouragement during this season of our lives. We really appreciate it! And we continue to appreciate any prayers for a safe, healthy pregnancy and baby!