A Happy Christmas Surprise

We have had an amazing last few months!

Kenny graduated from college
We went on a trip around Europe
Jake is learning to walk and doing well
We were able to get a car
and... as everyone now knows... I'm knocked up!

Oh it's funny how the Lord has timing and a plan all his own. But I guess a part of me felt like this could happen. As you could see from my last blog post, when to have our next child has kind of been plaguing my mind. I didn't feel ready, and I didn't feel like I would feel ready in a year, or maybe ever, but I have known that it would be great for Jake to have a sibling one day. I just didn't think it would be so soon! God knows I probably would never have been ready to try on my own.

During Thanksgiving at my parent's house I wasn't totally feeling myself, which I chalked up to my normal crazy hormones. We just didn't think this would happen. I've been taking good care to prevent pregnancy for the last 2 years, and mother nature hasn't visited me (if you know what I mean )  in who knows how long! Considering that it took a year to get pregnant after using birth control methods the first time, I thought it basically impossible! Sure, it's a bit my fault, but I wasn't hardly careless at all. Anyway, I didn't even suspect anything until two weeks before we left for Europe. I was just feeling horrible, and I started noticing symptoms that I only remember getting when I was pregnant with Jake. Crap.

I ran to the store, got a pregnancy test, and yep... that positive sign popped up REAL quick! But of course, because of the past, I wasn't counting my little chicken just yet. We went to the doctor a few days later, and there it was, wriggling inside of me and with a heartbeat and all! I was about 9 weeks. It's kind of nice not knowing until I'm that far along though. It has made everything go by pretty quickly.

So now you're thinking, "That crazy lady just went to 5 countries in two weeks, with a baby and in her first trimester!" Yep, I sure did! Oh boy it wasn't easy, but it was pretty awesome. If I said I got a lot of exercise that would probably be an understatement. We walked EVERYWHERE, and carried the stroller. I'm talking up and down flights of stairs which are EVERYWHERE, on and off subways and buses, through castles, you name it. Pretty much the whole time I thought, "well, if this doesn't cause me to have a miscarriage, nothing will!" And somehow, the little peanut survived it all! (I mean Alford) The morning sickness hasn't been fun to deal with either and with all the new smells and different food, my stomach was churning quite a bit. I managed not to throw up the entire trip somehow, and even after eating some sketchy food a couple times, I didn't get sick. (In Italy, they don't fully cook their ham or bacon, which I learned to my dismay more than once.)

Here we are in Bath, England at the Roman baths: ruins of a Roman temple/bath

I'm finally feeling like this is actually happening and starting to accept it. I'm a bit nervous about having a 2 year old who is more on the level of a 1 year old who also has medical problems to look out for, and a newborn too. But oh so obviously, it was God's plan. There's nothing else to call this but another miracle. I just can't believe how easy it's been this time. It's weird!

It will be great for Jake to have a buddy though. Whether it's a boy or girl, I do believe the Lord is sending the perfect sibling to help him. I think they can help each other quite a bit in the coming years. I really believe  that there's no way this could have been an accident. God always knows what he's doing, and so again, I just need to accept his plan. I keep thinking, if God was going to send me something that was going to be difficult and unexpected, I'm so glad it's a new baby instead of a medical problem of some kind, you know? And this baby looks to be 100% healthy so far.

I AM high risk, mostly because of the C-section I had before. I'll get more ultrasounds, and the doctor will be a little more thorough than his usually is. I'm a bit nervous to have another C-section. They may have to do the vertical cut again, which wouldn't be the best because it weakens everything so much, but the doctor said he may be able to do a regular cut if things look good at the time of surgery! I'm really hoping for a regular c-section. Either way, they should not have to cut me nearly as much as they did last time so my recovery will probably be easier with any luck. I'm just praying for a normal pregnancy experience for once!

I'm drawing a lot of strength from my husband, my family, and everyone around me. Everybody seems to think that I can do it, which makes me feel so much more confident! Jake is taking off at rates we thought impossible before, and now I believe part of the purpose we've been so blessed with Jake is because he wanted to send us another, and who knows how many? I know the Lord always provides a way. It won't be easy, but I'm really getting excited to have another baby now. The first few weeks I wasn't so excited, but now things are getting easier to accept. And really, it's a HUGE blessing! There was a day when I prayed and prayed to be pregnant, and many women still do. I am thankful!

So here we go again!!! July 18th is the date, but I cannot be allowed to go into labor because of risk of uterine rupture (again thanks to the zipper that was put in up to my belly button) so I will hopefully make it a week before that and not go into early labor. That about sums everything up!