Here We Go....Round Two!

After today's appointment I am proud to announce we are looking forward to the arrival of our second baby in April! It was surreal to see another little one growing so fast in my belly this morning, but we feel totally and completely blessed that God has chosen us to be parents again!

To be quite honest, we've known for about a month now. We kept the news confined to just close family and friends. And, if I'm being honest again, the news hit me hard when I first found out. I would be lying if I didn't shed some pretty nervous tears when all the little sticks lined up on my bathroom counter had positives. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love being a mom. It's the best job in the world and baby Jimmy is such a calm, well-behaved baby that Jimmy and I began discussions immediately after he was born as to when we would grow our family again. We actually decided to not bring up the subject again until at least December, but more likely around Jimmy's first birthday, so when three little sticks confirmed the arrival of baby #2 much earlier than planned, I was frightened. Thankfully, I have a wonderful, Christ-like support team all around me. Jimmy was at his teacher in-service the day I found out so he was the last to know that day, and when he opened the bag on the counter to find a newborn onesie, he was nothing short of thrilled. I cried more. I even recall apologizing.

But after some really deep, one-on-one time with God, I stopped questioning His plan and let it sink in just how blessed we were. Finances, worries about two little ones under the age of two, and the thought of having to delay purchasing our own house are all pushed from my mind. God will provide. God has ALWAYS provided. This is God's plan and to not fully embrace it and prepare my heart to be a mother again would be selfish and foolish. So, when I'm not working or playing with baby Jimmy, I'm daydreaming about adding another crib to Jimmy's room, coming up with name ideas, and thanking God this pregnancy is going so much smoother than the first. No morning sickness. No dizzy spouts. Energy levels? Decently high. And God knows I need that more than ever right now with a 6 month old on the verge of crawling and with two teeth on the cusp of breaking through.

My stats are as follows:

-As of today, I'm 7 weeks 4 days.
-Due date: April 14
-I am ordered to light activity (less workload, no lifting Jimmy or other objects and no exercise) starting at the latest on March 1. This is because Jimmy was almost 4 weeks early and if you have one premie, you're almost guaranteed to have the second one try to enter the world even earlier. This will be quite the challenge as Jimmy's first birthday is March 4 and there will be so much going on. But again, I know we have a wonderful support team around us who will be here in a heartbeat to help.
-Heartbeat was 158 beats per minute
-In today's ultrasound, I saw the heart beating, the brain forming, two arm buds, two leg buds, and the spine forming. Healthy, healthy baby!
-The baby is about .5 inches long already.

So, if I've known why did I keep the news a secret? Well, unfortunately, there are those out there who aren't as supportive as we hoped. Some roll their eyes. ("Good luck with that. Two kids so close together...."). The negativity around those comments was, and is, unwelcome. Feel free to think what you want, but Jimmy and I know God never would give us something we couldn't handle. I'm not saying this baby will be as easy as Jimmy or that I'm naive enough to think I can do this alone. Like I stated above, I'm human, and at first, I was terrified. I've found such a peace with it now and welcome only positive thoughts and comments. If you think we're out of our league on this one, then please, feel free to petition God on His holy plan. But don't tell us. We don't want to hear it, because quite frankly, we are too busy making memories with baby Jimmy and getting excited to make our family of three a family of four.

Jimmy and I joke that we will be just turning the corner on 50 when our kids are 25 and (hopefully) out of college and making it in the real world. Which means, a pay raise for us. And every time we think of that we just laugh, look over at baby Jimmy who wants so badly to crawl, and just pray time doesn't go as fast as it already has. I know my kids will be the best of friends and baby Jimmy will be the most fantastic big brother in the whole world. Baby #2, we can't wait to meet you!!