Each Life God Creates is Precious

We love our children.  God blessed us with a son, and now we are expecting the birth of a daughter.  Every life is precious and God has illustrated this in our lives over the past year.

            Once again, it took a little while (4-5 months) to get pregnant the second time.  Sadly, we had an early miscarriage.  That experience taught and reminded us how precious life is even at an early stage.  Hunter did his part to distract us, as he took his first steps in the doctor’s office while we waited to meet with the doctor.  Due to the uncertainty, we changed our travel plans to Honduras the following week and I was unable to join Clayton in visiting with our kids we sponsor through Compassion International.

            After the miscarriage, I felt drawn to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center.  The movie, October Baby, convinced me that this was something that I had to do.  So, I signed up to volunteer before I knew about the next chapter in our lives…

           Less than 2 weeks after the miscarriage (no lie), we were pregnant again.  This one was totally unplanned and unexpected.  The pregnancy has been rough, with concerns in the first and second trimester that we had lost this baby, as well.  The doctor had told us that my pregnancy with Hunter was boring; this one has not been boring.  Our previous experience has made me cautious about everything (and probably a terrible patient!)  The usual first trimester symptoms, nausea and tiredness, lasted until about 17 weeks. 

During the two months in the second trimester that I actually felt good, we repaired our house to be sold, sold it, packed, and moved into a rent house while our new home is being built (all while chasing a busy toddler).  We are excited to move out further into the country and have more space in our home for our family.  Our new neighborhood is a safer place for our young children and it has recreational activities for all of us.  We also chose extra bedrooms for growing our family through adoption.

           So, now we are in the 3^rd trimester, 36 weeks.  It’s still not easy.  I have frequent contractions (not pre-term labor) and have been instructed for over a month to stop lifting my 19 month-old son.  Impossible, because he climbs on everything, and he generally has a good time running around and getting into stuff.  And, this Mommy cannot pass up Hunter’s sweet hugs.  As each week passes, I think we might make it another week, maybe even to the due date.

Baby girl, Anna Michelle, named after my mother, mother-in-law, sister, and sister-in-law (all whose middle name is Ann), and my niece and me (middle name Michelle), is due December 7, scheduled to be born by December 4^th.

            Hunter is excited about Mommy’s baby and even kisses my belly.  He even points to his own ‘baby’…his belly button.  Of course, he still thinks his own name is Baby rather than Hunter.  The next few months promise to be interesting when an energetic and curious toddler meets a delicate newborn.  Clayton and I are ready for an adventure!

Psalm 139:13-16 – “For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”