Here it is – the first official baby picture! Crazy, crazy, crazy.
Nick and I were much relieved to see a good strong heartbeat yesterday and get an official due date of April 12. Our phones chirped off-the-hook all night long with messages of love and congratulations. It was so so lovely to feel so loved!
The story of this baby’s coming to be is quite a special one. After several years, multiple tests, and various rounds of medication, Nick and I had contentedly reached a place where we believed we’d maybe (or probably) not be having biological children. We were doing lots of praying and talking, therefore, about what God’s Kingdom plans and purposes for our life together might be. We were content in His control. Then in July, I kinda accidentally learned of a simple blood test that would bring much clarity to the question of whether or not we’d be able to conceive. Thinking that this would be a good opportunity to gain some direction about what the future of our family might or might not look like, I trucked myself to the doctor to give ‘em some blood. The test came back and the results were conclusive – babies highly unlikely, unless I was willing to take even more medicine. I never could get a peace about that “more-medicine” route, so we just sorta let life carry on, kept seeking the Lord, and kept on loving on each other. Well, little did we know that just a few days after that “very conclusive” blood test pretty much told us "no babies," my body produced an egg for the first time in a very long time and, well……..whatdaya know……. We’ve got a baby!
I just love how God has done this! We will never be able to say that the doctors made it happen or that the medicine made it happen or that our planning and striving made it happen. The medicine that helps most others didn’t help me. The many trouble-shooting efforts of the doctors always turned up with no answers. And, we ended up conceiving during a window of time that all women and docs know to be a highly, highly unlikely time for conception. This was utterly unplanned and unexpected, and I love it. I love the fact that God, not us, is in control of our lives!!!
Now, I'm bemoaning all-day-long nausea and praying for the health of this little life that kinda came out of nowhere :)
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be praised!
