Baby Bump

Let's talk about this baby already!  If you didn't see our announcement, here's a little recap for you.  At the start of March, Burke, Daphne and I showed up in Parowan at Alan and Marie's house sporting our St. Patrick's Day Green and these signs.

We have been absolutely thrilled about this news.  As some of you know, Burke and I started trying for baby number two in March of 2013.  With Daphne, we were pregnant almost as soon as she was a thought, so we just assumed the same would be true for this little one too.  I had heard that the average woman takes about 9 months to get pregnant, so I tried not to get too antsy as the months rolled by.  I also have a few dear friends who have had major issues getting pregnant, so I never wanted to complain or whine about how "long" it was taking us.  However, for us, or rather for me, this process felt very long.  After six months, I was beginning to get nervous.  Not to give too many details, but I have weird cycles anyway and I wondered if we had just been incredibly lucky with Daphne and if we would have a serious trial trying to get another child here.  I took many pregnancy tests (weird cycles = increased uncertainty) and had to fight feelings of sadness and longing each month.  I had always wanted my children to be close in age and seeing the gap ever-widening between Daphne and the next little one was a trial for me.   Again, I don't want my relatively short time of worry to come across in any way as a complaint or a comparison to those who have had years of struggle with fertility.

Towards the end of January, I was sitting in Relief Society when the teacher displayed this beautiful quote:

I know I have heard that sentiment before, but this time it struck me with full force.  I felt as if the Lord knew me and was entirely aware of my desires to expand our family, to secure a sibling for Daphne and another child to love and raise.  It was also a gentle reminder to me that our Heavenly Father's timing is perfect and that whenever we became pregnant would be exactly when we needed to be.

The first week in February, I was preparing to go to Salt Lake for the Rootstech Conference, but I hadn't been feeling 100% for a few days.  I was expressing this to Burke the night before I was to leave for the conference when he teased that I should probably take another test.  I almost started crying and told him not to joke about that.  I had recently taken a negative test and my heart felt heavy from the disappointment yet again.  But...since he had suggested it, I couldn't get it out of my head, so our conversation continued on as we casually made our way to the bathroom.  I was concentrated way more on what Burke was saying than on the test and passed him the stick without even looking at it, when he suddenly looked down and stopped mid sentence.  "Baby, is this a positive?!" He asked in shock.  I couldn't believe my eyes when he passed it back to me and there clear as day was a positive reading!  Of course I cried and Burke laughed with surprise and delight until I insisted on guzzling a gallon of water and taking another test which also read positively almost immediately.  

It was so hard not to tell my family the next day when I was in Salt Lake, not only because I was so thrilled, but also because the nausea seemed to set in almost as instantaneously as the test results.  We held out on the good news for over a month, as we wanted to get the first doctors appointment and ultrasound under our belt to make sure everything was okay before sharing.  We also had several gatherings with family, like Lydia's baptism and Grandma Elaine's 95th birthday party where we would have loved to tell people, but we didn't want to steal the spotlight or make those special days about us instead of them. 

Our new OBG is Dr. Sanders here in Cedar City and I have to put a plug in for him if you are in the area.  We have been so impressed with him and his wonderful staff.  Our doctor in St. George was a great man, but we always felt very rushed through our appointments and in the end we were shifted to two other doctors right before Daphne came because he was out of town (which I'm not complaining about - it is totally fine for docs to take family vacations, it was just a bummer that it turned out to be when she was coming!).  Dr. Sanders on the other hand has incredible bed side manner.  He asked so many questions about our history and made us feel like he truly cared what we had been through as well as a genuine excitement for us to be adding another baby to our family.  We didn't know he would do an ultrasound that first time, so it was a delightful surprise to be in there with Daphne and Burke and to see a 3D image of our little one already rolling around and wiggling at 9 weeks old.  I don't know how to describe the love that filled me body and soul as I watched that little miracle moving around, growing so safe and sound in my body.  Truly, such a miracle.

One of my favorite pictures of Daphne that we've ever taken.

This pregnancy has been so different than my first.  With Daphne I was sick for 4 straight months, throwing up every single day and somehow miraculously surviving my last semester of college before I began my student teaching.  With this second baby, I had about 3 weeks of nasty nausea, but I never threw up and I was so happy when it stopped a few weeks ago.  I have been exceedingly tired, but I know that is standard for most women.  Like my pregnancy with Daphne, whenever I have tried to exercise, I have been very nauseous and crampy, so I have eased off to just walking 30-45 minutes a day instead.  Even that sometimes makes me ache, but I really want to stay as healthy as possible.  

I have also been gaining weight like crazy!  Part of the reason I haven't been as sick this time around is because every time I start to feel nauseous, I go against my natural instinct and start packing food down.  It has made a big difference for me.  Before, I would feel sick, so I would refuse to eat and it would just make things worse.  I'm glad that this new tactic has helped me feel better, but I'm not thrilled about the accompanying weight gain.  I remember with Daphne feeling like I was just barely beginning to show when we found out her gender around 20 weeks.  Well, as of tomorrow, I am 14 weeks along and I feel like I am already huge.  My belly button turned into an outie almost instantly (which it didn't do until the last trimester with Daph) and there isn't a doubt in my mind that I'm going to add a new lovely patch of stretch marks to my body before we're through.  I just have to keep reminding myself it's all part of it.

One other major difference is that I didn't feel Daphne move until I was 21 weeks along.  I remember being a bit scared because the doctor had seemed surprised that I wasn't feeling her yet.  This time around, I haven't had time to worry.  On Friday, March 28, I was watching Laney and Daphne playing in the backyard when I felt a very distinct ripple against my tummy that had to be a baby appendage.  It was so exciting, but also surprising as I was only 12.5 weeks along.  I am hoping that I am farther along then they estimated which would hopefully account for why I'm already so large!  

It's strange to think about becoming a family of 4 as we've been so comfortable in our little trio, yet it fills me with so much happiness to think of our growing family.  Daphne likes to pat my belly or put her lips up against it to talk with baby, but I don't know how much she actually comprehends as she now tells people that she has a baby in her tummy named Baby Elise (the name of our newest niece).  Regardless of her comprehension, I know she's going to be a stellar big sister.  She loves babies and is so tender with her newest cousins Elise and Collin.  I hope we can prepare her over the next few months for our own permanent addition.