All About Little Blessing #2

If you've been stalking the Facebook interwebs lately you may be here because of this little picture... 

Yes, Callie's big news is right!  Josh and I are expecting baby number 2 and we are THRILLED.  I am going to attempt to be just as on top of things as I was for Cal-girl and document the process the best I can... however, I now have so many hats to wear that I sometimes misplace my brain.  At least now I have an excuse!

Back in June Josh and I began talking about adding another little Morgan to the mix.  Before we were married we discussed kids and age gaps and knew we wanted more than one and ideally would like for them to be about two years apart.  Excitedly we both decided the timing was right.

We used a chalkboard to help document everything with Cal-Pal and were looking for something new for this little bundle of joy.  I teach kindergarten and spend a lot of time writing on white boards, not to mention they are SO much easier to decorate than chalkboards.  So we went and did a little thrift shopping and found the perfect frame.  A little trip to Lowes and some spray paint later we had the perfect baby board!  Eager to break it in we took these goofy pictures...

God blessed us right away with a positive pregnancy test in July and we were over the moon with excitement.  The next day during lunch with some friends I had some pretty extreme cramping and knew something wasn't right.  The next night, after some other not so great signs and the urging of my doctor, I went into the ER to have everything checked out.  The news they delivered was heart breaking... We had lost the baby.  I honestly never thought I would hear the word miscarriage being used as a diagnosis for me.  The emotional roller coaster of being pregnant one moment and empty the next is very hard to describe.  It brought me back to some pretty intense feelings from when I lost my dad.  The difficulty of having no control, no answers... It was an all too familiar feeling to me.  Josh was incredible throughout the whole process, offering me a shoulder to cry on, along with encouragement and lots of hugs.  The hardest thing to do is NOT to blame yourself.  Miscarriages happen everyday and most of the time they happen has a result of things not coming together correctly.  One night I had a dream about my dad and Josh's grandfather in heaven and woke up with this incredibly reassuring feeling that everything was going to be okay.  I realized that my daddy was getting to meet and take care of our little blessing and all of the grief and sadness washed away.

After the miscarriage and meeting with our new doctor we weren't sure when we would get pregnant again.   While vacationing in Destin two weeks later, I had a phenomenal encounter with a manatee while snorkeling... After talking to some lifeguards and other people we found out that not only is it incredibly rare to spot a manatee but when they swim up to  you, apparently it is good luck.  Call it coincidence, but to our delight, two weeks later we had a positive pregnancy test!  God has a plan for us, and we are delighted that He chose to allow us to carry so quickly after losing our last baby.   

We have gotten to see the baby twice now, once at 5/6 weeks and the second time at 7/8 weeks.  The first ultrasound only showed the yolk sac (which looked remarkably like a bubble and gave us the nickname, bubble baby) and the second showed the profile, head/eyes, two tiny arms and legs and a tail!  At my last appointment they found a lump on one of my breasts and sent me into have an ultrasound to see what it was.  Last week I went in and they found a 4 cm benign cyst.  Because it is so large and causing so much pain I decided to schedule a cyst aspiration and will be going in tomorrow afternoon to have that procedure done.  I am just thankful that it isn't something more serious! Thank you God!!

That pretty much takes us up to now!  We just finished our 9th week (roughly... it's hard to know how far we are exactly b/c of the miscarriage and quick conception) and I am feeling pretty good.  Exhaustion is a new normal along with constant nausea (not too much time hugging the toilet this time, though) and some interesting aversions and cravings.  Our newest addition should be making his/her debut sometime in April 2014.  Here's a little bit more about the pregnancy and our 9 week picture.  Thank you all SO much for the many congratulations and words of excitement/encouragement.  We are fully blessed with wonderful family and friends and are thankful for each and every one of you!!  Prayers for a healthy, FULL TERM pregnancy would be very much appreciated. :)

How far along: 9 weeks 7 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: As of right now I haven't gained any weight, but boy does it feel like I have!

Maternity clothes: None yet, but I will admit to wearing my belly band... It extends your regular pants to help make them fit longer and it's the most incredible invention ever. 

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Incredible minus really weird dreams and getting up to use the restroom.

Best moment last week: Getting to share the news with friends and family!  We gave our parents a Shutterfly book with pictures of Callie and the last one was this picture... Their reactions were priceless. 

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: MEAT and salt.  I want BBQ, steak, bacon.... and could eat an entire bag of original Lays potato chips. 

Gender: We don't know yet but we do have our gut feelings...

Labor signs: None, and hoping to keep it that way for a LONG TIME.

Belly button - in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to remember simple things, like where I am driving while behind the wheel.  Seriously.  Oh- and water tastes awful to me now, so I definitely miss liking that!

What I am looking forward to: Getting through this first trimester to hopefully get some of my energy back!

Milestones: Seeing our bubble baby's heartbeat and getting the reassurance that everything is going wonderfully.