Zach wanted a new baby the second Preston was born--and he's such a good daddy, I couldn't blame him. It took me a little longer to get on board, but around Preston's 6-month birthday I started to catch the fever. I pushed it aside several times because, come on, was I crazy?!? Around Preston's 5th or 6th month, all of my endometriosis pain started coming back. I ignored it for a few months because I literally didn't have the energy to deal with it. It had subsided during my pregnancy, but came back with a vengeance sooner than I anticipated it would. Around Preston's 7th month I made an appointment to discuss the pain with my doctor and he had no solutions--other than another surgery (which is no guarantee the pain would go away, just a band aid for it). Really, the only solution at this point is to have a hysterectomy. WHAT? Yeah, no thanks. The doctor hinted that if I wanted to have more kids, I should probably not waste too much time...
I had been feeling the promptings for a few months at that point, and Zach and I had made it a subject of serious prayer. We went to the Temple in Orlando with my brother in February, and the second I walked in the Temple I had the most overwhelming feeling that I have ever felt. It was a combination of peace, excitement, anxiety, but mostly peace. I just knew that we were supposed to have a second child SOON. It was stronger than when I knew we were supposed to have Preston. There was absolutely no denying it. I didn't know if I would be able to get pregnant a second time, but I knew for SURE that we were supposed to exercise our faith and try. My Heavenly Father and I have always had a special relationship. He knows I will do anything He asks, He just has to make it clear what He wants from me. He did just that. I was so overwhelmed by this feeling that it was like I could hear the words in my head telling me. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had and I will never forget it. At the first chance I had I told Zach what happened. He hugged me and said that he already knew we were supposed to try for another, he was just waiting for me to come to the conclusion on my own. Love that man.
I knew there was no way my sanity could handle two children less than 18 months apart, so we did the math and decided the earliest we would try was March. March came and went--which I was expecting. And then April came. I had been counting the days and knew the week I could take a pregnancy test. I took a test on Tuesday that was negative. I took a test on Thursday that was negative. On Saturday we went to Target and as we passed the aisle with the pregnancy tests, I turned to Zach and said, "Would you consider me crazy if I bought one more test just to be sure?" He told me to go ahead and buy the test to know once and for all.
After I put Preston to bed that night, I took the test. I had gotten the fancy shmancy kind instead of the dollar store kind, so I was a little more hopeful. A faint line appeared almost instantly! I came out of the bathroom shaking and unable to speak... Zach was sitting on the couch and had no idea I had taken the test so he didn't know what was wrong. I couldn't even say anything because I was breathing and shaking so much so I just held up the test. Zach didn't believe it was true since the line was so faint so he went to the nearest store and got the digital kind to be sure. Of course they said the same thing. It wasn't until he saw the word "pregnant" that he believed. We were both in such shock that we didn't really know what to do. We sort of fell to our knees outside the bathroom door and hugged each other amid sobs (mine, not Zach's). Cheesy as all get out, it was such a sweet moment that I hope I never forget. We stayed like that on the floor for a while, just talking and hugging, saying prayers of thanks.
We managed to take a few pictures too :) We have both been crying in these, so don't mind the red eyes and messy hair...
Morning sickness started earlier than last time by about a week and a half. Luckily I knew what nausea medication worked the first time, so I knew exactly what to ask for. I won't bore you with the disgusting morning sickness details, but so far I have not gained a single pound this pregnancy and even lost some the first few weeks. I started feeling a little more human-like last week and started to get really excited. But, alas, morning sickness reared it's ugly head again a few days ago and hasn't let up much since. I am still on around-the-clock nausea medication. Without it I don't keep much down at all--even just liquids. Believe me, I am very ready for this part to be over! This part never ended with Preston, but I have high hopes that this pregnancy will be normal :)
