A Family of FIVE!!

The day was Monday, 22August2011, and I don’t think I will ever forget it!  I had been feeling rather sluggish for a couple weeks, but didn’t think much about it.  As all of you Mommy’s out there know, we don’t get to utilize “sick days” when we don’t feel well.  Those little pint size people in our lives have needs, regardless of how we feel!  However, this particular Monday was a completely different story.  I woke up to the sweetest sound of a little guy babbling “Mamamama”.  Hayes and I were able to get a little bonding time in over breakfast before the sun came up.  After breakfast, my little 18 pounder and I headed upstairs for yet another diaper change.  As I was buttoning that little sleeper back up, I started to feel light headed and extremely weak.  I immediately took him into our bedroom, sat him next to a sleeping Daddy and instantly fell into the bed myself.  Kevin actually ended up taking off work that day because I felt so bad I couldn’t get out of bed without getting sick or passing out.  Strange, I thought.  I have always passed out easily when pregnant, but this must be food poising because I couldn’t possibly be pregnant….I had just had a period, after all.  Kevin took care of the kiddos and I was able to finally get a few hours of sleep.  I woke up and felt great.  “Hmmm, maybe I was just extremely tired and my body was telling me I needed to catch up on some sleep before moving on with my day.”  This is the completely irrational thought that went through my mind.  For the most part of the morning and early afternoon, I felt pretty good.  We took a family trip to Lowes later that afternoon, although Kevin had to drive separately (don’t remember the exact reason).  On the way home, Kate was her usual chatty self and as I listened to my little princess tell me an elaborate story, I started to feel light headed and weak again.  So, what do I do, I call Kevin…as if he can make me feel better over the phone.  He tells me to pull over until it passes or until he can get there.  I pull over and then call my Mom.  What does she say?... “Are you sure you aren’t pregnant”.  “Absolutely”, I say.  The worst of it passed and I decided I could make it home safely.  As sure as I was that pregnancy was not the source of the problem, something (or someone….) told me to pull over at Walgreens to pick up a pregnancy test.  So, here I go, still feeling a little weak, two kids in tow to buy a pregnancy test.  I was certain the cashier thought I had lost my mind.

I ran to the bathroom to take the test as soon as I walked in the door, I couldn’t wait for Kevin to get home (yes, I could be the most impatient person on the planet).  My heart was racing as I waited for the results.  I have taken many pregnancy tests over the last 5 years and the only time my heart has raced in anticipation were the three times I received a positive result.  Ironic.  I went back to review the results and sure enough, there were TWO, count them TWO lines.  A huge grin suddenly covered my face.  Really?  Another tiny miracle is already growing inside me?!  Kevin walked in the door only a few minutes later and I just looked at him, still smiling, and said “Guess What?”  The test hadn’t convinced him, he was certain the second line wasn’t bright enough and he needed a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Luckily, I bought a value pack of tests, which included one additional digital test.  The problem was that I couldn’t pee again!  An hour or so later, I was finally able to take the second test and sure enough, it had a very obvious “YES”.  And so it is…a family of 5 we will be!

I called the doctor the next day.  He immediately scheduled blood work and an ultrasound due to my previous miscarriage.  The blood work came back great, but my hormone levels were really high.  Could I be pregnant with twins?  Oh my, did God really trust me with that many kids?  The day of the ultrasound, I tell the technician that I think I am about 4.5 weeks, based on my last period.  She proceeded with the ultrasound and we were able to see this precious little miracle (only 1…shew!) AND a heartbeat!  I remember thinking, “are those little arms I see already?”  About halfway through the ultrasound, the technician says “I think you are a little farther along than you thought”.  I was 9.5 weeks…wow!  This would explain the high hormone count.

We had another ultrasound on November 8th.  Kate went with us to find out that we have a very HEALTHY baby….GIRL!  The excitement on Kate's face when she found out was absolutely priceless.  She jumped up and down, she was so thrilled.  The first thing she said was “I am going to have a brother AND a sister, just like Dora!”  Kevin's first response was "Oh my, 2 weddings!".  Most importantly, I am thrilled that this sweet gummy bear is healthy, but I must admit that I am really looking forward to more bows, barbies and dance shoes!  This sweet girl will be the perfect completion to our family.

Honestly, there are days that I am still in shock that we are going to have another baby.  Kevin and I had already decided that we wanted a third baby and we knew it was a possibility that it could happen quickly.  However, based on our history, we anticipated the process to take much longer.  God, on the other hand, had much better plans for us!  Could it really be that we are being blessed with THREE healthy babies?  Will it be easy having a 5 year old, a 15 month old and a newborn?  Absolutely not.  Will things be extremely hecitic and maybe a bit on the crazy side around our house for many years to come?  No question about it.  Are Kevin and I a little nervous about how we are going to do this?  Absolutely.  But I wouldn’t change anything.  I will enjoy every sleepless night and hectic day because all three of these babies will bring me more joy in my lifetime than any one person deserves.  I’m not sure why God is blessing me with three tiny miracles, but I couldn’t possibly feel more grateful.   

20 weeks (now I am 23 weeks!)