Unplanned

The last two days have been unplanned, from start to finish. I know that I am supposed to view days like this as divine appointments, and I do. But I'm also pretty sure that this week has aged me five years. And it's only Tuesday.

The baby is doing great. I like to open with that, because rumor has it I make people nervous by not starting with that.

Sunday afternoon I started having some spotting. Since I haven't had that in several weeks I was a little concerned. And by a little concerned I mean trying not to cry while calling the doctor. He said the usual stuff. Take it easy, call if it gets worse, call Monday morning if it keeps up. I was doing okay until later in the afternoon. At one point I was doing something and it occurred to me that I hadn't felt the baby move at all during the day. And then I couldn't remember if I had felt the baby move on Saturday. And then I felt like a bad mom for not remembering. I know that I am early to be feeling movement, but for the last week or so I have been feeling the baby move a little every day.

I waited until the kids went to bed and then completely broke down. When Mike found me he prayed with me, called work and used a sick day, and then called a friend to do drops on Monday so we could go to the doctor together. I like him.

Monday we saw the doctor. I couldn't even bring myself to look at the ultrasound until the doctor commented that the baby's heart was just beating away. Everything looked good and the spotting had stopped. But given my history the doctor scheduled another ultrasound at the hospital for today.

Mike and I have been trying to involve the other kids as much as possible during this pregnancy. We wanted to take them to an ultrasound, but it seemed, well, like maybe it wasn't the best idea. We had a plan all figured out. It involved lots of steps and not being able to tell them they were going to see the baby until we confirmed there was a heartbeat.

But God, in His abundant grace, gave us the perfect opportunity today. We knew the baby was okay and that the ultrasound would be easier to see since the hospital equipment is better. So today we took the kids out of school early and headed to the ultrasound. Oh my word, it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. The baby was very active and at one point it even look like he/she waved. The kids were so excited. And the ultrasound tech could not have been nicer. She did the entire ultrasound with Rachel standing right over her shoulder (it was the closest she could get to see well). She kept stopping and asking the kids if they saw the hand or foot, and then she would freeze it and enlarge it.

I really can't tell you how special it was to share that moment with them. At first I was praying that God would spare them the pain of saying goodbye to another unmet brother or sister. But then I just enjoyed the moment for what it was. My three kids getting their first glimpse of a new family member. I am praying that it won't be their only glimpse, but even if it is, God is no less God. And what an amazing blessing to have that moment. Even if no other moments like that come, God gave me a moment to see the three of them enjoying this little one. And that blessing is overwhelming.

And so, I would like to introduce you all to baby number 6 ...

Isn't God amazing?