Pregnancy Tales

I started this entry in late January. As with a lot of my posts, I was letting it sit for a while before coming back to it. So here I am, coming back to it after Libby was born and it’s taken a whole other journey on its own. However, I think it’s perfect and leads into my next post that’s been sitting and still being written. 

I once joked about going for a monthly massage at my chiropractor, saying that I was paying for my monthly dose of physical touch. There was a time in my life where I would go days or weeks without touching another human. Isn’t that bizarre? 

It’s especially bizarre to me now because I can’t go five minutes without being touched. 

But see, these pictures are precious to me. These moments, I truly do cherish them. 

My time with Gracee and Titus started years after their birth, so in some ways we are all playing catch up. 

In God’s goodness, He gave us each other in His time. And in a way that can only be attributed to Him. He gave us each other when we didn’t even know how much we needed each other. And true to His nature, He has continued with His goodness and given this family a baby. From day one she has been apart of this family and our lives. 

It was 3:27 the morning of July 9. I had just buried my Aunt Glenda on the 6th. I woke up from dreams about her and needing the restroom. But, I had a feeling. So, I sleepily opened and took the test because technically it was my first morning pee. I sat it on the bathtub. 

Almost immediately, there were two lines. And I was full blown AWAKE. I just kept staring. And I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for two specific friends. I brought the test back to bed with me. I laid there thinking “I’ll tell Jimmie in the morning.” 

So, at 3:32, I woke Jimmie up. He thought someone was breaking into the house. I showed him the test and once it registered we were both awake. 

By 3:45, I had ordered two onesies: one to tell my parents and one to tell the world. Ha!

I was 3 1/2 weeks pregnant. Crazy, right?!?

Once we told the kids, everything changed for real. Titus needed morning updates on how big the baby was. We sought out seeds, marbles, fruits, and animals for measurements. We dreamed of what this baby would be. 

Life. 

And it was growing. 

And growing. 

7 weeks: Pregnancy Hives. I didn’t know this was a thing, but apparently it is. And I’m here to tell you, they are not fun. At one point, Jimmie had to take the hairbrush away from me. 

9 weeks: We went for the first ultrasound and OB appointment. (Talk about the longest 5.5 weeks. Ever.) I’ve never loved something so tiny so much. Tears formed when I heard her fast, strong heartbeat. And I knew I would never be the same. 

Fast Forward: 15 weeks. 

It’s a girl! Jimmie and I snuck off to find out the gender before we had a weekend getaway. We sat on the rooftop of our hotel and discussed what her name would be in finality. It was sweet and precious. We left town with our secret and came back with the surprise!! 

Fast forward: 21 weeks. 

Movement. It still brings me joy. Oh, the feeling of my baby girl’s life within me. I never get tired of the kicks or flips. It’s like our own special dance and it’s absolutely beautiful. 

Fast forward: 24 weeks. 

We are told we need not to worry, but we would have to go to a specialist to check on her heart because she’s so feisty. Everything checked out great! She was just our girl letting us know who was really in charge. 

Fast forward: 28 weeks. 

Gracee:”What if Libby is like Asher and has special needs?”

Me: “Then we will love her the same.”

Gracee: “Yes!! And she will be extra cute!!”

Titus: “Wait. What do you mean Asher has special needs??”

Gracee: “You know how we just have to be extra patient to help him understand?”

Titus: “Yeah.”

Gracee: “That’s all.”

Titus: “Oh, okay.”

(There’s a sweetness and innocence here.)

And we moved on. 

Fast forward: 30 weeks. 

Breastfeeding class. 

I sat fighting tears, for once not because of hormones, but because I was (and still am) in awe of how intricately God designed our bodies. 

Fast forward: 31 weeks.

The lack of breathing and sleeping is real and so is this new pressure and pain that lands us in Labor and Delivery. Everything checked out and we went home. 

Fast forward: 32 weeks

Ultrasound of our growing girl with hair!

35 weeks: Another ultrasound to check on baby girl’s growth. She was weighing in at 6lbs 15 ounces. 

35 weeks. 3 days: Childbirth class. 

Let me stop here and recommend this. Go. Just go to it. It was such a wonderful experience and helped in the next couple of days even though at the time we had no clue what was about to happen. 

35 weeks. 4 days. 

Sudden onset of crazy high blood pressure. 

35 weeks. 5 days. 

Libby was born. 

And that’s about how fast it (bp and birth)all happened in real life!!

While her birth story was nothing like any sort of birth plan Jimmie and I had recently started discussing, it was obviously the story that the Lord had for her and us. In my next post, I will explore that more and truly try to find the words to express His goodness. 

But for now, the recap of this journey is bittersweet, and leaves me with a deeper understanding of love and trust. 

I absolutely loved being pregnant and I pray I get to walk that journey again. 

Until next time, dearies!