And baby makes 4

As many of you already know, we found out in October that we're expecting baby #2 June 16th. We found out three days after our insurance kicked in. Talk about God's timing!! We weren't planning to have another baby quite so soon after moving, but we were super excited nontheless. Clark will be two years four months before the baby comes so he'll be much more independent than he is now. He points out babies everywhere we go. He doesn't have to see the actual baby, just the infant car seat is enough. He gets excited and says, "baby, mama, baby!" Hopefully this is a good sign that he'll be a caring big brother and love the baby that will be living in our house. He's been sweet with our friend's babies when we've hung out. He's gentle and and kind of pets their heads. He likes for them to hold his finger and seemed concerned to bring them toys.

From the very beginning we knew this baby would be special (not that all babies aren't) because it was a gift from God we weren't expecting. Then when I was six weeks along we had a little scare and thought we might be losing the baby. I've had several friends who have been though miscarriages in the last few years and I can only imagine the grief of losing a baby. Our scare gave me a new empathy I had only imagined but never experienced. As I found myself unable to stop crying for some reason (I believe it was from the Holy Spirit to bring me comfort) the Old Testament story of Hezekiah came to mind. It was almost as if God spoke directly to me and said, "Plead for your baby's life. When you cry, pray. I am in control of your baby." I began praying continually that God would spare our baby's life. I just kept thinking, "God told Hezekiah directly through a prophet that he was going to die. That sounds pretty definite and final. Yet, because Hezekiah pleaded with God and cried to him for help, God changed his mind and gave Hezekiah 15 more years to live." If God could do that when he had already declared he would die, he could certainly save my baby's life even when the outward signs weren't encouraging.

We were in Orlando when all of this happened so I called my dr there and they said I could go to the emergency room but they thought I was probably ok and could just wait it out. Praise God, the symptoms went away and when I went to the doctor here in Mississippi when I got home they did a sonogram and saw and heard a strong heartbeat. Everything looked great. Praise God for answered prayer!!! It was just another confirmation that this baby has a special purpose. I keep praying that God will use he/she mightily in his kingdom and bring many to himself through his/her life (of course I pray that same for Clark).

Of course there is no guarantee that everything will be ok from this point on. I have never understood leaning on God and depending on him as completely until becoming a parent. Knowing I have to trust him continually for my own life and health is one thing, but trusting him with my child and now children is a completely different kind of trust. Instead of worrying continually (which might be my natural tendency as a mother) I must give them over completely to God and trust him to care for them. They're gifts from him and I have to thank him and trust him to keep them safe.

So I guess this is a strange way to announce we're having another baby but God spoke to my heart through our "scare" and made me daily thankful when everything continues to go well. With Clark everything was fine and I kind of took it for granted. Knowing how quickly things can change and how devastating it is to even imagine something going wrong gives me a new appreciation for good doctor's reports and healthy babies. I praise him for our baby and pray continually for safety and health throughout this pregnancy and beyond.

Here's the first peak we got of our baby. It kind of looks like a cocoon . Now our baby has arms and legs and even fingernails and tooth buds (under the gums). We won't have another sonogram until around 20 weeks when we'll hopefully find out if it's a boy or girl, so this glimpse will have to suffice until then.