Our Story Part 7: I Will Tell of His Goodness

My husband and I didn't manage to keep our pregnancy news a secret for long.  The very next day, Lisa* texted me asking how I was doing.  I couldn't hold it inside!  I texted her a picture of the test stick that read "pregnant" and within seconds my phone was buzzing with her call.  She screamed!  Thanked Jesus along with me and wanted all of the details.  My husband was bursting at the seams too!  Apparently, he was telling some of his clients already even though we had not told our families yet.  My yoga instructor knew because I was concerned about hurting the baby during class and I even mentioned it to the salesman when we traded in our car that weekend.  For some reason we wanted to wait to tell our families until our first doctor appointment.  I guess we figured these people were safe since they wouldn't ask questions if things went south.

My first appointment was on Friday, February 13th.  The nurse confirmed I was pregnant and a few minutes later Dr. Fields* walked in with a giant grin on her face.  I had given her copies of the infertility workup from the clinic months before so she was well aware of the huge challenges we (God!) had overcome but I was also only 6 weeks along.  Her excitement turned to a sobering reminder that things happen during the first trimester and that I needed to be mindful of this when we decided to share our news.  She held my hands as she said "Until I hand you a baby, there are no guarantees."  I knew this but I just kept thinking about the telegram from the fall: "God hasn't brought you this far to abandon you now."  We told Dr. Fields we planned to tell my immediate family that weekend but we would wait until the second trimester to tell everyone else.

Her reality check quickly turned to elated excitement as she handed us pregnancy paperwork and then declared she was going to see if she could fit me in for a quick ultrasound right then and there because she just had to see this miracle baby!  (Have I mentioned how much I love this woman?)  She returned a few minutes later with an antiquated device on a small cart.  "I couldn't fit you in, but we have this!"  It was a very old ultrasound machine from the early 90's.  Archaic, at best, compared to today's technology but she just couldn't wait!  She found our baby with it and we got to see him or her for the very first time.  A tiny little bean.  Our tiny little bean was busy at work growing and dividing.  Not only that, our little one was in the right spot despite my apprehension that something would be wrong and the frantic texts I was sending to Lisa earlier.  Nope!  Dr. Fields assured me our miracle was exactly where he or she needed to be and was doing great so far.

After our appointment, we called my parents and told them we were stopping by.  When we arrived, we talked at the kitchen table for a while and then I handed my mother a card and said "Happy Valentine's Day".  She continued talking like it wasn't a big deal.  Meanwhile, my husband and I were making eyes at each other saying "When are they going to open it?"  "How long do you think it will take?"  Finally, I said "Will you please open your card?"  I think my mother rolled her eyes at me but she obliged to my request.  The card wasn't out of the envelope for more than a second before she jumped two feet out of her chair with her arms raised to heaven and let out a loud scream!  My Dad sat befuddled at this reaction to a Valentine's Day card, put on his glasses and then realized what all of the commotion was about.  The jumping, screaming and happy tears continued on for a while.

The following day, Valentine's Day, we went to my sister's house to share our news.  We had little Valentines for her boys and planned to tell them that they would be getting a cousin in several months.  My parents wanted to see their reaction, so they met us there.  Sure enough, my sister opened her card and jumped up screaming just like my mother had!  We all hugged and cried together and thanked the Lord for this amazing gift.  My older nephew looked at all of us like we were nuts!  Realizing he didn't understand what all the fuss was about, I sat down on the couch and pulled him on my lap and wrapped my arms around him.  I whispered "We have a secret to tell you.  Do you remember when your Momma had a baby in her belly?  Well, Auntie has a baby in her belly now.  You are going to have a little cousin."  I don't know how much he understood at the time but this sweet little love of mine not only kept our secret for six more weeks but every time I saw him, he asked how the baby was doing.  He kissed my belly.  He told me how much my belly had grown even when I saw him hours earlier.  (Did I eat a big lunch?)  He would ask "Auntie, when is your baby going to be born?"  And my favorite: "Auntie, I just love the baby growing in your belly."  His precious response to our pregnancy will be one of the treasures I hold in my heart forever.  He loved his cousin long before he even knew him. 

We told the rest of the world about our miracle at the end of March 2015.  We were thrilled to announce that we were going from a family of three (us plus the dog) to a family of four!  Despite what the fertility doctors had told us, our God had decided to show them a thing or two and in a pretty spectacular fashion, I might add!  Thirteen years and five months after our wedding day, God decided it was our turn.  A little over two months from that awful infertility diagnosis, aka the worst day of my life, God said "here is the miracle you've been asking for!"  Once our pregnancy was public, the flood gates opened wide and I wanted everyone to know about how the Lord had heard my cries and intervened mightily.  We heard countless stories of people praying for our future family for years, long before we even knew what we were up against.  It's a beautiful thing to tell people their prayers were answered.  

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

This verse is exactly the sentiment I feel in my heart when I think about everything the Lord has brought us through, especially over the last two years.  There were so many infirmities; believe me when I tell you that infertility is just the beginning!  And yes, I will happily point out all of our weaknesses, and even thank God for them, because it gives me an opportunity to gush about the magnitude of a Savior's love, mercy and power over everything.  I don't know what hardships you may be facing right now but if you think your problem is too big for God to fix, think again!  The bigger the obstacle, the more God seems to delight in helping us overcome it when we put our trust in him.

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Stay Tuned for Part 8: Crisis Strikes
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