It was the first time that one of our babies was born on their actual due date
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Pregnancy Journey / Desert Maternity Photoshoot
As of today, I am 32 weeks pregnant and now that the holidays have come and gone, it’s crunch time. I feel as though I have to get as much as I can done before her arrival. On top of all the preparing, we still have yet to choose a name for her. I wanted to take time on my blog and share the story of my miscarriage that happened a year ago. I knew that eventually I would share this part of our story so that it may help anyone who came across this one day that needed encouragement. I know when it happened to me, reading other women’s experiences about their miscarriages helped me immensely.
A year ago, on Christmas Day, I found out I was expecting and quickly shared the news with Adam on our getaway to Palm Springs. I didn't even bother taking a home pregnancy test because this was the third time around, and I already knew. We were filled with so much excitement and I quickly scheduled my first appointment at 8 weeks.
First Appointment
Adam and I went to our first appointment with excitement to see the tiny blinking heartbeat. Little did I know we were going to receive some unexpectant news. Not once did it cross my mind about not hearing a heartbeat because my previous pregnancies had no complications. In the days before the appointment, I noticed my nausea wasn’t as bad. I figured maybe this time around I wouldn’t have it as bad and didn’t think otherwise. Well, I knew something was wrong when she couldn’t find the heartbeat. Sure enough she looked at me and told me, “I’m sorry, but there isn’t a heartbeat, it looks like it’ll be a miscarriage”. I was in complete shock and didn’t know how to react or respond. I was numb and struggled to process everything she told me after that. It all made sense why I wasn’t experiencing the nausea and other symptoms as before. Adam basically did most of the speaking and asked questions after that. I was honestly just trying to understand what a miscarriage entailed. She gave me my options and I opted to let it happen naturally instead of having a minor procedure. So the waiting process began, and it happened two weeks later.
Miscarriage
During those two weeks, Adam and I really had the time to process all that was happening. There were a lot of mixed emotions knowing there was a baby inside of me that was once alive and now it wasn’t. I was very thankful I was able to find out ahead of time and not on my own because I believe that would have been more traumatic for me. I had so many conversations with God during this time, asking for peace and understanding. I normally am one to share with my close friends but even that took a while and I had no desire to do so. I didn't feel like opening up at the time nor explaining to anyone any of the details. Looking back now, I felt like there wouldn’t be anything they could tell me that would make me feel better. I did eventually share the news, and it was in my own timing. I honestly had peace in my heart and came to realize that God does not give us situations we cannot handle and even though I can never comprehend the WHY, I still thanked God for His peace. I didn’t know the hardest thing would happen to me after the miscarriage occurred.
Hormone Rollercoaster
After 2 days of what felt like labor contractions and all that came with that, I walked into a hormonal rollercoaster just days later. I felt like I had no control over my emotions and it felt like an out of body experience. I had emotional meltdowns and many times pulled over while driving because of how freaked out I was. I felt horrible seeing my boys cry and I struggled to just “mom” them at times. Adam also reaped the brunt of my meltdown of emotions and he really tried to understand me when I couldn’t even understand myself. He did the best thing he could, he prayed for me. I thank God for him during this process because he saw me at my worst and yet he was still so kind. So after a Google search of the symptoms after a miscarriage, it turns out your hormones are not balanced which creates a rollercoaster of emotions.
God’s Word is Powerful
I knew that my only weapon to fight this was to PRAY! Now that I was was aware of it, I grabbed a hold of God and I brought it all to Him on a daily basis. For almost two weeks, I was fighting what felt like a spirit of depression wanting to pull me in. I resisted and ultimately put my trust in God. Trusting in Him is the only thing I was able to hold on to.
““So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).”
God doesn’t promise us an easy, care free life, but we are promised that God will work everything for our good if we seek Him and trust Him. Our losses and suffering only helps us come closer to Him. If we were never to go through and experience heartache, we’d never have a need to seek God. And now, a year later, I can see God’s blessing over my life because not only did He bring me out of that miscarriage depression but He also granted me to bear and carry a baby girl. I will forever worship His wonderful name!
Photoshoot Location - Palm Springs Art Museum
Such a pretty desert landscape for photos without needing to go inside or drive far while in Palm Springs.
Dress - Amazon
Flower Crown - Amazon
Kids Obstacle Race
Truth is I was looking forward to this kids obstacle race more than Adam but with me being 15 weeks pregnant I had to take it easy. I’ll just have to sign up for an adult mud race after I have the baby. I came across the Kids Obstacle Challenge event a while back and luckily it was coming to the Bay Area so I was able to sign up the boys. If you have been looking for a similar event I would suggest you visit their website to find out the dates and locations coming up. They seem to go all over. You only register the kids and one adult per child is allowed to accompany them in the obstacle race.
I really liked how they spreaded out the obstacle challenges in between some light running. It made the boys look forward to more challenges as they were running. Its supposedly a race but we took our time as did most people. Also, sometimes the boys wanted to re do the challenge like climbing the wall, etc so we let them. They also have a few water stations along the way so you don’t need to take water bottles on the race. I was happy to find out the mud challenges ( 2) were the last ones because it allowed us to be that less messy. hehe. However, they were the most fun ones to do. Luckily, theres an area where you can wash it off right away. We look forward to doing it again next year.
It's a Girl!
I couldn’t believe it when Adam said the words “It’s a girl” out loud. We knew either way we were going to be happy and excited regardless of the gender. Having a girl will be another world for all of us. I went to my 20 week check up and ultrasound last week and told the technician I was going to wait to find out the gender with my family. So, she wrote it on the back of the photo and I patiently waited until the next day to find out. I know, I know, the waiting part was a bit of torture but worth the wait. The time finally came for us and the boys to find out. We were in our living room, just the 4 of us, no big party. We recorded a little video on my phone to keep as a memory of that moment to share with her one day. And just like that we were all filled with so much excitement seconds later. The boys were so cute because they both reacted with so much joy and jumping around. Judah even said, “ well, I guess we won’t be playing tackle football with her.” I’m sure she’ll be running along side of them in no time.
A few people have asked me how I feel knowing that I’ll have a girl and with all sincerity, I am feeling so grateful with God for listening to my hearts desire. Adam and I have been having some life changing moments on both sides of our families with deaths and sicknesses but in the midst of the sadness that life brings us, God graced us with this wonderful news at the perfect time. So far this pregnancy has been giving me all the symptoms a pregnant women can have and I didn’t know if it was my age or that it could have been a girl. Well whatever the case may be it has all been worth it. Now, I am mentally preparing myself for the delivery part because they say the third baby comes out even faster. Yikes! If you’re reading this, I just want to say thank you for the sweet comments, DM’s and text messages I have gotten during this journey. I have really appreciated all the love.
Here are some photos I wanted to share, since I don’t want to over post on my social media. hahaha.
We’ve got a Secret!
Well, if you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve probably noticed I have been a little MIA. Reason is because we’ve been going through some changes. We are happy and ecstatic to announce that we are expecting baby #3! The truth is, I haven’t been feeling all too well and this pregnancy has pretty much left me with no energy to do much of anything. As you all know, I am a mama of 2 active little boys, so any energy I do have, is dedicated to them and my mommy duties. This time around has really made me appreciate my first pregnancy. I miss the days of when I could take naps in the afternoon. *Sigh*
Nevertheless, we are so happy and it’s been an answered prayer of ours. Without getting into too many details, (I have a blog post coming soon), we had a miscarriage in February of this year. So this is indeed our “rainbow baby” and for that reason I am so thankful for God’s grace and protection thus far.
I knew there was going to be a few challenges going into the pregnancy but in my mind I thought “I’ve got this”, since my other pregnancies were manageable with medication for the nausea. Boy, I was so wrong! This has surely been the most challenging pregnancy and it’s been getting the best of me. Could it be that I am getting older? Who knows! But now, I am in my second trimester and I finally have a sense of relief and am feeling better.
Telling the Kids
The day we told the boys was an unforgettable one. The four of us shared such a sweet moment. Giving them the good news will always be one of my favorite memories. Their little faces were gleaming with joy. I mean, they’ve only been asking me for a baby for the last 2 years now. (See the video below). So far everyone is on team girl but we know that if it’s a boy we will be just as happy. So happy our other child “Coby” was able to make it on the video.
”I prayed for this child” 1 Samuel 1:27 / We cant wait to know the gender of this little one, so stay tuned.
