Good morning. I'm up with insomnia. Sometimes I get all paranoid and freaked out when I'm up in the wee hours--and it started out that way because I panicked thinking that baby E wasn't moving like normal...but then she did and I got in a better frame of mind. (I have at least one "freak out" per pregnancy when I think that the baby isn't ok). Anyhow, then I was thinking about the miracles that I've seen in the course of this pregnancy.
The first isn't really a miracle...it's just a coincidence, but it's worth telling anyhow. At the start of December I had a bad stiff neck for several days. I got a chiropractor referral from a friend and scheduled an appt. I knew from previous chiropractor experiences that I would be asked if I was pregnant before they did any x-rays. Since I COULD be (but didn't think that I was), I decided to buy and take a test so that I could say for sure that I wasn't (the last time I'd been to a chiro they wouldn't do them because there was a possibility, and I didn't want that to happen again). Well imagine my surprise, there in the Fred Meyer bathroom just minutes before my chiro appt, when I got a postive test result! I was a little distrustful of it, but was excited at the prospect... I had miscarried in late September, and we felt like it was a good time to have our fourth and final baby, so the pregnancy was planned and welcomed. No x-rays, but the chiropractor did a fabulous job anyhow, and if anyone wants a referral let me know!
So everything went as expected for a month and a half, and then I had cramping and bleeding. I had never bled during pregnancy, and have never bled since that day. That one day of cramping and bleeding got me in for an ultrasound (which I don't normally get at all) and I found out that I was having twins. I was 11 weeks along. Some might say this was a coincidence as well, but it wasn't. Though it took me a while to really get comfy with the idea of twins, I knew right away that it was God's will. And I also feel that the trauma of that day was a blessing in disguise because it gave me an early heads up. I was able to totally change how I eat (quinoa casserole & protein-laden smoothie, anyone?), and to be much more vigilant about things like prenatal vitamins. I don't think I would have known they were twins until 5-6 months were it not for that ultrasound.
There are other little blessings that I won't say are "miraculous" but they are still blessings:
The change of heart that I've had about my life & my last pregnancy being "hijacked" as I termed it back then. That's a big one. Sure this pregnancy isn't like the others...but it's pretty amazing in other ways. I'm getting close to having an "outtie" belly button for the first time...that's exciting all on it's own! ha ha. But seriously, I'm pretty uncomfortable considering my gestation (29.5 wks), and I'm huge (belly measurement was 38 cm at my last appt...that's pretty much full-term for a singleton), and I don't know if my hips will stay intact for the rest of the pregnancy, but the babies and I have been very healthy thus far. I've gained about 13 pounds, which is far less than any of my other pregnancies (and they are estimated 2.5# each, which is right on track). And it's pretty fun to feel kicks and bond with two babies! Plus I get to do a lot of ultrasounds, which I've never done before (except one at 6 wks with Moose to find out the due date)...it's so fun to see the babies : )
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| Take home outfits to pack in the hospital bag |
I also consider our infant seats to be a blessing (bought one and found/was given the second), but I won't bother writing out the story because this blog post is getting really long.
Lastly, the latest miracle. The kids and I were in a car accident. At first it seemed horrible-- bad damage to both cars (and I really loved my car). But no one was hurt at all (the kids didn't even seem phased by it!) and the other driver was found at fault. His insurance paid for a rental van for me to use, and they totalled out my car. (they'll also replace the kids' carseats, if needed...but I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone to do the inspection yet).
We needed to get a minivan anyhow. We didn't have a lot of money set aside for a new car this year, so the money freed up by "selling" my volvo was a huge blessing. And it was great, because HH bought the volvo at an auction for $2700. It had a lot of miles on it to begin with, and I drove it happily for almost two years. Towards the end it was starting to have some quirks that we hadn't had a chance to fix yet. Anyhow, insurance paid us $4800 (would have been more but it had 227000 miles on it). Nice easy $2000 profit (plus the initial investment that he paid for the volvo) to put towards the minivan : )
I had things that I liked about the volvo that I still wanted (leather seats most of all) and I had things that I liked about the rental that I drove for a week (remote opening slider doors!), and we were able to find a Toyota Sienna that has those specifications and runs well. It's 2001, so it is used...it has some quirks and scratches and such. We need to take it in to have a couple of things looked at/fixed, but I really am happy with it. AND it only cost us $400 out of pocket thanks to the accident.
This has been a long post...but the bottom line is that I feel very strongly that the "bonus baby" is very much part of Heavenly Father's plan for our family. Whatever may happen in the future, I know that He has been giving us blessings in disguise and helping us to be ready for these babies.
