This post is a continuation of a series I started after Jonah was born:
I thought it would be fun to take the time to share the story of how we decided to have each of our kids, starting with our first little blessing, Ellie. In sharing each of these stories, I hope to share my belief that when to have children and how many to have is a personal decision between a husband, wife, and the Lord. I have a very real testimony that the Lord does have a unique plan for each of His children, and often the Lord's plan for us is not what we may have imagined. And, most likely, His plan for you is not the same as His plan for me. And that's ok.
PART 1 HERE, PART 2 HERE, PART 3 HERE
Starting when Jonah was about two months old, every so often the thought would pop into my mind: "Someone is missing." I didn't bring those thoughts up to Sam, though, until Jonah was 4 months old. When I brought it up he told me that when Jonah was only two weeks old he had the feeling that our next baby was ready to come to our family soon, but of course two weeks postpartum wasn't the right time to share the news. That settled it. My recovery after having Jonah had been the easiest and fastest of any of my kids so far, and I was feeling great physically and emotionally. We looked forward to another pregnancy, and especially getting to meet our next little blessing.
On May 1, 2015 - when Jonah was 13 months old - I found out I was pregnant again. Sam was out working in the yard with the kids, and when I showed him the pregnancy test he picked me up and spun me around. We were so excited!
Around 9 weeks I started to have some spotting, which scared me and had me emotionally preparing for the worst, but at the first ultrasound we heard the happy sound of a tiny heart beating and saw a healthy little baby growing. What a relief.
At this point we shared the news with friends and family. I had already started to show, so it was getting too obvious to wait any longer!
It was new for me to not be in school or working during this pregnancy, and I enjoyed being home - though I think the lack of the strict daily schedule I had during college made it a little harder because I wasn't so easily distracted from my morning sickness. I always forget between pregnancies how hard morning sickness is, not just on me, but on the entire family - especially Sam. He picks up most of what I normally do on top of his already packed days. He's amazing.
In August we found out we were having a little boy. Ellie was disappointed at first because she really wanted a sister - she prayed daily asking for a sister, actually - but she quickly became excited about the whole thing.
I thought it would be fun to take the time to share the story of how we decided to have each of our kids, starting with our first little blessing, Ellie. In sharing each of these stories, I hope to share my belief that when to have children and how many to have is a personal decision between a husband, wife, and the Lord. I have a very real testimony that the Lord does have a unique plan for each of His children, and often the Lord's plan for us is not what we may have imagined. And, most likely, His plan for you is not the same as His plan for me. And that's ok.
PART 1 HERE, PART 2 HERE, PART 3 HERE
Starting when Jonah was about two months old, every so often the thought would pop into my mind: "Someone is missing." I didn't bring those thoughts up to Sam, though, until Jonah was 4 months old. When I brought it up he told me that when Jonah was only two weeks old he had the feeling that our next baby was ready to come to our family soon, but of course two weeks postpartum wasn't the right time to share the news. That settled it. My recovery after having Jonah had been the easiest and fastest of any of my kids so far, and I was feeling great physically and emotionally. We looked forward to another pregnancy, and especially getting to meet our next little blessing.
On May 1, 2015 - when Jonah was 13 months old - I found out I was pregnant again. Sam was out working in the yard with the kids, and when I showed him the pregnancy test he picked me up and spun me around. We were so excited!
Around 9 weeks I started to have some spotting, which scared me and had me emotionally preparing for the worst, but at the first ultrasound we heard the happy sound of a tiny heart beating and saw a healthy little baby growing. What a relief.
At this point we shared the news with friends and family. I had already started to show, so it was getting too obvious to wait any longer!
It was new for me to not be in school or working during this pregnancy, and I enjoyed being home - though I think the lack of the strict daily schedule I had during college made it a little harder because I wasn't so easily distracted from my morning sickness. I always forget between pregnancies how hard morning sickness is, not just on me, but on the entire family - especially Sam. He picks up most of what I normally do on top of his already packed days. He's amazing.
In August we found out we were having a little boy. Ellie was disappointed at first because she really wanted a sister - she prayed daily asking for a sister, actually - but she quickly became excited about the whole thing.
Ellie started preschool in the fall, and we enjoyed the holidays as they came and went, anticipating the new baby boy that would join our family after Christmas.
My due date of January 1 passed by with no baby, but our little Thomas was born on January 3, 2016.
This little boy is so loved.
What a blessing it is to have these four sweet children in our family, even though it is physically and mentally exhausting. It is amazing to see how our hearts have expanded to love each of our children individually and completely. I have always wanted a large family, but I never thought I could feel as much joy as I do in my role as a wife and mother to Sam and our four beautiful children.
I am grateful every day for the blessings God has given me in the form of my five favorite people.
