Number 3

We are blessed and excited to be expecting our 3rd child. I've found I haven't wanted to share this baby with others but just keep her to ourselves, families and close friends. Partly I don't want to hear that this is our second child, because she's not. I have been pregnant with, and delivered, two other babies. We may not have gotten to keep our second child with us, nor did I get to carry him as long as I wanted, but I think about him every day. I also don't want people to think that this baby replaces Zephaniah. She can't. Each of our children are unique, created individually by our Creator. We had dreams for our family that could never be a reality from the moment we lost Zeph. 

The day we found out - Jotham didn't know he just thought we were taking pictures for fun. Also note Waylon's belly started out bigger than mine. 61/2, 8 and 10 Weeks.

11, 12, 13 and 14 Weeks

We do understand that most people will view her as our second child. And sometimes I can't help myself but to say actually this is our third baby. Other times I just acknowledge that yes we're having another child. Jotham will randomly tell people our first baby died when telling them about our new baby (since to Jotham, Zeph was our first baby).

16, 17 and 18 Weeks

19 and 20 Weeks

Pregnancy after loss is also a very different journey. We've had no choice but to realize that there is no guarantee we'll get to bring this baby home. Getting through the first 14 weeks and 2 days was hard. We had ultrasounds at almost 9 and 13 weeks and though they gave us assurance that our baby was growing as she should be, it still didn't make passing those milestone's any easier. Getting baby things ready has been harder to do too. I'm still not quite ready to get her room set up and we've only got 9 weeks left. We are getting things together, I even bought outfits to bring her home in, and will hopefully have everything else ready in time. 

21, 23.5 and 25.5 Weeks

I have been feeling movements since our baby was around 10 weeks, and they have continued to get stronger and more often. I have heard her precious heartbeat and we have seen her heart beating multiple times on ultrasound screens.  We have seen kicks and wiggles, and watched our baby try to put her thumb in her mouth. We can now see her movements as my whole belly moves while she tries to get comfy. We know that each day with her is a gift. We have hope that this precious baby will get to be a part of our earthly family.

25.5, 26.5 (Mother's Day) and 27 Weeks

When Jotham and I were in BC he very excitedly let everyone know that he was getting a sister. He likes to say that he was right. Jotham prayed specifically for a sister and God answered that prayer with a yes. The best moment of our trip was on my birthday, when Jotham felt his little sister kick. The look of shock and sheer delight on his face was so precious. He was so excited to have finally felt her move. He often cuddles my belly (or as he says with his sister) and tells her that he loves her and that she's so cute. 

31 Weeks and 1 day

We are so thankful for the prayers and support of our friends and family. We are excited to meet our baby girl and to hold her in our arms later this summer....