Wednesday, November 30, 2011

4 days apart.

Okay, so like I mentioned in my last post, the story of baby Hawthorne on the way is really quite fascinating and it has been driving me a little crazy holding it in for the last several weeks.

I guess I kind of wanted to give myself a bit of time through the first trimester before announcing it, but, finally I realized, I would rather tell people sooner and ask for prayer for a healthy baby than not tell anyone and if for some reason God had other plans for the little love the size of a blueberry inside me, then well, at least I would have a lot of other shoulders to lean on. Just my preference I suppose.

So here goes, the story I've been holding in for weeks!

And like I mentioned... if the talk of baby making, menstrual cycles and the such make you want to run for the hills, go ahead and do so now. lol! The rest of you, I'm so excited to share!!

Okay, so this goes back to October...before Halloween to be exact. Hubby and I have always talked about having another baby, but we never really knew when God's timing would be. Addyson was a bit of a surprise 6 months into our marriage, and Sawyer we tried one month and that was all it took. So after Sawyer, we knew we really had to be careful unless we were hoping to be the next Duggar family. Which as far as I know is not God's plan for us. lol.

So one evening after kids were in bed, we had a glass of wine, and were talking about the thought of having another little love running around and really got excited about the idea...and well... in so many words... we decided to give it a whirl. The next day we kinda laughed, and thought, well... maybe we should wait a few months before really trying because we just don't know yet what God's plan is for another baby for us. Let's just say, there would be no more waiting. lol. And just for the record I have no idea why for some people God allows them to get pregnant by basically looking at each other, and for others it takes all kinds of methods, even medical help to do so. I just think we all have our own battles, and lessons that the Lord is teaching us, and he uses different circumstances for different people. One of those things we will never fully understand.

Well, this is where the idea of being pregnant kind of took a different turn. My sister and her husband {and yes I have full permission to post this} with whom I am best friends with, had been trying for a baby for several months at this time... 8 to be exact. My sister and I live in the same community, are 14 months apart and have been attached at the hip our entire lives. Along with our youngest sister, who we are desperately are trying to get to move to our community as well, that just got married in September. 


The morning I got the two pink lines was a Sunday and it was the first time I actually got to tell John in person that I was pregnant! I told him over the phone with Addyson, because I was basically in a panick when I found out, and with Sawyer, I was actually out-of-state visiting family on the east coast when I found out, so once again it was over the phone. So this time around it was an exciting moment that we shared and we just kind of hugged and stared at each other and laughed. That's all we could think about doing. We couldn't believe that one time in "danger zone" and here we were.

Then it set in.. all I could think about was how nervous I was to tell my sister. I was so excited, and yet, so torn that finding out I was pregnant was probably going to discourage her greatly. I know in talking to several friends over the years that there comes a point when you are trying to get pregnant and the more people you find out about that are getting pregnant around you, the harder it gets for you to feel excited. It just makes you want that so much more... I have always felt their pain, even though I couldn't relate. I could completely understand their emotions though. It made sense. All in God's timing takes on a different meaning. You wonder if it ever will be God's timing..

So I told her first thing and we both had a lot of silent moments on the phone. She was so happy for us, and like I feared, so discouraged. It was bittersweet. I wrote a post called bitter vs. sweet that day. You can read it here. I cried. A lot.

Then the thoughts started coming in like waves... why did we even "try" knowing my sister was trying? I have a lot of friends that have been trying... am I just being insensitive? Why am I the one being blessed with another baby when all I want is for my sister and her husband to have this joy? I just knew the enemy was trying to rob me of my joy, but I couldn't stop the guilt. I spent a day crying and battling it out with God. I felt like the waves of questions were attacks. I felt horrible. Not exactly the way you think your first few days finding out your pregnant are supposed to go. Plus, not to mention the hormones that are completely out of whack now. Oh Lordy!

I just started praying. 

My husband started praying. 

My mom, my dad, my youngest sister and her husband started praying. 

A handful of friends started praying.

I truly felt the only way that my sister and I were going to feel peace in that moment was for her to be pregnant. Soon. Maybe before I was in my second trimester I was hoping. Or at least before I had the baby.

Like I said, I found out I was pregnant on Sunday and I knew her cycle {of course us sisters talk about this kind of stuff, and funny thing was how close our cycles have gotten since living .7 miles apart} and she would know on Wednesday if she was. All I could do to stop the attacks of guilt was to pray..

Tuesday morning came and by God's will alone, my sister got PREGNANT written across her digital test for the first time ever. Shocked is not the adequate word. This was even a day early!

God answered our prayers with YES, NOW. I am crying just thinking about it. 

I cannot tell you the emotions of that day. Words don't do it any justice. Our family rejoiced and praised God and laughed. It was the most amazing thing to see a prayer answered that quickly.

We calculated our due dates and found out we are due FOUR days apart. How insane is that?! We just started laughing imagining that we very well could be in the hospital at the SAME time! Imaging our families running from room to room... the husbands checking in on each other seeing how the other is holding up... what the heck we could even share a room! Well, maybe a curtain in between for "GO" time. LOL. It seriously sounded like a scene you might see on reality T.V. Obviously we have no idea how that last month will play out for each of us, but it's going to be awesome. And I'm so, so excited that I happen to be blogging now so I can document this adventure, because that's definitely what it's going to be. An adventure.

It's amazing to look back at the whirlwind of emotions... God had this from the beginning. Like this little picture mentions so perfectly, in my time of utter despair and guilt and confusion, God had something better in mind. Us being pregnant together was something we had never really imagined. Something I don't feel like we ever could have planned ourselves. At least not successfully. lol.


Now we are texting and calling each other every day, checking in on each other's painful boobs and tired state. Sending each other pics of our bumps that hardly even exist yet, and reading The Girlfriends Guide to pregnancy together.

We keep telling my youngest sister to drink the water and join us... but as a happy newlywed she is determined to wait. Darn! ;)

You better believe we will be visiting this place again as our growing bumps demand more food! LOL!



I just am thanking God for this gift of giving us each other as we go through what is very likely my last pregnancy and her first TOGETHER.

And our hubby's are just a tad thrilled about it too....

They already are practicing their before and afters. Love it!  



 This picture even makes me forget my morning sickness for a moment because I laugh so hard looking at it. 

Oh man. Love those guys!!

This is gonna be a fun road ahead.


Photobucket


{Linking up here}


31 comments:

  1. Heather this is such a cute, funny, heartful, amazing post!! I seriously can't wait to follow you (and now your sister) on this journey!! I worry that I may be in the same position as you someday soon. My sister and her husband are about to start trying for a baby at the beginning of the new year and she has had lots of cysts and issues with her cycles since she was younger. We want to start trying in the fall and I pray often that she will get pregnant before me. Part of me tries to tell myself I shouldn't worry because A. It hasn't happened yet and B. God will give me a child when it is supposed to happen and if it is before my sister, then it is meant to be. This post gave me encouragement and I will continue to pray for my sister to become pregnant soon! Gosh I am so excited for you. I truly mean that!

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  2. HEATHER! this is such a beautiful happy post! God always knows how to take care of us and giving you both little bundles just days apart...wow! that's so incredible! I am so happy for you!! <3 how special is that!! xoxo

    http://livelaughandlovealwaysss.blogspot.com/

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  3. That is such a great story! How exciting!! My sister-in-law and I have similar plans of when we'd like to start trying and I always have a feeling that this may be us one day :) How cute! I am so happy for you and extremely happy for your sister, she must have been feeling so frustrated. Your kids are going to be great buddies! : ) Congratulations!

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  4. Heather, how awesome is that?! What a blessing!

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  5. Wow! this gave me chills!!!! thank you so much for sharing this story!! i love your heart, heather! your sensitivity to others is amazing!!! even though we have only been trying a little over a month, i am already feeling discouraged. i know that sounds lame. but you're right, when you want it, the topic becomes a "hot" one, when you hear of others getting preggers right and left (and even of those that DON'T want it and/or are unmarried, etc)... i know God has big plans of us. i just can't help but feel like after everything we've been through the past couple of years, i don't "deserve" to go through another trial again (of not being able to get pregnant)... I know this sounds SO LAME and i'm literally just writing out my thoughts. Heck, I could be pregnant right now for all I know. just wanted to say thank you for your transparency and i pretty much thing you are amazing!! i am so beyond happy for you guys!!!!!!!! whoohoo!!!!!!!!!

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  6. Hi Heather! New follower here form the blog hop :) Thank you so much for joining us! Hope you have a great day!

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  7. I'm excited for you guys! It will be awesome. Looking forward to the posts to come!

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  8. wow, what a testament! i love that you will get to share this special time with your sister. i sort of got to do that too with my sister (though she lived 560 miles away--thank you Lord for Skype). i LOVE your blog thanks for sharing your story :)

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  9. OH my this is the story I would read in one of those Love fictional books! This is amazing.. God is amazing his plans are always far greater than what we could have ever imagined!Congrats to the both of you!!

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  10. Hello Heather!

    This post is just great. I love it. And I feel everything you are saying here. It's weird how and why God gives us what He does, but there's a reason, somewhere in there. My husband and I are the "look at each other and get pregnant" type, and we really wish we weren't, because our economic standing is not something you want to bring a child, let alone three, into (and believe me, we tried everything short of abstinence and I still got pregnant) but here we are with three beautiful daughters all under the age of three and although we are struggling heavily every single day just to survive...they make it worth it.

    Also, my brother and I are only 14 months apart in age too!

    I'm your newest follower, and I'm looking forward to reading more from you.

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  11. congrats! that is so special. you girls will have so much fun planning for your future "littles."

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  12. Just started reading your blog, what an amazing story! You *must* keep us all updated, how fun to be pregnant with your sister! :)

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  13. wow. such a great story. God does work in mysterious ways but if you have faith you will find peace and comfort. I'm so happy for you and your sister!!

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  14. Hello, hello! I'm a new follower and just came across your blog today. I don't have a facebook either, so that is what made me want to come read. I'm so very happy for you and your sister!!! Praying everything goes smoothly and well.

    xo. chelsea
    www.happybowlucky.blogspot.com

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  15. Sooooo exciting!!! What a fun/amazing experience to share!!! <3

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  16. When my hubby and I were trying to get pregnant for a year with our first a good friend of mine got pregnant without even trying. I was so happy for her but I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. Within three weeks, we found out I too was pregnant. God truly does have a plan. We are so lucky that we got to go through our pregnancies together and our kids are so close in age. :) You guys will have so much fun!

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  17. oh heather... what a beautiful story. thanks so much for sharing. and as being one that is "waiting" for my own time to come it's encouraging to read your story of answered prayers.

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  18. This is quite the post to introduce me to your blog! :) Congratulations to you AND your sister! That is pretty awesome and amazing to me. I've read that it's a bajillion times easier to get pregnant the 2nd, 3rd, etc. time around. I guess you've just proven it! haha. I'm so happy to have come to your blog. Can't wait to read more!

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  19. This touched my heart Heather! I am so excited for you, your sisters, and your incredibly funny husbands. God works in mysterious ways. We never know the reason for things that happen in our lives. Perhaps God really wanted the two of you to be pregnant together...and now you are! :) It's beyond exciting and just proves that God is at constant work in our lives, providing for us, and giving us the things He knows are best for us. Cannot wait to follow you on this journey! So excited for you!

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  20. How Cute is that! Congrats! new to the blog! love it!

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  21. Wow, God is GOOD!!! Congratulations on your wonderful news! This post was very touching! I just started following your blog and I absolutely love it! :)

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  22. This is my first time stopping by your blog & I'm in tears! I'm so happy for your family! How sweet it will be for those little cousins to grow up together with this story behind it all. :)

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  23. Yayy for Chandra!! What an exciting time for your families :-)

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  24. Oh wow, that is awesome!! I'm so happy for you both! :)

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  25. Good morning Heather...WOW...what a wonderful story and I will be praying that you both have wonderful pregnancies!...Thanks for sharing such a personal post...You are so right about God's plan for us..we had 2 daughters 18 months apart and once the girls were 3 & 4, we dicided to try for one more... for years wanted one more child..it didn't happen........until 6 years later when we didn't expect it and definitely were not trying for...She is the BIGGEST blessing of all of our lives!..our children are now 18, 16 1/2 and 6. The baby was born 10 years to the day on our middle daughters birthday (who was present for the birth of her baby sister)...Blessings to you and your sister...I will be follwoing along and am happy to do so....Have a wonderful weekend, Mariaelena

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  26. This is so cute. I can't believe you and your sister are pregnant together. What amazing luck. Congratulations to the both of you.
    http://beingmama.com/
    http://ohsoprettylife.blogspot.com/

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  27. I recently happened upon your blog and just LOVE IT! Congratulations to you and your sister:)...so exciting. I am looking forward to reading more!

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  28. AHH! Tears!! How beautiful and wonderful!! :) I love your heart and cannot wait to hear more about BOTH of your journeys! :)

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  29. Congrats! What an awesome story!! God is so good! So glad I found your blog! Your newest follower!!

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  30. this is the best post i have read all day!!congrats.im a new follower.well just joined and am looking forward to reading more!!!if you d like you should check out my blog!!

    http://justthe3ofus-mary.blogspot.com/

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  31. This is such a great story...I had a really close friendship fall apart because I got pregnant and my friend did not (she still hasn't, my lil girl is 2 now and I've even had another baby since). We haven't talked since before my first daughter was born because she was so hurt by my pregnancy. It was really hard (still is) and I've prayed about it a lot. I'm so glad that you and your sister have been blessed in this way! I still continue to pray that God will bless my friend with a baby, but you are right everything is in His timing. So happy for you and your sister, what fun to be pregnant together :D

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I'm blessed by your sweet words!

They inspire and encourage me to keep sharing my story...

Thank you.

♥Heather