Some of you already know this news, but probably some of you don’t. About 3 weeks ago I discovered that we are expecting another child! I was in shock for a few days and even after that was not sure how excited I was about the whole thing. It took awhile to reprogram my attitudes and plans to allow for another baby. But slowly as the news has got out, I’ve become more excited about the whole thing. I will be honest and say that I am NOT looking forward to another labor and delivery and I’m NOT looking forward to postpartum depression and weeks of sleepless nights, but I also know that we will get through because we have to. š I have learned through my experiences that God does not give us new things without giving us the strength to handle them.
I went to the doctor today to date the pregnancy and to make sure things looked good. I had a slight fear that I would show up and the doctor would tell me I wasn’t even pregnant. But right away when he put the ultrasound wand on my stomach you could see the gestational sack. It was larger than I expected and there was a little lump in the bottom with a little flicker of a heartbeat. That definitely makes it feel more real. Everything looks good and the baby is measuring at 8 weeks exactly. That is a little farther along than I expected. My due date is November 14, just a few days before Will turns 16 months old.
This pregnancy actually explains some things that have happened with Will in the past few weeks as well. I had really been struggling with nursing and finally gave up and am only nursing him once a day. Knowing that I was pregnant for some of that time makes me feel better about the struggle and my perceived diminishing milk supply.
We are all doing well, yet busy. I am feeling sick quite a bit of the time, but really not that bad compared to Will’s pregnancy. I am extremely tired though! Yesterday I was able to take two naps and Elise just looked at me and said “Are you going to sleep there all day?” Then when I told her I wanted to lay down again, she was quick to inform me that I had ALREADY had TWO naps and that was ridiculous! š She is a big helper though, and should be a great help through this pregnancy and beyond.
Speaking of Elise, I had told my families before I told her. So while I was out of town, of course someone mentioned it to her and she was so confused. She argued tooth and nail that I couldn’t have another baby. She had a whole list of great reasons too: Will is just a baby, Mommy’s tummy isn’t big enough, she’s in Texas right now, . . . When I finally told her after I got back, she was thrilled and of course accepted my word for it quite readily. She did say that she would prefer a sister over another brother, not because she doesn’t like Will, but because she’d just like another girl around.

Congratulations! God’s timing IS always surprising and we rejoice with you in this new little life. How thankful we are that you both are healthy. May God continue to give you physical and emotional stamina and may He prepare Elise and Will for the arrival of their new sibling. November 14 is PERFECT….that is our son Andrew’s birthday!
Praying for your family always,
the Mindemans
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