What?! We're pregnant???

Definitely not the words I thought I'd ever say...

Clue #1 - On the way home from an out-of-town trip, I burst into tears because I was hungry and we had skipped lunch.  Um, not normal.

Clue #2 - I could smell every ingredient in Harlan's lunch from the other end of the house.

Clue #3 - I put away an entire bowl of Pho for dinner one night.  Have you seen the size of those bowls?

Clue #4 - Hugs became excruciatingly painful.  That's all the detail I can give there...

Each time something strange would happen, I'd toss it aside.  I mean, we were just 6 weeks out from our ectopic pregnancy.  These were most likely phantom symptoms and my mind was playing tricks on me.  After a week or so, I decided to stop worrying and just take a pregnancy test. 

And I almost fainted...

IT WAS POSITIVE!!!

Panic set in almost immediately, so I grabbed the phone and called my doctor.  Could a baby survive after my body had endured the painful effects of a Methotrexate shot for the ectopic pregnancy?  Would everything be okay?  My doctor requested I immediately go to the lab for blood work and scheduled an ultrasound.  I have never been more terrified as I waited for the results!

Then, the call came.  "Congratulations!  Your HCG and Progesterone look great, and according to the numbers, you're almost 6 weeks pregnant."  WHAT?  No. Way.

The next day, we headed to the doctor for an ultrasound.  What did we see?  A precious gestational sac and yolk sac.  There wasn't a dry eye in the place.  My doctor's words:  "I'm speechless".  Praise you, Jesus!  You leave us speechless because You are SO GOOD. 

I was measuring closer to 5 weeks, so we were still too early to see a heartbeat.  We scheduled another ultrasound for a week later, and it was the slowest week of my life! When the day finally arrived, I prepared myself for the reality that there could be no heartbeat.  I prayed every moment on that exam table, and then I heard those amazing words:  "There's the heartbeat!"  Oh, thank you Lord, for creating such an extraordinary miracle, and a precious heartbeat going at 123 bpm. Normal.  Healthy.

My doctor cried.  I got hugs from nurses, including the one who helped us get through our previous pregnancy.  Harlan and I cried.  That little flickering heartbeat brings me to tears every time I think about it.

In 2 weeks, we go back to the fertility center one last time to check on the baby's progress.  At that point, the chance of miscarriage goes down to less than 3% and I'll be turned back over to my regular OB. 

2 more weeks.  This experience opens up a whole new realm of faith, a whole new reliance and trust that God will protect our little one, help him/her grow strong, and hopefully be in our arms in 7 months or so.  We continue to cry out to Him.  Will you pray with us?

So, to sum it up, we're pregnant!  Naturally pregnant, without any crazy drugs, IUI's, surgeries, or ovulation tests.   It happened just a few short weeks after the loss of our first little Elam.  Baby Elam #2 is due to arrive in early October. Can you believe it?  To God be all the glory.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory... in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21