And 1 more makes 4! (sorry - it's REEEALLY long)

February 6, 2011~
So - it all started out pretty innocently :)  As always, right?  We went to pick up my birth control and my "discount card" had expired and my birth control that was normally $24 was now going to be $55.  UM.  No thank you.  The pharmacist gave me a number to call to possibly get a new discount card and OF COURSE every time I tried to call that day and the next, it was not during their "normal hours of business."  So - Chris had mentioned the night we went to pick up my BC that maybe I should just "not take it" and we'll see what happens.  Well, based on our previous experience,  it's not rocket science that if I get off BC, I will have a baby, and probably soon!  I talked to God a lot.  I kept asking questions - questioning my all-knowing God.  I gave him every reason in the book why exactly I should NOT have a child yet.  It weighed on my mind heavy for the next 24 hours - I prayed about it non stop - and then... something just... CLICKED.     God gave me a TOTAL peace about the entire situation and I truly felt Him tell me over and over for an entire few days.... "I know the plans I have for you..."  "Trust"  "Do not worry"....  So - I put the entire situation in His hands - and when it was supposed to happen - it would.  Well, a few nights later (after still not getting my BC from the pharmacy) I pulled out my bottle of prenatal vitamins that hadn't been opened in over a year from when I was still breastfeeding Parker, I dusted off the bottle, then popped one in my mouth.  I still wasn't completely sure I wanted to start "trying" just yet.  But I was OK with it happening whenever God wanted it to.  After setting my glass of water down after swallowing the vitamin, I remember Chris just looking at me and smiling.  And I smiled back.

February 13~ 
We go out to eat for Valentine's Day and actually TALK for the first time about life as a family of 4.  Chris was totally at ease with the entire situation.  And a few hours after our dinner, I was too.  We didn't want our kids to be more than a few years apart and our original plan of waiting until we were more financially stable kind of went out the door because I'm not sure it's possible to ever be financially stable enough for kids!  You just do what you can - do it wisely - all while honoring God.  We left that evening - deciding we would start trying - or better words - to just let it happen on it's own.


Some time the week of February 13-19, 2011~
Well - 1 week later - I was pregnant!  Yes - a LITTLE quicker than I had imagined.  Of course - I didn't OFFICIALLY know I was pregnant - but I KNEW.  Within a few days after we conceived - my body starting telling me that I was pregnant.  Pregnancy is an amazing experience that God gives to women - and I feel so blessed to be able to experience it.  After experience it already once before, I feel like my body recognized conception immediately and started to make changes even faster.  But what is so amazing about it, is that I felt the changes. I felt God working my body... preparing my uterus to grow a human being.

For the next week, we just talked about pregnancy, and starting a new life with a family of 4, and all the fun stuff - but of course we didn't know FOR SURE - even though I pretty much knew - but Chris was pretty skeptical.

March 2, 2011~
About a week and a half after we conceived, it was TIME!  Time to take a pregnancy test - because Lord knows I couldn't wait 3 more days to see if my cycle came along!  Well - I did the dirty deed (peed on a stick) and it was totally negative - no pink line - nada.  And - I was really bummed!  I kind of thought that if it was negative, I would be a "little" relieved that I had some more time.... well I wasn't!  I was sad - and a little embarrassed that I had been going on and on for the past 2 weeks about how I was DEFINITELY pregnant.  So - that night - I broke the news to Chris that the test was negative and we didn't dwell on it too much - we knew it may take a few months, maybe years, after being off BC for us to get pregnant.

Well - that night - I had a DREAM - a REALLY crazy dream.  I won't bore you with the details, but it was nuts.  I had crazy dreams when I was pregnant with Parker - so I just really started to feel skeptical that maybe it was just too soon to get a positive reading from a pregnancy test.  But - I was sure I didn't have any more tests stashed away under my counter and I wasn't going to worry about it too much.  I could wait a few more days to see if my cycle started.

March 3, 2011 (the next morning) ~
I get up from bed and go to the bathroom and while I'm sitting there I LITERALLY heard a voice (in my head) to look in the trash can.  And I did!  I see the box with the test I had taken the day before and there was ANOTHER test in there!  I had thrown away a perfectly good - unused test!  Well - I was just finishing up my morning pee and I knew there was NUTHIN' else in my bladder so I'd have to wait til later in the day to take the test.  Then - I see the test I had taken the morning before and I felt God tell me to pick it up.  I looked at it again - and I nearly fell OFF the toilet.

IT.

WAS.

POSITIVE!

I jumped off the toilet, totally forgot to wipe (ew, I knew) and started dancing around in the bathroom!  I immediately prayed and instead of praying the almost depressing prayer I prayed when I first found out I was pregnant with Parker, this was a prayer full of THANKS JESUS and YAY GOD and GOD YOU ARE AMAZING and THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS CHILD and THANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT!

Before I left the house, I remembered to grab some iron on transfer paper I had bought when my nephew Jac was born (like 4 years ago) so that I could make some iron on letters for one of Parker's shirts that said, "Big Brother" to tell the big news to Chris that afternoon after work!

I drank about 2 gallons of water in the next hour and as soon as I got to work I did a few things and then went to the bathroom.  Well - about 2 seconds after I sat down to pee - I realized I forgot to bring the pregnancy test into the bathroom!  DOH!  There was NO stopping the 2 gallons of water I had drank that morning from coming out of me so that I could go run and get the test sitting in my backpack under my desk.  UGH!  So - the first thing I did after peeing was run downstairs to the water cooler to get MORE WATER!  I drank non stop for about 10-15 minutes then ran back to the bathroom to take my last test!

IT.

WAS.

POSITIVE!

Faint - but positive nonetheless!

Awesome.  I then ran back to my desk to call Chris because there was no way I was going to be able to wait til that afternoon to tell him!  I begged him to take me out to lunch cause I was craving nasty Mexican food.  Well - he wanted to - but had a meeting he couldn't break.  UGH!  It took everything I had to not tell him over the phone - or over a text - but this very well may be the last time that I will ever be able to tell my husband that I'm pregnant so I wanted it to be IN PERSON.

So - the rest of the day - I got ABSOLUTELY  nothing done at work (except make the iron-on transfer letters to iron on to one of P's shirts when I got home).  I did some data entry - but what normally takes me like 10 minutes - took me about 5 hours.  I went ahead and booked all my doctor's appointments for later that month.

So I leave work a few minutes early and call Chris to tell him I can't pick Park up from day care because I have to run some "errands" (a.k.a. rush home to make a "Big Brother" shirt for Parker).  I finish JUST in time and as soon as Chris pulls into the garage I run out and grab Parker and say "Ew- you're stinky!  Let's go change you!"  So - I run upstairs and put on THE SHIRT and come back downstairs.  Well - Chris was nowhere to be found.  I yell out in the garage and no answer.  (UGH!  I AM FREAKING OUT HERE!)  So - he finally answers and asks what I want and I say "I NEED HELP - COME INSIDE!"  I guess he was talking to some neighbors in between yards and I am guessing he rolled his eyes then headed on inside (Good boy, Chris.)

So, he walks in and I'm sitting on the floor with Parker.  I was hoping Parker would run and give Chris a hug, well instead he runs in the opposite direction and runs head first into the lazy boy chair (one of his favorite things to do... boys....).  Well - Park turns around and Chris just gets this BIG smile on his face and says, "WHAT IS HE WEARING?!"  No!  No way!  What is he wearing!  No!  What?  You lied to me last night?"  I am just sitting on the ground smiling and I explain that I didn't lie to him - but that I looked at the test again that day and

IT.

WAS.

POSITIVE!

To which he exclaimed, "NO HILLARY!  THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

To which I exclaim, "YES IT IS AND I HAVE TAKEN MORE TESTS!"

We started to jump up and down and dance around the living room like two crazy people!  Literally - we just danced and danced and jumped up and down for about 10 minutes.  I could NOT stop laughing the entire time!  He picked me up and hugged me and kissed me and we danced with Parker (he was loving it!)  We then told Parker that mommy had a baby in her belly and he was going to be a BIG BROTHER!  Well - he then began to pull down my shirt (from the neck - not the belly) and say "I found it!  I found it! In here!!"  Too cute.

Anyway - we had our Growth Group coming to our house in the next hour and we had to clean up and get every thing ready - so we changed P's clothes and tried to calm ourselves down - but I KNOW I was glowing all night.  It was SOOOOO hard to keep the secret!

(So - a lot of this explains some major changes we put into affect in late February / early March.  We moved Parker to day care to save money and we got rid of our puppy, Bella!)

It's March 8 today as I'm writing this - and I have this post scheduled to post on April 10, 2011.... BECAUSE - we are not going to make it "public news" until we are able to tell all our friends who are able to make the party.

So - as of now - Chris and I are keeping our little "secret" and even though it's hard - it's REALLY fun to just have the news between us right now.  So yeah - it's HARD because I REALLY just want to shout it from the rooftops - but right now - it's just OUR news and we are enjoying every private minute together talking about it and planning for our future!

There are a few things I've already decided with this pregnancy - I'm going to try to have a VBAC - I just don't want another c-section.  I hated the first one.  So - I've switched doctors to "The VBAC doctor, Dr. Tate, and of course - it will fall into God's hands on what happens.  But I believe I've got to do my part, too.  So - I am!  We also are not going to find out the sex!  You'll all have to suffer right along with me for the next 7-ish months to see what we'll have!

Wow - God is so good.  He is worthy.  He is amazing.  And right about now - (the day I'm writing this post - not the day you're reading this) I have a little BABY about the size of a SESAME seed in my belly.  And it's ALREADY growing organs and a heart and that little heart will start beating ANY DAY NOW.

I have to say that I DO realize how incredibly BLESSED I am to be able to carry my child. My heart aches for my friends who are unable to conceive.  I cannot even attempt to understand the mind of our God.  But I don't take this responsibility of having a child lightly - I know the blessing that has been given to me.  I don't take it for granted.

OK - the LAST of the baby news - I am due on 11/11/11!  I couldn't have planned it better if I tried!

See y'all!  :)  XO-Hillary, Chris, Parker AND baby Hull #2!