Surprise!!

Yeah, that's a plus sign...

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl named Samantha.  She was a happy little girl with lots of toys and more love from her parents than she knew what to do with.  The only thing that Samantha could possibly dream of to make her life more complete was…

So, her parents graciously obliged her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay, so the truth.  Yes, we are expecting our second little bundle of joy!  No, it wasn’t intentional.  Who would have guessed that after 18 months of trying for our darling Lil Pea, we would find ourselves unexpectedly pregnant after one… count with me, ONE overlooked evening. 

We discovered our unexpected gift while on our beach weekend.  Richard, whose intuition knows no bounds, suggested that he was kinda thinkin’ I maybe, might be, pregnant on our drive up.  I’d also been suddenly concerned that the possibility existed.  I’d been feeling very tired, though I had attributed that to Sam’s midnight fussiness and planning/packing for our trip.  I had also been irritable (in a BIG way), crampy, bloated, and had been having a lot of pregnancy related dreams.  I assumed that this was due to my impending cycle.  Wrong!

Now, first, let me correct anyone who might think that nursing is a “get out of jail free” card against Dear Aunt Flo and pregnancy.  It is not.  I returned to my regular cycles in April (the very next month after having Samantha).  I’m not alone; there are plenty of women who return to regular cycles even though they are nursing.  Even for those that don’t, ovulation can still occur without a cycle (though the odds of getting pregnant without menstruation are only about 1% – 2%).  For the first four and a half months, I nursed exclusively.  Then Sam started eating some solid meals and was cluster feeding so much that I ended up having to supplement with a bottle of formula a day.  This is usually her midafternoon bottle, these days.  Anyway, beginning Samantha on solid foods and adding the supplement to her routine could have (probably) adjusted my progesterone levels.  Guess when I got pregnant?  Haha, about that five month mark.  But that’s my scientific explanation.

My theory on Surprise Second Babies is that the only time a new mother has the energy to have sex in the first place is when her hormones are driving her to do so.  Thus, making it more likely to have sex when ovulating.  Thus, increasing the chances of becoming pregnant.  And when it’s late and you’re tired and you’re, like, “okay, but let’s make it quick; I’m soooo tired,” these things have a way of happening.  And, there ya have it.  Surprise! 

I’ll be perfectly honest, because that’s how I roll.  At first, I was terrified and a little disappointed.  I wasn’t ready to do this all over again.  My first pregnancy was still very fresh in my mind… so was delivery!  *Ouch, ouch, ouch*  Richard and I have a lot going on right now.  We had plans to do some work to the house, paint rooms, and do some home improvement projects.  Since money is tight, our spare funds will need to be redirected to the upcoming medical costs and saving up so Richard can actually take some time off with this next birth.  Plus, I’d been doing really well with my weight loss.  I’m just about 50 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight (first baby)!  I was really hoping to keep that number going up and reach my weight goal before getting pregnant again.  And, of course, the ultimate reason was that I enjoy Samantha so much.  I really can’t get enough of her!  Was I really ready to divide my attention on another child?  Would I be able to love a second child as much as my daughter? 

So, I’m sure you can understand why I was a little bummed by the news.

But then, I started thinking about it from a different perspective.  Richard and I really liked the idea of having our children close in age.  They would be great playmates (hopefully) and hand-me-downs (if it’s a girl) would be a snap!  The clothes wouldn’t even be out of style yet, haha.  The youngest would start school only one year after Sam (which means I could go back to work sooner, if we want) and, likewise, graduate (maybe, move out!?) one year apart.  Then there’s the fact we’d be done having kids at an earlier age.  Baby #2 will arrive when I’m 32 (that’s 52 when my youngest is twenty).  That’s much more appealing that the 34 I was looking at in our earlier plan.  Don’t ask me why it makes such a difference to me, but it does.

Then there is the question of love…  How could I not fall in love with this second child?!  After all, my love for my husband grows deeper every day.  My love for Sam knows no bounds.  Surely, there will be room in my heart for yet another endless love!  I thought there was nothing on earth that could make me any happier than I am right now… I was wrong!  Having another child with the most amazing man in the world and “completing” our family is going to be a wonderful experience!  I can see us now, all snuggled together on the sofa watching a movie or watching our kids excitedly open their Christmas gifts.  I can see us all going to the park for a picnic and Richard teaching them to ride their bikes in our cul de sac. 

So, at the end of the day, I’m excited.  I’m thrilled really.  No, it didn’t happen as planned.  But I believe new life is a wonderful blessing and I can’t wait to meet our next child.  After all, the first one’s perfect – it stands to reason the second one will be, too!  Haha!

And now, the business of being pregnant… again…

We have our dating ultrasound on the 24^th, but we seem to be about 9 weeks along based on my last cycle and “the feel of my uterus” at our first OB appointment.  My sugars this go ‘round have actually been running rather low.  I’m mostly within normal ranges with the exception of a few drops into the 60’s.  I’m absolutely exhausted, weak, nauseated, and an emotional basket case.  I’ve sobbed at commercials and raged at my hubby.  While I had a tiny taste of all of those things with Samantha, I am feeling them 10 fold with this pregnancy.  I am to start iron supplements, asap. 

I’ve only seen one doctor from the practice I went to with Sam, but she seemed pleased with my numbers and said if they continue to stay normal and my three month test comes back normal I won’t have to continue testing (until they do a later glucose test).  Fingers crossed!  They were pleased with my weight loss so far, though it’s not where they wanted me to be either.  Not much I can do about that, but keep on keeping on. 

The one thing they wanted me to do is to wean Sam, since I’m still nursing.  I’ve resisted.  I told her that we’re already introducing her to solids and generally supplement one (sometimes two) bottles a day.  I’d really rather not give up the nursing I have left.  She cautioned me against uterine contractions, which I’ve felt but they have lessened.  So for now, she’s not pushing me to stop and I’m not inclined to do so.  As we add the next meal to her diet, my nursing with be reduced again.  And, if Dr. S (her pediatrician) gives the okay, we’ll be adding a little water to her diet too.  Her next appointment is Monday. 

That’s the scoop, folks!  Sorry it’s taken so long to share the news, but it’s been really busy around here!  My mother-in-law has now moved into our basement and my parents just spent this past week cleaning out their garage, so I’ve been running around like a crazy person.  More on those things later, though!  This was meant to be about our newest little bun in the oven… 

Any nickname suggestions!?!?!?