Sunday News

I feel as though I have a lot to catch up on, but one piece of news has finally moved from surreal to reality around here and while I've been postponing the sharing, it's high time you be let in on our little secret.

You may recall that little Seneca was added to our family about 7 weeks ago when she was two weeks old. The numbers don't mean much to anyone but me, I'm sure, but it sure puts the news into perspective. It appears that our newly developed family of four is not going to stay four for very long. Seneca was already on her way to becoming a big sister before she was even born, a big sister who will be 8 months old when her younger sibling enters the world the beginning of February. You see, when we brought her home, I was 6 weeks pregnant. Once she hit her eight-week mark in the world, I cleared my first trimester. Having any trouble wrapping your head around that one? Yeah, me too.

I've had a million thoughts go through my head and heart about this current situation, but the ones that are the strongest and keep returning testify very strongly to me two things. First, that for some reason, Seneca is supposed to be in our family. I never doubted this before, but it had become even more apparent that she has a special and unique place in our home and I am excited to witness the amazing person she is to become. The second thing I have become very aware of is that this life does not unfold according to our own timeline. Not mine, anyway. Let me give a little history for those of you who are wondering just why this news rocked our world so much.

After being married for about a year, Denten and I ditched the birth control in hopes of starting a family. Didn't happen, went through the "just keep trying" talk from the dr. Once we moved to New York in 2002 we became more proactive about finding out what the problem was and how to solve it. After being there a year, a laperoscopy confirmed severe endometriosis in my abdomen. It was stated very clearly to us by several medical professionals that conceiving a child on our own was never going to happen. Trying certain assisted reproductive methods would be a waste of time and if we were serious, In vitro fertilization was be our only option. We took their word for it, and we saw pictures ourselves- the conventional method of getting pregnant simply wasn't possible. A bit hard to hear at the time, but really we were both so glad to finally have answers and know what to pursue. So we did.

We worked with, in our opinion, the very best reproductive clinic in the country. We learned all we could about the process and endured daily shots and hormone imbalances and agreed it was completely worth it if this was how Heavenly Father was going to deliver our children to us. We were very blessed to have a successful first round producing Cooper B. Jumping forward a year, now in Phoenix, cycle number two, unsuccessful. Six months later, cycle number three in Utah, unsuccessful. Six months again, back in New York, cycle number four, surprisingly unsuccessful. Numbers two and three could be explained away in our minds- we could find where the problem most likely occurred. The last one in NY was perfect. Everything was medically perfect. My body responded just as it should have, without sharing unwanted details, the egg, sperm, embryos were textbook- there was no reason that it didn't work. None. Except that it wasn't supposed to. Except that if I would have gotten pregnant then, we would not have pursued adoption and little Seneca would not be sleeping right here right now.

You see, we've been doing our thing for more than seven years with no contraception and haven't conceived. We paid pretty good money three times for significant medical assistance and nothing. And yet, now, now when I have an infant in my arms, do I find out that Heavenly Father has decided now is the time to answer those prayers. Now. He is so in charge. This couldn't have happened any of the last 6 years? This couldn't have waited a year while Seneca finds her place here? Nope, now. Mostly to leave our parents speechless, and our friends completely amused as they picture me with two babies and an incredibly active three-year-old. I've got to say, I've had my moments of being completely overwhelmed, but I don't understand those who "feel sorry" for me. This, to me, is amazing. Medically impossible, yet a reality. I think it's fairly common to hear of someone who has recently adopted a child now able to get pregnant, but in this case, I was pregnant before we even got a phone call informing us about Seneca. I think Heavenly Father said, "well, now she's on her way to you, I'll go ahead and answer those other prayers you've been sending up here."

So that's our news. Explains a bit of the exhaustion and constant hunger that has taken over my body. All in all I've been quite blessed to be able to take care of my little family through the bouts of mild nausea. There could always be more hours in the night, but to be honest, I felt that way a year ago. So, again, I believe that miracles happen to everyday people like me and I believe that Heavenly Father knows me and has a plan for me. It would be nice to have a little foresight into that plan once in a while, but hey, I'll take what I can get. Enjoy your Sunday!