A Quiver Full

Well,

We’ll be expecting #4 in January 2020!

A few thoughts on this pregnancy so far:

This was the first time my reaction to a pregnancy was only excitement. No fear, no anxiety, no worry- just peace and excitement for this new little person. I think I’m getting more mature, guys.

Holy nausea, Batman! I think this one might be a girl; my boys were much kinder on the morning sickness front. I’m constantly having to stuff my face to keep the nausea at bay…

I keep thinking “twins.” I don’t have a particular reason for this hunch, but I can’t seem to shake it. Maybe just because as a 20 year old, I always thought a 2-for-1 pregnancy would be kind of great. I don’t know how I feel about that at this point in my parenting career… It’s already a madhouse here.

I’m only 7 weeks, and already showing. It seems sooner and sooner with each pregnancy; I guess my body just knows what to do and doesn’t waste any time making space. In any case, it’s a little sooner than I planned on spilling the beans, but that’s okay. I recognized the flaw in my thinking as really, not God-honoring, when I would wait to announce a pregnancy until 12 weeks. Why did I do that? Because culture tells you that you have to wait until the pregnancy is “viable,” until the risk of miscarriage lessens, until _____________ reasons…

But track with me on this-

Not celebrating the life of my child because of its gestational age is not a pro-life stance. It’s one of fear, trepidation, possibly embarrassment, and it’s certainly not one that recognizes life at conception.

Now, I understand a working mom not wanting to tell her employer right away for various reasons– been there, done that– but to fret over viability is to give science and culture authority over when life begins, and to fail to acknowledge God as the Author, Giver, and Sustainer of life. I can’t think of a better way to encourage miscarriage than stressing your body full of cortisone. God has this. Before this baby was even thought of by me, all its days were recorded with God (Psalm 139:16).

My family size has exceeded basically everyone’s expectations, including my own, but so far, people have been really encouraging and polite. None should really be surprised, we’ve been cranking out a new one every year or two for the last 4 years. “There’s another one of us coming!”

Large families kinda freak people out. With the exception of other moms of large families, everyone seems to stress over money, living space, vehicle room, my figure (seriously, other people are more worried about that than I am.)

God has really sorta opened the floodgates on giving us children. Before I got pregnant with our first, I had been in a really weird emotional and spiritual place. I permanently breaking up with birth control after I determined it was the cause in some serious health issues, I began to find I was spiritually convicted against using birth control as well as physically. For people who don’t have birth control horror stories, it’s hard for them to understand. I can’t put something in my body knowing it has the potential to be abortifacient. That’s reckless endangerment.

Anyway, once I took the limits off what I thought God should do with my life (I’m still not sure I want to be birthing babies in my 30s, but, I trust God) He just started giving. And with each pregnancy, I’ve been spiritually sanctified as well, growing in spiritual maturity and faith. I see how children are a blessing in that regard. And I love the joy they bring me each day.

I don’t love poopy diapers, snot, vomit, pee, screaming toddlers, hair pulling, biting, stretch marks, morning sickness, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, or labor and delivery, but they’re all worth it in the end.