Lavender's Birth Story – The Prequel

I shared Lavender's birth story HERE, but now I want to share the story before the story.

It was a warm July day when our second son Aaron received his mission call. That same afternoon, I took a pregnancy test. I was more than two weeks late, something that had never happened except when a baby was on the way. But I was a 44 year old grandma, so a pregnancy seemed unlikely. I had ordered the test online, unwilling to go to the store in case I happened to run into anyone I knew. Neither John nor I were really surprised when the test result was positive. I was worried, but secretly thrilled. I had always felt that there was a child missing from our family, that we were supposed to have another baby. John never felt quite the same way. For years we discussed it and prayed about it, but could never come to an agreement. I had become pregnant once after Evan, and John and I were excited. When it ended in miscarriage, I was sure that we would try for another baby, but we didn't. I had never been “baby hungry,” but that feeling that there was one more had never gone away despite my pleadings with the Lord.

John and I were scheduled to leave on a wonderful trip in a few days. It would be just the two of us for nearly two weeks. We would spend a week in Puerto Rico courtesy of John's employer and then we would spend several days in New York City using John's hotel points. John was worried and wondered if we should still leave on our trip. We decided to go and have a wonderful time. We could think about the pregnancy when we got home. Our attempts at denial didn't work very well. I needed a nap every afternoon in Puerto Rico. Fortunately we had a luxurious bed at the San Juan Ritz Carlton. In New York I started to feel sick and the extreme heat didn't help. One night I sat up in bed when I was awakened by a voice calling “Mom!” At first I thought it was Marianne, but then I realized she was thousands of miles away. I wondered if something was wrong at home and if I should call in the middle of the night. Then it occurred to me that I had heard my daughter calling to me, but it wasn't Marianne.

Despite my morning sickness, we had a wonderful trip. When we returned home I took another test just to be sure. Then I called my doctor. She ordered blood tests and after getting the results she started me on progesterone. Everything seemed to be going fine until my 45^th birthday. That morning I got a call from the doctor's office asking me how everything was going. Was I having any bleeding or cramping? I was confused. The nurse explained that my follow up tests showed that the progesterone wasn't working and I was likely having a miscarriage. What a lousy birthday present.

A week later I had my doctor's appointment. I was a wreck. John came with me, not knowing what the news would be. The ultrasound showed a 10 week old fetus with a strong heartbeat. What a roller coaster of emotions. We really were having a baby!

Later in August we decided to tell our kids the news. We showed them the ultrasound pictures so they would have tangible proof. Evan was confused, Ryan was shocked and Aaron was sure we had photoshopped the pictures. Marianne was the only one who wasn't surprised. She had figured it out weeks earlier. She started naming off symptoms and evidence, finally asking her brothers, “Didn't you notice that Mom was in bed all the time?!” Apparently they just thought I was tired.

I decided it would be easiest to tell my extended family all at once. I sent everyone a text message telling them to check our family blog for a little surprise. On the blog I posted a video clip from Father of the Bride II. Then I included the ultrasound picture with a caption saying “Yes, this is real. No, it is not a joke. I am twelve weeks pregnant. We are having a baby at the beginning of March.”