"holy crap!"

the pear trees are in bloom, the daffodils are all up, and we're pregnant again! we're overwhelmed and excited and scared and joyful all at once.

Michelle's system has never been predictable, which is why it took a while for Caleb to come along. but it seems that her first pregnancy kicked things into gear, as she's been rather normal since Caleb's been born. we were quite thankful for this development, and of course unsure about how it would all work out. would we really be able to get pregnant easily next time? we figured probably not.

we prayed and talked about when we'd want kid #2, and decided that we'd like to have another before Caleb is 2 years old. figuring that it might take a year or so to get pregnant, we both had a peace to start trying this month. we both knew that it was quite possible to get pregnant the first try (not that we were really timing things and all that jazz), but the possibility seemed remote. we both prayed and put all this in God's hands. if He knew better than to give us 2 small kids, then He'd have us wait. if otherwise, then bring on the baby!

so, amazing as it sounds, we got pregnant on the first try! if we've figured correctly, the baby will be here around the end of November. Caleb will be 15 months old. this is the aspect that has us most nervous: two little kids in the house, and just one mama. I'm sure some folks will think that we're nuts, especially with Michelle's recurring health issues, and maybe we are. but we both love being parents so very much, and trust that God will provide, just like He always has.

so bring on the baby! pray for Michelle and the little one and for me and Caleb too. we pray especially that breastfeeding will go well this time, and that God will continue to bless all of our health.

the little story about how we discovered all this: Michelle has been tracking her basal body temperature for a while, just to make sure things are working as they ought (and obviously they are!). when she had a bunch of high temps in a row, we started to suspect, as that's one of the tell-tale signs. she looked for a test at her sister's house over the weekend, but to no avail. meanwhile her temps kept climbing. so we finally had her take a test last night, and it came back with one pink line (not prego). we let out a sigh of relief, figuring it would indeed be best to wait a bit. so she put the test on the table and we watched our home videos from last the weekend. she put her cup of water down on the table a few minutes later, glanced at the test, and shouted: "HOLY CRAP!" the second pink line appeared, although faintly. we were in shock and all those crazy emotions. I was a little annoyed at the test, since the second line was so faint, but it was undeniably there. I kept yelling "INCONCLUSIVE!" followed by nervous laughter. after consulting her sister as well as google, we came to the inescapable, wonderful conclusion that there really is another little bun in the oven.

today we went to the doctor's office to get a blood test. they did a normal pee test first, and we went through the same routine. at first, the nurse tech shook her head and said "not pregnant." michelle was rather excited at this news, and I was a bit confused. but as she took it over to us to let us see, she said "oh wait" and showed it to the doctor. it was faint, but indeed there. we'll know the blood test results tomorrow, which should be more definitive.

as I think about all the joys of this past year, I remeber a recent article about a basketball coach, who was so happy with how his players had done this year. his quote basically sums up what I've been feeling about being a daddy and husband: "You know you're in a very special place when your realities outweigh your dreams. And that's where I am."

praise God for blessing us more than we dare to dream.