It is with such grateful hearts that we are sending this update! We have been able to stand back and see God work a miracle right in front of our eyes and we couldn’t be more thrilled! God has given us one of the deepest desires of our hearts. After 5 years of marriage together we are so excited to be adding a little baby to our family right around Christmas, Lord willing.
It was a Thursday morning over our second week of Easter break when I found out. I could hardly believe it, I felt like I seen two lines. Maybe I was just imagining or it was wishful thinking? To make sure I tested again and again. And sure enough. I remember thinking to myself that I am the only one in the whole world who knows about this! I had to tell Jared. I quickly found some letters to my letter board, grabbed a few of the cute little clothes that friends have sent me over the years, and set it up on the kitchen sink. Then I called Jared to the kitchen to help me for a minute. He came quickly and seen the letter board right away. His face was just one split second of utter shock and then oh the joy!
It was a fun thing to keep to ourselves for just a few weeks but soon we were anxious to tell somebody! I had decided that I wanted my sister to help with a surprise for my parents. I sent a plant to her work place with a note included that read: Sending you a plant cause your gonna be an aunt! I had gotten a delivery confirmation so I continued watching my phone for her response. A bit of time passed and eventually she messaged back saying that she was so surprised, she just didn’t know what to say! Thankfully she didn’t react in a way that her coworkers suspected anything. It was a fun few days of planning together and guessing how we thought mom and dad would react.
Mother’s day made the perfect cover for gift giving. Allison suggested to my parents that we do a video call while my mom open a gift or two so that I could watch and feel included. This is a normal thing on holidays so nothing was thought of that. Obviously, it had more to it than that! Allison had wrapped up the gift and it was in a pretty big box so she told dad that he should come help mom with the bulky gift. It worked out just perfectly and they opened the box together, seen the letter board together and both were thrilled! They have been so supportive and we are grateful.
Jared wanted to tell his parents with a willow tree grandmother carving, which is something his mom enjoys collecting. He had gotten it sent to their house the day before and told his mom that there was a mother’s day gift coming and that she should wait to open it until we are on a video call. She opened the box and carefully looked it over. It took a second but then she asked if we were trying to tell her something. The excitement seemed to reach through the screen!
It has been so special to send pictures and cards to some of our closest friends. Of course, we would have loved to tell people face to face but somethings are just not reality when living foreign.
With all this excitement comes a bit of fear. We are faced with the hard decision of where to have the baby and as time passes, we continue to lean toward having it in Grenada. There is a private hospital just a 5-minute walk from our house that seems like the best Grenadian option. When I went for my first appointment there was a hospital staff cleaning lady that came to us and asked if I knew Jim and Joyce Weaver (my aunt and uncle) The lady didn’t know why we were there but she went on to explain how aunt Joyce had 3 babies at this hospital. It gave me a bit of confidence that if she could do it, I can to! I was disappointed that they don’t offer some things that hospitals in the states would offer but for now that is the option that we are leaning toward although we continue to pray for Gods leading in that.
I am doing well and I feel pretty good. I have been teaching at school the last two weeks and each day I come home I am just so exhausted. I have been dealing with a bit of nausea in the evenings but I am able to go about my normal life, for the most part and that is something I am very grateful for. Sometimes I comment to Jared how I would just love to have one day of my old energy back and feel like my normal self again. But he always reminds me how much we desired this and it is true, I am very blessed.
We will close this update with these verses.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Congratulations! So excited for you two!!