God is Good!  A wonderful, and long overdue, update!

Well, most of you probably already know this, but I thought I should update my blog for record keeping, and to keep everyone in the loop.  I'm pregnant!!!  And we're expecting a little boy :)

This was totally a WONDERFUL surprise.  No medical intervention needed. God just said it was time :)

I'm currently 24weeks along.  We found out in August.  Al and I were working some crazy hours at work (most weeks for a few months were over 70 hrs each week!), and we hardly saw each other.  Al was already at work one Saturday morning, and I was getting ready to head in.  I noticed I was having a tough time breathing.  That has been my first symptom with each of the two previous pregnancies I had.  So, I took a test...just in case.  I seriously didn't even realize I was late.  I thought it was a waste of time to take the test, as it has been hundreds of times before, but I did it anyways.

I set it on the counter and brushed my teeth.  As I was brushing, I glanced at the test, and noticed TWO lines....it was positive!!!  I thought "it must be a faulty test" so I took another.  Now mind you, I had just emptied my bladder minutes ago, so the chances of it being positive again were slim, even if I was pregnant, but sure enough, TWO lines.  So I opened another box, thinking ALL the tests in the first box must be faulty :) Positive again.  At that point, I called Alfonso to tell him.  He said something like "Well how did that happen?".  :)

Now, knowing what I know about my previous losses, I know I must get blood thinners and Prednisone in my system IMMEDIATELY, or I will miscarry.  I called every dr I have, and my OB/GYN called me back, very concerned, as I've never had her paged.  She told me to go to the ER immediately, and get the blood thinners.  She was concerned I may have a blood clot, since I was having difficulty breathing.  ER dr gave me blood thinners, and I could breathe and feel my fingertips again....I felt optimistic, but of course, Al and I have learned not to get too excited.

The next few weeks, we were on pins and needles.  I did a lot of crying and praying...both out of gratitude, and out of fear.  Our fertility dr did all of our early pregnancy blood tests, and from the beginning, things looked good.  Both times I was pregnant and miscarried before, my first BETA (blood test to measure the pregnancy hormone, HCG) levels were under 100.  They want to see over 100.  This time, they were around 260!!!  And the numbers doubled more frequently than every 2 days, and they need to see it double at least every three days, so we were ahead of schedule there too.

Then came the most nerve wracking part....the first ultrasound.  They warned us not to expect to see a heartbeat yet.  We were very early still.  They were correct, which was a little disappointing, however, we saw a fetal pole...which is more than we had ever seen in any previous ultrasounds :)

Next ultrasound was a week and a half later, and there it was, that beautiful heartbeat.  I screamed in the room! I truly wondered if I would ever see that day!  From there, all ultrasounds were wonderful.  There have been some minor complications to deal with, like a few fibroids, and a sub chorionic hematoma (small bleed under the placenta), but the SCH has resolved on it's own, and the fibroids, although painful, are moving out of the way, so I may not need a C-Section.

We had a few scares in the first trimester with bleeding and cramping, but those were likely due to the fibroids and SCH.  2nd trimester has been pretty uneventful, which is wonderful.  Our due date is April 28th.  I can't believe it's actually happening :)

So, for those of you who have been praying for us and supporting us through this very difficult journey, we thank you!!!  I wanted to be sure to share the good news since I have shared so many other ups and down.

For those of you still struggling in your own fertility journey, please use our story as one of encouragement, and one to strengthen your faith.  We knew all along, it was all going to be in God's perfect timing, and that His hand was in it, even though it was SOOO difficult at times.  God has His perfect plan for each and every one of us...please hold onto that faith.

I'll try to post more frequently now, and I'll post a few pics next time.  God Bless you all :)