Baby Makes Four People and Three Pets...

Special thanks to Lauren Drummond for
taking this picture and making the sign...
and keeping this a secret so long!!  Check her out
@ laurennicolestudios.com

WOW!!  So we dropped the news on Facebook and want to thank everyone for the sweet posts and comments!  We are very excited.  Herrin Baby #2 is due July 15th and I am currently 12 weeks along!  This little one caught us by surprise and we mean that in the best way possible.  If you've been following the blog from the get go, you know that Ella was a fertility baby.  She took a lot of work and patience and God gave her to us through that journey.  This little one is quite the opposite.  One day I was feeling really tired and out of sorts, took a test, just to make sure I wasn't pregnant and BAM it was positive!!  Oh.my.gosh--we were shocked and overjoyed.  We had anticipated another journey similar to the one we had gone through with Ella and were trying to decide on timing when to start again.  Fertility treatments can take anywhere from a month to a year...it just depends, but that wasn't in the plan for this little one!!  All I can say is GOD IS GOOD!!  We were humbled and amazed that we were given Ella despite my fertility issues...to think this one happened on his or her own just blows us away!

I have learned one thing from this journey, God may not answer your prayers in your timing or your way, but have faith.  I never prayed not to have fertility treatments again...but I did pray that somehow my body would be normal after the first pregnancy.  Let me explain, it is sometimes common that after a woman who struggles with fertility has one baby, her body kind of kicks into gear.  This has been the case for me with Baby #2.  I am so humbled by this miracle....just in awe of God's grace!!  I would never change all we went through  to have Ella--she was the perfect gift at the end of a sometimes difficult road.  Everything that happened was meant to be.  Now, this one still catches us by surprise!  We find ourselves being still kind of in shock... like Brent will say "It just doesn't seem like you're pregnant"...well except for the constant nausea that is back for Baby #2 in full force!!

As far as the pregnancy goes, it wouldn't be a Kristen Herrin pregnancy without some excitement (maybe drama is the better word).  At 7 weeks they found a subchorionic hemorrhage during a sonogram.  I had had some issues and they took a look to check it out and found the hemorrhage.  Basically, they typically heal on their own by 20 weeks, but if they don't the pregnancy could be lost.  I had to be on a modified bed rest for a couple of weeks and here's the kicker...I can't pick up Ella more that twice/three times a day until it heals.  Um...if you've ever had a one year old this is next to impossible.  You lift them to do everything....eat in the highchair, change diapers, change clothes, to get in and out of the car, into the grocery cart...etc.  That has been a challenge, but Brent has been amazing yet again!  He has made sure that when he is home I do no lifting period :)  The hemorrhage is also the reason I missed my Pappy's funeral.  The doctor suggested I take it easy and remain at home until I was no longer having symptoms from the hemorrhage.  That was a difficult situation, but I am certain that Pappy would have told me to stay put and take care of the baby if he could have.  Things seem to be healing now as the issues that brought me in have since subsided.  I go back again on Thursday to check out the hemorrhage and it's healing progress.  From the hemorrhage situation they also discovered I had low progesterone which can cause me to miscarry, so I've been taking supplements since week 7 for that too.  And, I was having some braxton hicks contractions Friday, so I went in to have those checked out too... sheesh... They told me to drink a lot of water, rest, and try to reduce my stress level (we've had a lot going on here...but more on that later).  But, baby's heart rate was 163 on Friday and appears to be doing really well...so yay for that!  Let's just say it's been interesting.  We stay prayerful and hopeful that everything will be okay and so far, so good.  We just feel extremely grateful.

Pregnancy #2 has been a lot like pregnancy number #1.  I've been really nauseous and have had many food aversions.  I've been craving salads, cheese dip, and peanut butter cookies.  I try to avoid the latter two food as I know they are not good for me or baby!  One huge difference is that my stomach has popped out much earlier on round two.  I didn't show with Ella until about 5.5 months...not so much this time.  I am already wearing my maternity clothes...sigh.  But, I won't complain because I just feel SO lucky!!  But, my delayed New Year's resolution will be to get in shape as soon as they release me to work out 6 weeks after baby is born!

We are excited to find out if Baby #2 is a girl or boy.  We have names picked out for either gender.  We are thinking it's a girl...but who knows!  The only thing we hope for is a healthy baby that is carried as close to full term as possible (Ella attempted to arrive at 32 weeks and we were able to keep her in until 36 with hardcore bed rest).  We'll update as time goes on.  I've been brainstorming a new name for the blog...since we won't just be raising Ella Grace.  The Herrin house is going to be very exciting as Ella and Baby will be a little less than 19 months apart!   Yes, Baby will make 4 people and 3 pets...I swear we really do live in a zoo!!  But, we love our zoo so it works for us! Thanks for all the congrats and love we were shown.  We look forward to introducing the world to Baby #2 in July!