When Juliette was 3 months old the idea of trying for a third baby came to mind. Juliette is a very easy-going baby, but this is pretty huge regardless of any baby's temperament. When I say it came to mind, I mean that the Holy Spirit (God) put the idea in my mind. I specifically thought (I believe God impressed this in my mind) to try for another baby in May. For any of you that know our current situation, Jackson is a first year (now, going to be second year teacher). We are blessed in so many ways, but having a third baby is so far off of our budget we still don't know how it's all going to come together. At the time, we had no idea if he'd have his job for this upcoming school year. We also had a rough season when Juliette was first born (flea infestation, sickness, Jackson being a first year teacher, etc.) I immediately prayed and thought that there would have to be some big "signs" for this to happen. I eventually told Jackson and he did not have any desire to move forward with this plan. He promised to pray about it, but had no similar thoughts or promptings. As time passed, when we talked about it, we would say, "Okay, maybe if Jackson gets his job for this next school year, that's a big sign" (him getting a teaching job in this current economy is a pretty huge deal).
The day after we found out that Jackson got his job for this upcoming school year, Belle came up to me and said, "Mommy, God wants another baby in your tummy. He just does". I raced to the office to grab a camcorder and the minute I came back, she was making silly faces and the moment had clearly passed. Another day, I made a huge list of the reasons why we shouldn't try to have a baby (this is a very long list) and the reasons why we should (2 reasons-- 1. The joy of another life and 2. I believe God told me to). When Belle woke up from her nap, she told me (right after I made this pro and con list), "God wants you to have another baby in your tummy. He has His own reasons".
Jackson and I continued to pray about this crazy notion which seemed/seems insane to us, but we were still hesitant. What if Jackson doesn't get his job for the next school year? We're tired now, what will it be like with 3 kids (2 of them being 16 months apart)? Do we even want 3 kids?May came and as the baby-making-time (I know no better way to write this, sorry for those of you that are cringing right now) drew near, we basically decided that there's no way we could do this. Then, God changed Jackson's mind. Literally, the day that was the 'first trying day'. Jackson came home, and said, "God basically put the same idea in my mind. More than that, I feel I'd be disobedient if we didn't try. I feel insane, but I know this is what we are supposed to do". We are so glad we chose to 'obey' and listen to what we were hearing. I'm a little over 8 weeks pregnant now. So, 16 days after the day Jackson was "on board" we found out... I'm pregnant!
I share this story with you for one reason only. To give God glory. I feel humbled and honored that God chose us to be Belle and Juliette's parents. More so, that he chose for us to have yet another one to nurture and grow. We have so many dear friends that long to get pregnant and struggle with infertility and I do not write this to tout of our fertility or even suggest that we are superior because we 'heard God and it came true', because babies are God's miracle and regardless of whether or not a couple is fertile, not too many people try and get pregnant in the first month (especially if it's not a timed, every day- sorry again for the details- type of thing). If you're reading this, and you know God, I encourage you to live by His Spirit and ask His Spirit to guide you and the big and small decisions of your life. If you don't know God, and want to know Him more, I'd love to talk to you about how you can. Send me a message. Or, you can read this: South Bay Church's Core Beliefs.
