The Last 2 Years ~ Part 8

And then, the storm passed. The Lord brought us the deliverance we had been praying for. My nausea went away around 20 weeks. I had always loved being pregnant, even through the debilitating sickness, exhaustion and sciatic nerve pain, but I was finally able to really enjoy pregnancy at this point.

I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons we chose to move to Riverside was for the potential for Kevin to work for him family business. We knew this is where we wanted to end up long term, and prayed that a way would be provided for him to be taken on full-time.

Kevin had only worked at Ryder for 3 months. I am constantly shocked at this fact. Sometimes when you're  so thick in the fog of trial that you can't see any escape of hope, you feel like you've been in the same spot, stagnant forever. But when you come out on the other side surviving, it can feel like it was just a breath. It's amazing what hairball to your perception of time when your trials have no end date.

We knew that in order for Kevin to get to work for the family business (a company making and supplying chicken feed to California egg ranches, fyi), someone would have to retire, and that seemed to be years away. But we just kept praying, and though it seemed unlikely, anything is possible for the Lord. Kevin started working at the Mill in late winter of 2014.

So life continued. My belt grew bigger and Kevin was predictably home by 5:15 daily. We prayed and prepared for the biggest change in our lives: Baby Hudson.

That pretty much catches things up to the now (minus Baby's birth story... coming next).

The Last 2 Years ~ Part 7

Kevin's job was stressful. He would work long days, and with a traffic-filled commute, he sometimes would be gone 12 hours a day, and I never knew exactly when he would be home.

In addition to this, I had morning sickness, which is really a horrible name for the all-day-all-night nausea I felt. I never actually threw up, but I wanted to constantly. I assumed throwing up would being some measure of relief, even if temporary. Nothing brought relief. I had a hard time standing and eating.

I remember feeling like a horrible wife when Kevin would come home to me on the couch, green in the face, with the lunch I couldn't get myself to eat still on the coffee table, dishes and laundry undone. I felt so miserable.

What's worse, Kevin would come home so stressed about work. It consumed him. He was so miserable.

When you're husband is stressed and pushed to his limit, all you want as a wife is to provide him with a home that brings him peace and calm. I hated not being physically able to do that. I wished I could just remove the stress, but getting through my own day physically was more than i could handle.

We barely talked about the baby, but it was all I ever thought about. Sometimes in a dreamy, excited way, but really, for the first 14 weeks, in a panicked, "Lord, please keep this baby growing inside me!" Way.

Things with Kevin's job got worse and worse. I continued to feel physically defeated, and worried about what life with a newborn alone for 12 hours and a stressed husband would be like.

We prayed. We prayed so much for deliverance. We trusted in the Lord's perfect plan.

But I continued to be debilitatingly sick, and Kevin continued to be completely overwhelmed and consumed at work.

The Last 2 Years ~ Part 6

Kevin was at work, and I grabbed one of the many dollar store pregnancy tests I had stashed in my drawer. Two lines. Two pink lines.

I looked in the mirror, eyes filled with tears and yelled to myself, "You're pregnant!" I had never before felt such a sense of being in exactly the place I was supposed to be. My life calling was about to finally begin.

I told Kevin basically as he was walking through the door that night, and there was much rejoicing to the Lord.

But it was a difficult start to the pregnancy.

The Last 2 Years ~ Part 5

As always, the Lord was in control. He is in all circumstances, whether trial or blessing. I began to...function. As most woman do. Well, about every two months, but more than never, so a miracle for me.

In October 2013 our favorite house accepted our offer, and we began making plans for our move. We decided to move as soon as Kevin found a new job. I broke the news to my students' parents and left another job due to a move. Story of my resume. Kevin found a job in December working for Ryder as a Supply Chain Engineer. We sold most of what we had and moved out over the course of two weekends, maybe three.

We had been trying to conceive for about 4 months. I'm not sure why I wasn't looking for a job yet. God is in control.

Though I was prepared for a long journey of trying to have children, and 4 months is absolutely NOTHING when it comes to most journeys of trying to conceive, the emotions of it really hit me in December. I remember sitting with my mother-in-law, making peanut butter balls to bring to the neighbors for Christmas, with tears streaming down my face the whole time thinking of my unmet desire rather than the joy of this family tradition. I knew it was wrong, but I felt resentful toward Kevin for making me wait when I knew this would be a long process. I had waited 2 years just to get the green light to start trying, and now I was having to wait even more.

Kevin and I decided against gifts that year, and everything felt so empty. My womb. Gift boxes. Spare bedrooms in our house. At times, my arms.

I trusted, prayed and cried.

I remember one day driving home from spending time with my mom and sisters in Orange County. December 20th, 2013. My seat belt felt tight and my tummy felt big.  I thought maybe I should start running again. A car in front of me stopped quickly and I felt a sense of protection that was more intense than anything I'd ever felt before as I slammed on my brakes. I can't explain the mama bear sensation that came over me.

I determined I would take a pregnancy test when I got home.

The Last 2 Years ~ Part 5

In August 2013 we started house hunting and broke the news to my mom that we would be looking for a home in Riverside, exclusively. She was filled with grace and understanding, and came alongside us on many weekends to help us look for a place.

One day, Kevin peeked in my make up room (yes, not having any children in a 3 bedroom house meant I had a room entirely dedicated to doing my make up) and he casually asked if I thought it might be time to go off birth control, since buying a house seemed around the corner.  I joyfully agreed and praised the Lord, but also braced myself for the journey I was convinced was ahead.

But something different happened.