The ultrasound

After I wrote our last blog entry, Paul came home and found me in a puddle of tears on the couch. When he asked why I was so upset, I went on and on about not "feeling" pregnant and how fearful I was about the ultrasound in the morning (Dr. agreed to see us early!). As I was crying my little eyes out, Paul had this ridiculous grin on his face...I finally stopped and said "why are you smiling?! Is this funny to you?" He answered in this sing-songy voice, "because I know something you don't know." What are we in kindergarden?? Now is not the time to tease your hormonally wacked out wife. So I asked him, "WHAT do YOU know that I don't?" He replied, "that we're pregnant. I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life. You'll see. " What do I say to that? He has never said anything like that before. How could he be SO certain when I was so fearful?

The verse "Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see" flittered through my foggy head. I knew fear was not from the Lord, so therefore, my feelings were not from Him. One of us was likely to be wrong, and I really hoped it was me. This might be one of the only times that I truly wanted to be proven wrong. Paul, on the other hand, was certain he was right.

We got to our ultrasound appointment and Paul was giddy like a little kid on Christmas morning. I, on the other hand, was nauseated and nervous. Before we went into our room, the nurse reminded us that because it was still very early we may not be able to see/hear a heartbeat.

Once in the room, I began to relax. Paul just sat there in total peace. My doctor came in and not long after, he started the ultrasound...

The next 10 minutes or so will forever be set apart in our minds as some of the most precious moments of our lives. For in those moments, we found out that the Lord had blessed us with not just one miracle but two miracles!! I am pregnant with TWINS!! I could not have been more wrong and I am so incredibly glad that I was. We were even able to hear their heartbeats, which by the way totally ROCKED!! Thank you, Lord!!

Our tiny miracles...

God is continuously reminding me that I need to trust Him. Paul knew in his heart that our babies were alive and well because God had given him peace. I allowed fear to replace the joy and peace that I once had. Whatever I was feeling, was clearly not from the Lord. I also think that God allowed this to happen so that He could raise Paul up as a Spiritual Leader in our family.

We have a several prayer requests, for those of you that feel led to pray for our growing family:

1) Our doctor said that both gestational sacs were on the small side, but he wasn't as concerned because we heard strong heartbeats~Baby A: 104 Baby B : 110 (at 6 weeks, 2 days) Please pray for the sacs to grow appropriately for the babies to be healthy! We have another ultrasound on Tuesday, June 22 to measure their growth.

2) The bleeding is completely gone, Praise God! However, please pray that it would not return and that I would not experience any more cramping.

3) Dr says these next 3 weeks are VERY critical for these babies to survive. Apparently, our bodies see twins as unnecessary and will try and eliminate one of the babies. Please pray for them to be strong and healthy. We are definitely not out of the woods, but are praying in confidence that the Lord will knit them together perfectly.

4) I have been advised not to travel and to just take things easy. Lots of fluids and rest for the next several weeks are on the agenda. Paul will be out of town this weekend for his cousin's wedding. Please pray that I would be okay by myself, especially since the nausea is kicking in rather quickly. My friend, Anna, who is a nurse, will be giving me my shots, this weekend--thank you!!

5) Last, but certainly not least, pray that this pregnancy would proceed from here on out without fear and anxiety. There will be many times in the next 9 months that we will need to trust the Lord with these babies. Please intercede on our behalf that we would look to the Lord for our strength.

I've never been more thankful for nausea because I know it means out babies are healthy. I will do my best not to complain, but I am terrified of throwing up. Here we go...thank you Lord for this intense queasiness that literally just started today.

Love,

Gretchen, Paul and the tots :)