We are expecting a baby in June! A baby we’ve hoped and cried and prayed for many, many times.
Chase cannot wait to be a big brother. (Once again our sweet Sadie is clueless.) We do not know the sex of the baby and are not planning to find out but Chase is 100 percent convinced this baby is a boy. And, according to Chase, the baby’s name will be Thomas the Train. Choo choo!
I am currently 19 weeks pregnant and while I would’ve loved to have shared our news weeks ago, I’ve felt incredibly scared, apprehensive, protective and anxious throughout this pregnancy. After a wonderful 18-week appointment last week, I felt myself exhale for the first time after what’s felt like a four month rollercoaster of emotions ranging from intense hope, joy and elation to fear and overwhelming anxiety.
But now, at four months pregnant, we’ve seen our baby many times. Heard its strong heartbeat many times. Seen our baby kicking, punching and dancing up a storm many times. I still find myself wondering when this pregnancy will feel 100 percent real. Perhaps it won’t feel real until the very moment I’ve hoped and prayed for: The moment when I get to hold this precious baby in my arms.
As I share this news, my heart is so full and so incredibly grateful. It’s filled with all the joy that comes along with expecting a baby – a baby we’ve deeply longed and prayed intently for – but it’s also so acutely aware that the baby we’ve seen dancing around during our ultrasounds wouldn’t be growing in my belly right now if we had the two babies we lost and loved with all of our hearts.
I cannot wait to wrap this little one up in my arms in June and fall even more in love with the incredible life growing in my belly right now.
Thank you so much for all of the love, support and prayers you’ve sent our way. We’ve felt all of them and we are so incredibly grateful.
***
There is a huge part of my heart that shares this news that is so incredibly aware of how it likely affects those of you who may be struggling with infertility, a recent loss and an ache and longing for a baby that is currently unfulfilled. Every pregnancy or birth announcement I read following our two miscarriages over the past year – especially those that overlapped our due dates or came after our due dates – felt like such a poignant reminder of what I was missing, what I lost and what I wanted so strongly deep within my heart. I know firsthand there’s nothing anyone can say to take away the ache you feel, your sadness and your desire for a child, whether its your first or your fifth, but I just want to recognize you, send you whatever kind of comfort and love I possibly can and tell you that my heart is with you.
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YAY! SO incredibly happy for you and your growing family 🙂
Congratulations Julie to your lovely family!
Congrats! I am so so happy for you and your family! After every storm comes a rainbow. Enjoy your rainbow baby mama!
I’ve read similar sentiments before and always believed them but for some reason your comment brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, Sarah. <3
Tears of joy for you, Julie! Though we have never met, I have prayed for you on this journey the past year. God is so good. Looking forward to reading along as you share this new adventure.
I appreciate all of your prayers so, so much. Thank you, Lauren!!
Congratulations!! I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now and couldn’t be happier for you and your family. Just so genuinely happy for you ?
Thank you, Jill! For your kind words and for following my blog for so long. It means a lot to me. <3
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you and your family, Julie.
YAY! So happy for you all! Know that there are lots of us who have been and will keep praying for you guys! What wonderful news!
Congratulations! Fabulous news!!
I’m so so happy for you and your family!!!! Such amazing news!
I read a few blogs but found myself checking yours (and Emily’s) first….always praying for the joyous moments where you each would get to announce your next pregnancy. I am elated for you!!!!!! And you look amazing! Congrats to your family and big brother Chase! ❤ as an infertility surviver, how sweet that you recognized those on the other side.
Thank you so much, Lyndsey! <3 Emily has been such a source of encouragement to me through all of this as well. And I'm so happy to hear you are on the other side of your infertility journey. Sending you love!!!
Congratulations! So happy for you and your family. Hope you are able to enjoy the second half of your pregnancy a bit more knowing that the baby is healthy!
So happy for you!!!!
I cried at my computer this morning, so happy for you, Ryan, Chase, and Sadie!!!
Thank you so much, Dana!!! <3
Congratulations Julie! I am so happy for you and your family. You have been really glowing on the blog lately, so I had a feeling 🙂
Thrilled for you guys!
My heart is full hearing this news. Thank you for being so open during this whole process, especially at its most difficult times. Many congratulations to you and your family Julie <3
So incredibly happy for you and your growing family – such wonderful New Year’s news! Keeping you all in my prayers.
I have to say that your comments at the end are so incredibly touching, which shows the kind of genuinely loving person you are. xxx
Oh Julie what a wonderful blessing!! My heart is so happy for you and your family. I had a feeling this news was coming soon and what a great way to start my day by reading your announcement! May God continue to bless this pregnancy, your family and your growing baby. Sending you lots of love!
Congratulations! I also miscarried between my 2 kids and I understand the anxiousness. I hope you can enjoy the pregnancy. By the way, we never found out the genders of our boys and it’s an awesome surprise! We often joke that our youngest is named after Thomas the Train! Love our Tommy.
I am SO excited to be surprised!!! <3 And I love the name Tommy! One of my closest girlfriends here in Charlotte named her boy Tommy this summer and Chase talks non-stop about "Baby Tommy." Clearly Thomas/Tommy is his boy name front-runner!
I literally squealed out loud when I saw this post. I’m so happy for you and your family after everything you guys have been through! Thanks for always sharing your life with us readers!
Julie, I am so happy for you! I know you and Ryan have been through so much heartbreak. I also really appreciate your paragraph at the end bc me and my husband are still praying for God to let us have a child. Congratulations!
Congratulations, Julie!! I am so happy for you and your sweet family. Sending you so much love, prayer, and joy. Thanks for sharing with us!!
Oh yay yay yay!! Huge congrats to you guys! I’m 23 weeks with our 3rd so it will be fun to follow along with your pregnancy being so close 🙂
Truly happy for your amazing news. Hope you’re feeling good!
Congrats! What wonderful news! Chase must be so excited!!! I’m due with my second in July so I’m right behind you!
He is 100 percent obsessed with his friends’ brothers and sisters and hasn’t stopped talking about the baby (which he vehemently says is a boy named Thomas) since we told him the news on Thursday. I cannot wait to see him with our little one! Big congrats to you on baby #2 and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and delivery!
Tears sprang to my eyes when I read this — congrats to you, Julie, and congrats to Ryan and Chase!!! I’m so happy you’ve been blessed to carry this baby. Xoxo
Oh this is such wonderful news! How wonderful for you and your family! Congrats!
This post put such a huge smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart! So happy for you all! Congratulations
Is it crazy to cry happy tears for someone you’ve never met? I have been following your blog for years and this post made me cry happy tears for you! I had a feeling you were pregnant, and am so happy for you and your family! Congratulations!
Julie, your disclaimer at the end brought tears to my eyes. You are so incredibly insightful and considerate. Thank you. Congratulations in your pregnancy!! I’m so happy and excited for you and your family.
Congratulations!!! I have been following along with your journey and hoping and praying for you. I am also currently expecting (due in July!) and while I have not had the experience of a miscarriage, I have had a lot of anxiety throughout this pregnancy given that I struggled with infertility before we were able to conceive. I too have found it hard to just breathe and release the worry but every week gets a little bit easier. Congratulations again and looking forward to hearing all the details <3
Alli, I am just so happy for you as well. What wonderful news! I think that when you have hoped and prayed for something so hard it’s difficult to let go of the anxiety and fear you’ve had in your heart for so long. Sending love and prayers for you for a healthy pregnancy, baby and delivery! <3
So happy for you guys! Congrats!!!
Congratulations! Though I don’t have children of my own yet I have been following along with your struggles with great sadness but also hope :). I am so so excited for you all! Thanks for sharing this part of your life with us as I know it must be hard and a bit of a rollercoaster. Can’t wait to see your new addition <3
So exciting! Congratulaitons!
I’m sitting at my desk crying happy tears for you guys. I will get on my knees and pray next. So happy for you guys!!!!
Congratulations. We both experienced our first miscarriage around the same time, and your words helped me through that time. I’m currently 27 weeks pregnant and I’ve thought and prayed so much for you and your family to experience the same. I’m overjoyed that you are able to add to your family and hope you can enjoy the second half of your pregnancy with considerably less anxiety (I felt the same way during my first 18 weeks!!). Good luck and God bless.
I just had this feeling that you were! So happy for you and your family! I swear 2018 is the year of babies. I wish you a healthy pregnancy and can’t wait for you to meet your new baby. Chase is going to be an amazing big brother!
Congratulations! This is going to sound odd, but when I read your post yesterday I thought, “she’s pregnant.” I just had a feeling – Your smile was so big. So happy for you and your family!
I’m so happy for you and your family, Julie!!!! Enjoy the pregnancy as much as you can and try not to worry to much. I know easier said than done. I had an inkling you were expecting, not sure what it was. Chase will make an awesome big brother!
The biggest, heartiest congratulations to you and your family Julie! Reading this brought such a big smile to my face because I just felt “FINALLY, some good news for Julie” Much love to you. Pregnancy after miscarriage is rough. You’ll find yourself questioning everything, up until delivery. Let yourself call your OB’s nurse line for reassurance as often as you need to. Such big hugs to you!
Ahh so exciting, congratulations!!
Squeeeel! Congrats mama!! Sending lots of happy vibes for a long and healthy pregnancy for you.
Congratulations on such wonderful news. You must be so joyful and full of relief. I really appreciated the sensitive way you worded this post and your disclaimer at the end. I’ve been trying for a baby since before you had Chase – I remember being so envious when you posted your pregnancy series with him – so I personally really appreciate the joyful yet tactful way you have spoken about trying for a child and there being obstacles. Here’s to an easy and healthy pregnancy for you and if you could sprinkle some of that magic dust this way I would appreciate it! 😉
Congratulations!! I’m so happy for you guys!
Girl, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! How fantastic – thrilled for you 🙂
Wishing you a wonderful pregnancy!
That’s so exciting! Congratulations, Julie and Family! Prayers for a safe pregnancy!
What wonderful news! Congratulations!
Ahhh congrats!!! Something you said recently made me think “is she prego ?” while reading a post of yours! I cannot for the life of me remember what it was, but I am so happy for you all!
I’m SO happy for you all!! That’s wonderful news.
Julie, you have no idea how happy this makes me to see. I have been struggling this week as my husband and I learned Thursday that we lost our first baby somewhere around 9 weeks. The story was so similar to your losses that I went back to read them. Your stories comforted me so much because I felt a lot less alone. I’m actually headed to get a d&c right now and for some reason decided to check your blog, my jaw dropped when I saw the title!! I love this, it always brings me extra hope seeing women go through the worst but then have a miracle baby after. I hope it’ll be us soon. Thank you for sharing your story, it helps so much
Oh Jayne, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I was an absolute wreck going into my D&C and will pray for fast healing for you. The fact that you could leave such a kind comment right now in the middle of such a painful time is incredible and shows me your beautiful heart and your strength. Praying for a very, very bright future for you. <3 I'm so sorry for the loss of your baby.
Yahoo!!!!! Soooo very happy for y’all!! ??
Eeeek! I am SO excited for you and your family Julie!! I had a feeling you were pregnant 😉
Congratulations!