Rejoicing in the Lord

Last Wednesday (9/12) was a very emotional day in the life of our family.  We were mourning Brooks because it was the one year anniversary since my 4 month appointment where we found out that I had a miscarriage and lost him.  Providentially, my 4 month appointment for our new baby fell on the same day one year later.  Talk about facing your fears!  We were trying not to get too anxious that this appointment could go the same way.  We prayed that we would trust in the Lord and that we would be able to glorify God, regardless of the outcome of that appointment.

With lots and lots of tears of joy, I am happy to announce that this appointment went much differently than the last one!  We rejoice and praise the Lord that He is redeeming our sad memories with happy ones.  Our  baby's heartbeat was found quickly and he/she had a strong heartbeat of 153 beats per minute.  It was so emotional as we went through the same motions that we did last year that I just couldn't help but cry.  Cry as I thought of Brooks, cry as I thought of our new little baby that is squirming around and alive!  The doctor even asked me "What's wrong? Everything looks good!"  

One of the verses that I have been loving is Psalm 100:5 - "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."  As we prepare for the next generation of McDaniels, we can't help but worship our Creator, knowing that His plans are always good, even if we don't understand them at the time.

We planned a visit with my parents that weekend in the hopes to celebrate with them after a good report.  I didn't realize how much I was waiting to get through that appointment before beginning to get excited about this little one!  It was fun to start planning things with my mom.  We watched the new movie "What To Expect When You're Expecting," we threw out ideas for our nursery, and we looked at baby stuff at Target & Once Upon A Child.  My mom plans to throw a baby shower for me in Jacksonville and we were able to start making a list of people to invite. 

Here we are looking at baby shower invitations.  We can't make a final decision on them until we know if our baby is a boy or a girl.  We will be finding this out on October 8!

We finished the day with eating at one of our favorite places in Savannah, Sweet Potatoes.  We had a great time and I think all four of us were able to relax and enjoy the weekend! :)

Coming in February 2013

Yes, it is true!  God has answered our prayers and we are excited to announce that we will be having a baby next year.  We praise the Lord for his faithfulness to us.  What a blessing!

Ironically, I found out that I was pregnant exactly one year later to the day that I found out that I was pregnant with Brooks.  My due date is February 27; Brooks' due date was February 23.  The challenging part is not to fear that we will lose this one also.  I am going through each month just as far along as I was with Brooks, which makes me worried about the month of September since that is when we lost him.  When I begin to fear, I am trying to spend time in prayer knowing that the Lord is in control.  Curtis and I believe that God is redeeming all the sad dates from our loss with happy ones from this new baby.  Please pray with us that our baby would be healthy.  We look forward to finally having an earthly child!

 12 Week Appointment

Final Update on My (Margaret's) Health

I believe this post will be the final update, so I guess you could say this was a trilogy.  If you missed the previous posts, you can find it at the following links: Part 1, Part 2.

The doctors originally said that I would have to wait 6 months before Curtis and I would be able to try to conceive again after the partial molar miscarriage.  Thankfully, the doctor changed it to only 5 months!  I have had 2 final blood drawings since my post in February and I have continued to be "negative" (under 5): 

Date - Count
02/22/12 - less than 0.1

03/19/12 - less than 0.1

Because my pregnancy hormone (HCG) levels remained under the count of 5 for 5 months, the doctor has now  given me the green light to begin trying to conceive.  Praise the Lord!  It seemed like this wait would never end back when we first found out in September.  We appreciate all the prayers as we have had loyal friends and family praying for us during this time period.  Although I am still fearful of having my blood taken, I have definitely found the strength through the Lord.  I clung to Psalm 56 each month - "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust.  I shall not be afraid.  What can flesh do to me?" (v. 3-4)

Curtis and I now request your prayers that God would provide us with a healthy baby very soon.  Even though one wait is now over, another wait begins.  We know that God has placed this desire within us to have children.  If you would have asked me even a year ago if I wanted to have children, I would have been cynical about the idea, mainly because of my fears.  Although God does not promise us children anywhere in His word, we have hope that He will give us the desire of our hearts.  "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)