Britt Raborn

We are so excited to announce that we are expecting a baby early 2019! Some of you might have already thought this announcement was coming, but I am excited to finally make it official! Scarlett is over the moon this time about getting a new baby brother or sister and cannot stop talking about it. It’s so fun to see her reactions and answer all her questions this time around because she totally gets it. Sully is just going with the flow and being very sweet about it. He’s excited about ‘the baby’ and is putting it together as the days go by. Makes my heart swell to see how excited they are!

We have always wanted three children, but I could never commit to timing this one. I think I got really content with our life and how easy my kids had become. I was always saying, “oh, but we have this trip, and then that trip! And oh my birthday, etc.” The list could go on, but Joel was the one really ready this time and he helped give me the push I needed. Joel takes his medical board exam next June, so he he knew he had to convince me quickly. Scarlett’s pregnancy was unexpected since I was going through testing for some GYN medical issues (and surprisingly I got pregnant during that time–which we were not planning). Then, it took almost a year for us to get pregnant with Sully, so I just felt it was easy to give it a go since I thought it would take several months anyway. Well, God likes to laugh at my plans and what do you know, I got pregnant right away. Something I never thought I was capable of. We were thrilled. The timing of this baby was going to be perfect for us and Joel was going to be on some easy rotations to give us more flexibility in being home with us. We thought our plan was perfect.

At the very end of April and early May I realized something was not right. I knew that the symptoms could be totally normal and waited it out like my doctor and nurses suggested. But, things picked up and we realized what was happening. An ultrasound a few days later would confirm our thoughts. I miscarried. We were devastated. The next several weeks were really hard. We had two big trips right after which was a good and a bad thing. We tried to press on, but as many of you know who have been through this journey, that is so hard. It’s hard to forget. I didn’t even want to celebrate Mother’s Day that month. Returning home from a trip back home Joel and I got stuck in some pretty bad traffic because of a storm that just passed through. We looked out the window and immediately spotted a rainbow. I kid you not, the most beautiful, biggest, and clearest rainbow we both had ever seen. The local news stations were even reporting it on social media and sharing photos. It was in that moment that Joel and I both looked at each other with content smiles and said to each other with hope, “maybe that’s a sign.” We didn’t sit on the thought long, but we both just had that moment of togetherness and hope.

It was several weeks later and something just felt different this time and even though I had no reason to suspect I was pregnant, my heart just couldn’t let it go. I worked up the courage to take a test and sure enough, ‘pregnant’ popped up on that tiny little screen! I don’t think our hearts or minds truly processed the news for weeks and it wasn’t until our first ultrasound that we could even connect. I am thankful that my doctor measured my hcg levels in the weeks following to make sure things were rising appropriately for peace of mind. There’s nothing that ever takes away that feeling of nervous energy surrounding your baby’s health, even before I had a miscarriage, I always worried. This time has been different in so many ways.

This pregnancy is proving to be my hardest yet. I’ve always been sick with my pregnancies in my first trimester and then it lets up soon after. But, I have been dealing with extreme morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum. You can read in depth about that here, but it is what Duchess Kate went through with her pregnancies if you remember. I have been in the hospital twice so far and should have gone another time before, but didn’t know what I was dealing with. The nausea meds don’t even touch the nausea I am going through and my body has been through so much. It has been one of the hardest things to manage while trying to take care of my kids, myself, and run our household. Even though I am out of my first trimester it has not significantly let up just yet. It makes me even nervous to say ‘it’s calmed down’ in a sense, but I’m staying hopeful things continue to get better and I see the light soon. Prayers appreciated 🙂

So, that was a small novel, but I feel like this pregnancy announcement was just so much more than just ‘We’re Expecting.” It has been a journey, and this is our story now. It will continue to be a journey from here on out, but we have learned so much and grown in love through this. We are beyond grateful that God blessed us with our little miracle and we pray every day that this baby grows and stays healthy.

The kids outfits are from Dressie Jessie, but here are some other really sweet options if you are needing something similar! Giraffe is linked here.

And here are some fun outtakes from our little announcement session! I owe it all to my mom and amazing neighbors who helped me pull this off in such a time pinch!