Inch by Inch, Row by Row--Looks Like Our Garden's Ready to Grow!

I think it's time.

We're sort of past the point of no return; my belly has outstretched all of my pants, our friends and family are all overjoyed, and even my students will finally officially find out on Monday. So, without further ado, please welcome our little Button to Inch by Inch!

Our Baby Button

As you will find (should you choose to read through the dozen or so posts, beginning here, that I'm now finally publishing below this one), our third injections/IUI cycle resulted in this pregnancy back in the beginning of June. There were numerous early moments of anxiety, but, thanks to a fabulous team at Shady Grove Fertility, we were well monitored each step of the way. You can walk through the last four months and share our fears and worries, our milestones and celebrations, and our ultimate joy--or, if you're a bit more impatient, you can just celebrate today with us.

Yesterday, our Baby Button turned 19 weeks. Today, we went for our anatomy scan, the "big" ultrasound where we'd get to see all of Button's organs developing and learn if things were alright. Oh--and where we'd find out the gender, if our little one turned out to miraculously not be as stubborn as mom.

Guess what? She wasn't stubborn at all, and she is pretty darn perfect.

That's right--Lord willing, on or around February 13, 2014, our little daughter will be entering the world. She will be greeted with more love than she can imagine, buoyed by more prayers than she can fathom, and surrounded with an abundance of family--both the ones of our blood and the ones of our hearts. She will be the rainbow after the two-year storm that her mommy and daddy have endured. And she will be worth every bit of pain--physical and emotional. We know that, because she already is.

When I started this blog in early January 2012, it was supposed to be Blueberry's story. For a while, it became a winding road full of grief and hope, despair and possibility. Our sweet little Beanster took over for a few brief weeks before the darkness set back in--until we found our way back into the Light. And now it becomes Button's story--and our story and Beanster's story and Blueberry's story--for Button's story cannot be written without those other ones, the ones that came before, the ones that paved the way, the ones that taught us that grief is not everlasting and that joy does return one bright morning after the darkest night we've known.

Thank you for standing by us through the years of darkening shadows. Now we can't wait to rollick with you in the sunshine!