Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Written May 28th:

This isn't just the title to an amazing song, it's what Joe and I have been doing since December. When Joe and I decided we wanted to start a family, we had to work hard for it. I'm a teacher, and because I wanted to make the most of my time at home with my future baby, we felt as though we were on a pretty tight schedule. Lucky for us, Liam was on his way right away. It only took us one month, and we were future parents. This time it was a bit more complicated. We are in a much better situation financially, so time of the year didn't play quite as much of a role, but it was still a consideration.
The new factors to consider were the short-term disability policy that we took out after the first of the year. For the policy to kick in, we had to wait at least a month. We did. When the month was over, we were still in the process of a renovation project that was taking place in Liam's room, which meant he was sleeping in our room. We got creative, but with all of the stress associated with a toddler in your room, plastic and dust filling your house, and a bit of potty training, the end of that cycle didn't come with news of a little sibling for our big guy.
The next chance we got, we put a little more effort into it. But once again, no dice. Between preparing for the party of the century (otherwise known as Liam's 2nd Birthday) and studying/taking an assessment that could change my career path, we once again didn't get the outcome we were hoping for. Life had gotten in the way of our efforts twice, and I was starting to get a bit discouraged.
I have known many people who have had far worse luck with conceiving, so I tried to keep my emotions in check and my hopes high. It just seemed so much harder this time around. As I said before, Liam happened the first try, and that was the only experience Joe and I had with this process. Lucky for us, the third time was the charm! We found out mid-May that we would be welcoming a new member to the family some time in January.
I learned a great deal throughout the many months that baby #2 took to prepare for, plan for, and try for and I think that I appreciate this pregnancy and the work it took to achieve it, more than I did with the last. I have already been reminded, that nothing having to do with little ones goes as planned....they make sure of that!