So now you all know half the reason why this place has been so silent this last two months. I know you're all dying to hear the particulars about due dates and such, but let me share a few more things first.

I think most of you know my story of PCOS, miscarriage and infertility, but there are a few others who may not be familiar, so let me give you a synopsis.

We struggled with secondary infertility for over a year (and miscarriage number one) before receiving a diagnosis of PCOS. We conceived shortly after that, but lost the baby to a missed miscarriage discovered at 15 weeks gestation. Just a few months later (two years almost exactly since our journey through IF began) we found out we were pregnant with Judah. In the nearly three years since his birth, through prayer and discussion, we decided together not to pursue any more children and after an initial struggle, I slowly began to be at peace with that. You can read more about my heart on that matter here and here and here.

Part of our decision was based on the emotional turmoil surrounding trying to conceive with PCOS and the trauma of miscarriage. Women with PCOS carry a 50%-60% risk of miscarriage with each pregnancy and after our second miscarriage, I knew that the risk of that happening again would overshadow any joy in a new pregnancy. It seemed to us like the Lord simply had other plans for our life. We began to plan a move overseas to teach, culminating in a position in a school in China that we began to pursue in September of last year. By Dec we had nearly finished the process and were beginning to apply for passports and visas.

There now. That should bring you up to date. And also help you to understand the next few posts, which I wrote over the last few weeks and will post now that the cat's out of the bag.