Name: Kerry
Due Date: June 19, 2008
Expecting: A Surprise!
(As written by Kerry’s best friend, Ashley)
All Kerry has ever wanted was to be married and be a mom. She has said over and over that her passion is to be a mother and that is her calling in life. Her first dream came true August 1, 2004 when she married her high school sweetheart, Rob. I had the privilege of being her maid of honor and and our friendship became so much deeper.
Kerry went to school for early childhood education, has worked in daycare and is now a nanny, caring for one little two year old boy. I am also a nanny, and I work in the same neighborhood as Kerry does. Kerry interacts with this little boy with such grace and composure and truly inspires me.
On the morning of Thursday, September 6, 2007, Kerry and I made plans to go for a walk around the neighborhood with the kids, a pretty routine activity for us. However, this morning was different. Kerry and I turned down a street that we didn’t normally walk down, and she stopped suddenly. Kerry looked at me square in the eyes and said, “I have to tell you something.”
I was so taken aback, all I could muster was a tiny, “What?”
“I’M PREGNANT.”
I remember screaming “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” and jumping for joy, crying, and hugging her, but the rest was a blur.
My best friend was going to live her dream. She had wanted this literally her whole life and IT WAS HAPPENING. She and her husband spent the weekend telling family and celebrating.
She was on cloud nine and so was I… until Monday morning.
Kerry called me as I was pulling into the driveway at work. “I’m cramping and bleeding. I know it’s probably nothing.” Her voice shook with emotion. “But I just have a bad feeling, I really do.”
I tried to comfort her and brush it off, why, my sister in law had had the very same thing happen to her and her baby was fine! Kerry and I quickly said our goodbyes, she promising to call her doctor after we hung up. She later went in for a blood test. Her hCG levels were just too low.
Her baby, though it was just a speck, was her baby. And her baby was gone. “I know that this baby was just not meant to be. I know that,” she sobbed to me the next day. “I know if there was something wrong with my baby it would have been hard. But I don’t care. I just wanted my baby.”
Kerry was devastated, to say the least. She realized that many women experience this tragedy, but she expressed that she never really entertained the idea that it would happen to HER. Her long healing process was difficult, but it strengthened her relationships with Rob, me, and God. Then and now, I looked and look to her in awe when I consider what she has overcome.
About a month later Kerry dropped by the house that I work at unexpectedly. She nonchalantly chatted with me as I attempted to get the baby ready to go out. Suddenly, she blurted out, “Ihavetotellyousomething.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re pregnant.” I knew it.
She nodded silently.
I screamed so loud and suddenly, the kids looked at me like I was insane. Kerry called it their miracle. She had and still has no idea when she could have gotten pregnant during that month. But it didn’t and doesn’t matter.
Kerry’s baby is healthy, extremely active, and loved so. She and Rob are over the moon, but continue to remember and grieve for their little angel, even though they only knew him or her for a few days. Kerry was just telling me about her ultrasound today and how incredible it was to see the intricacies of the tiny baby, such as the arm bones. She will never say that this baby is anything but a miracle.
Kerry and her husband are putting their full trust in God that He will provide for them and their family despite financial difficulties. She is just so thankful that her dream is becoming a reality. It really magnifies what is REALLY important in life. I would love for Kerry to win the virtual baby shower, and perhaps give her a fraction of the blessings that she has given me through her constant friendship. She is such an inspiration.
On what winning the Baby Shower gift package would mean to her (in Kerry’s own words)…
What would mean the most to me if I win this package is that I would get to share my story with so many people. It is worth having a miscarriage if I would have the opportunity to help one other girl get through hers one day and help ease her pain somewhat.
I know I was born to be a mother and that this is my calling in life. God has prepared me for this since I was a little girl and I just love to share everything about my pregnancy with everyone! It would be such a privilege to be able to share all the details with so many other people.
