Woohoo! It’s time to spill all the details on baby Metcalf #2!!! 

About a year ago we did a pregnancy podcast with Hazel, so if you are wondering how our first pregnancy went, you can listen to the Metcalf Ministries Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts called “20 Things I Learned During Pregnancy”! But this one was a little different.

Here’s what you can expect in this blog and on the podcast. We’ll talk about:

• How we knew we were ready for baby #2

• What it was like the day we found out we were pregnant

• How the pregnancy has gone so far

• Our predictions for baby #2’s gender

• What it was like the day we found out the gender

• What you can expect on the next blog & podcast

How we knew we were ready for baby #2

To start things off, let’s talk about how we knew we were ready for baby #2. After a couple months of having Hazel, I totally remember thinking, “How do people do this with a toddler?!” I was so sleep deprived and couldn’t imagine having the energy to chase a toddler around while also trying to provide for a new babe. But after a few months of some solid sleep (it took Hazel like 13-14 months to figure out the sleeping thing consistently), we both felt like we were ready.

The only thing was that I left for El Salvador in June of 2023 and then turned around two weeks later and took teens to youth camp. I knew I didn’t want to be pregnant overseas leading a trip and not knowing what the water/food would look like. Plus at camp they had a blob I wanted to do… so we waited until I was back to start trying 🙂

With Hazel we got pregnant right away, but with this one we didn’t get pregnant that first month. Which worked out because I’ve always wanted a May baby :) But one tip I have is to use the health tracker app if you have an iPhone so you can document your periods and have an idea of when you’re ovulating. It’s not exactly accurate, but it gives you a good estimation of when you could be ovulating.

How it was the day we found out

With Hazel, I was almost positive I was pregnant, just based on how I felt emotionally and physically. But this one wasn’t as obvious. When it came time to take a test, I knew I wanted to surprise Tyler, which was different from the first time we took a test, because he was standing there in the bathroom with me when we saw the lines appear.

So on September 1st I got up and decided to take one, but unfortunately my bladder was as full as ever and I didn’t hold back lol, so the test ended up being inconclusive. I left right after and went on a run and then came back and took a test again (a little more gently this time), and saw the word “pregnant” come across the screen. 

I had to act so nonchalant that morning after finding out, but once Tyler was in the shower I pulled Hazel into her room and told her she was going to have a little baby brother or sister! She looked at me excitedly and said, “Little buddy!!!!” It was so sweet.

Then when Tyler got out of the shower I had Hazel hand him the pregnancy test, and he had so much joy on his face reading it and came running out of the bathroom wrapped in his towel to come embrace me. We both had tears welling up with joy, and it was such a special morning. You can watch the video on Instagram or Facebook 🙂

Immediately after that happened Hazel started playing with her babies and tucking them in. It was so sweet and so awesome that she understood what just happened!

How the pregnancy has gone

This pregnancy has been so great overall. I’ve definitely more mellow and even-keeled than I was with my first pregnancy. I was only slightly nauseous in the early weeks, and I definitely was in a good mood overall! Of course I took some naps during the first trimester, but it has been a great experience.

With this pregnancy I have wanted all things SALTY! I wasn’t super interested in sweet stuff, as especially early on it left such a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Ice cream didn’t even sound that great, and if you know me… you know that’s not normal lol. Milk has also been something that has sounded soooo good this pregnancy, so I have filled up on my dairy in other ways I guess!

Around week 15 I got the flu, which I would not recommend getting while you’re pregnant. I was down and out for nearly a week. Luckily with this pregnancy I’ve only had two colds, but with Hazel it felt like it was every three weeks!

Around weeks 15-17 was when I really started showing, and those little kicks came around 16-17 weeks (which is different for everyone). This one is definitely an active babe like Hazel was! I ended up gaining about 9 pounds by 17 weeks and 12 pounds by 20 weeks. Then once I hit week 20 a couple weeks ago, my belly grew exponentially. 

Our predictions on baby #2’s gender

Pretty much everyone in our family thought this sweet babe was a boy. I did, Tyler did, Hazel even did! I even posted on my story one night that I would be shocked if it wasn’t a boy, as I was eating pickles and mac and cheese at 10 p.m. All the wives' tales said boy!

The gender reveal

Leading up to the ultrasound, we definitely thought boy. But as soon as the ultrasound started, Tyler and I had a feeling it would be a girl. Our ultrasound tech early on accidentally said “she,” and I asked if she knew for sure yet. She said no, but then as she was moving around my belly, I thought I kind of had it figured out.

Then the time came. She moved from the head and went down and then said, “I think you’re having another girl!”

Tyler and I were so elated, and he immediately said, “My girls.” We’re so excited for Hazel to have a little sister to play with!

Tyler and I had already experienced an ultrasound with Hazel obviously, but once again we were amazed at how God is orchestrating everything behind the scenes and creating and crafting this little babe in my womb, putting together every sweet detail. It’s a beautiful thing to watch the heartbeat on the screen, to see those little kicks that you feel jabbing you from the inside, and to see those tiny feet you know will be walking around your house someday. It will always be something we marvel over and will always be something that demonstrates the beauty and care of God.

What’s next

I’ve decided to revert Hazel’s old nursery back into what it was for sweet baby girl and plan on putting together a blog with all the details of how we put it together - how much it cost, where we got everything, and how we assembled it all. You can expect that next on the blog!

Then the following week we will share my delivery and postpartum story with my first pregnancy. We’re excited to document this and look forward to what baby #2’s will look like. We know God will be in every detail, just like He always has.