The Journey Begins....
So the journey began in 2011. My husband Michael and I decided that in August, when he finished paramedic school and officially obtained his paramedic license, then we would start trying for our first little Linchkin. As much as we treat our darling dachshunds like they are the babies we didn't have yet, the center of our universe, we thought that it might be nice to welcome real children into our/their lives.
August came around and we went for it!
To add to the excitement, around September my coworkers and I decided it would be a fun idea to start a weight loss competition. Towards the last few weeks of the competition (December), I really went for that medal too! I came in second, losing about 12 pounds. After that, I decided since I was on a roll, I would just finish my goal and lose the rest of the weight I’d been “meaning to lose” for years. I worked out every day, ate right, and lost a total of about 18 pounds.
So there I was, ready for the beach in January, excited to get to buy a new bikini for my newly toned body. Of course, we were still trying for a baby, but at this point 5 months had passed since we started trying, so I was already having thoughts that it would take some time, or that maybe something was wrong with one of us and that we might not even be able to have children.
January 10th, 2012
Well, while I was at work, I made a phone call to one of our loan structure consultants for a question on a loan, and she made a very random comment to me. At the end of our conversation, she asked me, “now, you are carrying another little person on you, aren’t you?”
Me: “No…??”
Vicki: “Are you sure about that?”
Me: “umm yes, why would you say that? …. Vicki…. Are you sure you aren’t thinking of somebody else?”
Vicki: “No, I’m sure. I just had a feeling that you were. Sometimes I get feelings about these kinds of things.”
She then proceeds to tell me about how she knew that her daughter, her friend, and other people were pregnant before they knew. Oh, and also, the sex of those babies.
Me: “Omg, now you have me excited!”
Vicki: “Well, if I were you I would go pee on a stick!”
Me: “If I am, it would be way too soon to tell, but I have no patience so I’m going to take one when I get home!”
Of course, I took one that afternoon, knowing that I could either be 9 or 5 days pregnant at this point, if at all, and that no test would be accurate enough to know that at this stage in the game.
Results: Negative
Reality: 5 days pregnant
So I continued to exercise and eat right, losing weight steadily.
Then I noticed my breasts starting to get sore. I asked my sister-in-law if hers were as well. We had started Insanity a couple weeks earlier so I thought maybe it was the workouts that were working my chest muscles and making them sore. She responded in a certain “No!”
I also started noticing that despite my healthy eating, my stomach was looking slightly bloated versus a few days before. This was all during the week of January 15th.
So from this point on, I had decided that after what Vicki told me, I would take my next pregnancy test on January 27th.
Well impatient me, on the night of Saturday, January 21st, I was cleaning the house and started feeling slightly funny. I made the decision to go ahead and take the test again the next morning.
Sunday, January 22nd
The Big Day
Well, for some reason I wasn’t able to sleep well at all this night. I felt like a kid the night before Christmas, I was so excited about the pregnancy test that I kept waking up thinking “wow, how long is morning going to take!?”
Which is slightly odd, I’ve taken many tests before and never had this problem sleeping the night before I was planning on taking one.
So I finally accepted that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep anymore at 5 a.m.
I woke up and unwrapped the test.
A minute later I glanced at the all-knowing urine stick.
Results: TWO lines! A very positively-emphatically-bright-pink pregnant line, alongside the “this test works” line.
I started shaking, jumping up and down, and saying over and over “oh my God, oh my God, no way, oh my God!”
Then I realized, it’s 5:00 in the morning. Who am I going to tell?? What was I thinking? Everyone is asleep and I have this life changing news and hours to kill before being able to share it.
But then I remembered my sister-in-law, Crystal was awake! Getting the family ready for my niece Cailyn’s cheer competition in San Antonio that day. I texted her at 5:30 asking when they were leaving, she said 6:15. I still had time!
I raced over to her house and called her when I got there asking if everyone was decent because I was here.
So I walked in, and her first response was “what’s wrong?”
Me: “I’m pregnant!”
Crystal’s reaction was priceless. She kept saying “You are?! You are?!” With the biggest smile I’ve ever seen plastered across her face. So we were emphatically jumping up and down, trying to be as quiet as we could, given the news.
Telling daddy-to-be:
So when I went back home, I decided the way I would tell Michael would be to wake him with breakfast in bed. I made him homemade whole wheat waffles, then at about 7:30 woke him with his plate.
So I anxiously awaited while he finished his waffle, of which he said was so delicious that he wanted another.
Okay, I can do this!
So I gave him another and waited until he finished his last bite. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I waited a few minutes then told him “I’m pregnant.”
He didn’t believe me, so I had to go show him the proof. He was so excited too!
But he wanted me to take a second test to be certain, so we picked one up on the way to deliver the exciting news to my parents.
Telling my parents:
This was one announcement that I had been thinking about for months. I wanted to be creative about it. So after I told Michael, I went to Walmart (the only place open that early on a Sunday morning), to look for grandparent memorabilia. I found a cute Grandkids frame for my dad, and Grandma mug and necklace for my mom. I put them in a Valentine bag that said “happy day.”
After Michael and I got ready, we headed over to their house to tell them the big news.
So I told them I got them early Valentine’s Day presents and made them open them at the same time.
Dad’s reaction: “Are you serious!?!”
Mom’s: Speechless at first, a gasp, then instant tears of joy! And hugs. :)
David’s: called his fiancé Whitney to share the news that she was going to be an Aunt in September.
Jerome: reserved - but we think he was still pretty happy!
I took the second test at my parents house. Here are those results!
We decided to go to church with my family that day since my dad was preaching. We asked the family to refrain from posting the news on Facebook until I had a chance to tell my friends.
So my in dad’s abundant excitement, he proceeded to tell the church about the big news in his life… here’s about how it went:
“Now I just want you all to know I can keep a secret. Yes, I really can. In fact, just this morning, my daughter shared some news with me that she asked me not to tell anyone, and I’m going to honor that and not tell you what she told me. No, I’m not even going to give you a little tiny baby baby baby hint. Not even one like, it starts with G and ends with A and rhymes with Grandpa.
Well, that was fun, everyone loved the way he announced it, lots of laughter and everyone congratulated us. My silly father! I love my family. Crazy, but fun.
We all went to Red Lobster after church to celebrate.
Love the expression on my dad's face here. He's absolutely giddy with excitement!
My family of 6, that will be 7 in June with the beautiful Ms. Whitney Brown, (back to back with David), that will be 8 in September! Our family is growing like a weed this year!
