How to make the announcement - well, first tell parents, they are the most excited. Then siblings, also quite excited. Close friends, who you don't want to hear from someone else. Extended family, who surprise you in how excited they are. Then the cyber-world announcement.
The blog seems the right place to start, since people I really care about check here. Then facebook - though that seems so akward.
But the truth is, we're having a baby. And we're excited. Okay, ecstatic and overwhelmed are probably better words. In almost 7 months, two will become three. The house will go from welcome and warming (and very adult), to chaotic and childlike (but hopefully still welcoming).
So, then, the story. Most of your have heard this - some have not. It was no secret that Joel and I had planned on waiting a year to start trying for a family, and with our trip to Italy at the one year mark, no one would have been surprised had we conceived in Italy. As one year crept closer and closer, I would say we got, um, lazy.
My period was due to arrive several days before our trip to Italy - when it hadn't arrived by the night before we left, neither one of us was surprised. The last several months had been inconsistent. So I dutifully had packed every pad and tampon in my suitcase with many at easy access (for the plane).
The night before we left, we decided it would be better to know for sure we weren't pregnant than wonder the whole time we were gone. We had a pregnancy test in the house, so I told Joel I'd wake up in the morning and take it and then we could go on our merry way. With the trip looming, I didn't sleep well and woke up early the next morning. Seeing as I had to go to the bathroom immediately when I woke up, I decided I better pee on the stick at the same time. So I did. I set it down gingerly and walked back into the bedroom.
It was early and dark, but I knew I couldn't look at the test alone. So I sat down on the bed and tapped Joel. "Honey, I peed on the stick". He sat straight up. "You peed in the bed?!"
See, Joel sleeps pretty hard and sometimes has a hard time hearing. This would have been one of those times. I almost fell off the bed in laughter while I clarified my words to him. So we sat for a few minutes, waiting.
Assuming it was going to be negative (truly), we walked into the bathroom together, Joel first. He glanced at it, but had no idea what he was looking at. I looked over at the test and immediately burst into tears. I pulled the directions out of the garbage to be sure I knew what I was looking at. Yep, positive. How quickly life changes.
We stood in the bathroom laughing and crying for awhile before we realized we had an airplane in Chicago to catch. I dutifully unpacked all my previously packed "girl stuff". We bought another test on the way to the airport, just in case. I called the nurse (who we happened to both know) and then did our best not to tell my dad, who took us to the airport.
The other test was unnecessary. I took it in Rome one day, just to check. Before I could even put the test down - 2 lines. No doubt lady, you are pregnant.
4 weeks later we got to see our little lima bean, heartbeat and all. What a joy! Our lima bean is now the size of a lime and happily growing and changing every day. Tomorrow we get to go back and hear the heartbeat again. It will be a relief to me as I've spent the last 3 weeks worrying that something, unknowingly, is wrong. I'll try to remember to update with the results tomorrow!
