I'm Pregnant???

Gotcha!  Sorry, I couldn't resist.  I love doing that just to see people's reactions.  Given our track record, though, I don't think anyone would be surprised if I were...with maybe the exception of me, my husband, and some extended family members.  That would be a wee bit of a shock!

One of our "couple friends", Zach and Emily, just found out recently that they are expecting their second child and she's been sharing their story on her blog.  Anytime I hear about a friend's pregnancy or talk to a pregnant friend, (like most mothers) I'm reminded of my own pregnancies and birth experiences.  It occurred to me that I haven't shared those stories on my blog so I thought this was a good time to start.  I probably won't be going into as much detail as Emily.  I'm still a bit of a prude, although breastfeeding three babies helps you get over that pretty quickly so maybe I'll be sharing more than I anticipate. ;)

This is Jackson's story:

I'm pretty sure we got pregnant with Jackson about a week or so before our first anniversary.  We were living in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the time and quite literally moving on our anniversary.  Nearly 1400 miles and two days later, we arrived in our new hometown, Abilene, Texas.  We had found a one bedroom apartment online in a little complex called Timber Ridge and signed a six-month lease.  The online floor plan made the place look so much bigger than it was in reality.  I remember opening the door and seeing the living room and the hallway and then asking, "Where's the kitchen?"  Well, it was behind the front door.  It was literally the size of a walk-in closet.  In fact, you could not have the oven door and the refrigerator door open at the same time and it was impossible for two people to be in there if you were planning to cook anything..  Nonetheless, it had everything we needed and we were grateful for it.

I first became suspicious that I might be pregnant on our first Sunday drive to Highland Church of Christ for bible class and assembly.  At the time we had a cute, little, red, 5-speed Chevy S10 pickup truck.  I hated that truck.  It was good to us and the most reliable vehicle we've ever owned but it probably went from 0-60 in about 2.5 years.  (Although, I couldn't help but be amused whenever Justin got a case of "road rage" and tried to pass another car.  It was like watching a turtle trying to sprint. LOL)  That particular day I really hated it...and Justin's driving.  I could have sworn he hit every bump and every pothole along the way.  Once we were in the parking lot, I was ready to vomit.  It crossed my mind that I could be pregnant but I just chocked it up to an empty stomach.

There were signs even before that happened.  I just didn't recognize them.  No one told me my boobs would hurt.  I suspected I had breast cancer before pregnancy ever crossed my mind.  They were so sore and tender.  I just knew I had cancer.  It was only after the truck ride that I considered this as another symptom.

I don't really remember but I'm thinking that since we only had one car and I wasn't supposed to drive that we already had a pregnancy test and I didn't have to go out and buy one.  I didn't want to tell Justin my suspicions because I knew he'd worry and I didn't see the point in worrying him about it if there was nothing to worry about.  I do remember deciding to wait until the next morning to take it so I'd have the most accurate result.  I had taken pregnancy tests before and remembered waiting for what seemed like forever for the result.  Not this time!  I couldn't believe it!  I think the second line showed up even before the first one did!  I'd look at the test, then look at the directions, then look at the test again...you get the idea.

At this point, Justin was still in bed.  It was pretty early, after all.  The only reason I had gotten up in the first place was because I had to pee and therefore, had to take the test.  I wondered how I would tell him.  I wished I'd been more creative about it now, but I was in such shock over the whole thing that I didn't really know what to do...and I knew he was going to notice me acting weird.  I went back to the bedroom and kissed him.  He made some joke then by saying, "Ah, now I need a cigarette."  So I seized the opportunity and responded, "Well, you're really gonna need a cigarette after what I have to tell you."  "What?"  "You're gonna be a Daddy."  Yep.  That was my look right there.  The look I had on my face in the bathroom, now staring back at me with the eyes of my husband.  "What?!  Are you sure?"  Well, he tried to look happy about it (and deep down he was) but, in typical Justin fashion, he worried.  He definitely needed some time to get used to the idea.  After all, we'd only been married a year AND he'd just quit his full-time ministry job AND was getting ready to start grad school full-time AND we'd moved to a new community where we knew absolutely no one AND neither of us had a job.  It was certainly a lot to take in.

This being my first pregnancy, the only thing I really knew to do was call the doctor and schedule an appointment.  Then, I started taking prenatal vitamins and folic acid.  We decided to wait until after the appointment to "make sure" I was really pregnant before telling anyone.  (Justin wanted to hear it from a doctor first...have an "official" pregnancy confirmation.)  We both expected that they would give me another test, but of course, they didn't.  The nurse was getting ready to dismiss us when Justin asked if they were going to take a test or anything.  The nurse looked confused.  "What kind of test?"  "A pregnancy test, to make sure she's pregnant?"  Then she looks at me looking even more confused.  "You took a test at home, didn't you?"  "Yes."  "And what was the result?"  "Positive."  "Then you're pregnant."  That's when she told us that the tests measure a certain hormone in a woman's body that is only present when she's pregnant.  In other words, there's no such thing as a false positive result, only false negatives.

We made several phone calls after that visit and told our families the news.  Chris, my stepdad, mysteriously guessed what I was calling about.  I hadn't told him yet but when he handed mom the phone he said, "It's your daughter.  She wants to tell you that she's pregnant."  How dare he steal my thunder! And what gave me away, I wonder? ;)

So, that's the story of how we found out we were having Jackson.  It's probably more than you cared to know.  No matter.  Now it's written for my kids to read when they want to know their story.  Next time, I'll write about his birth.  That's one story you don't want to miss!