Pregnancy - Part 2: Letting Everyone Know

Hello all!

The first trimester went by very quickly for us. Since we found out around 5 weeks and then the holidays were right after, it seemed to fly.

We found out on December 17th that we were expecting, and December 21st we headed to the Hill Country for Christmas. We arrived that night in Kerrville to my mom and step-dad and my older brother and sister-in-law. On the drive there, Rob and I had talked about not telling anyone in our families because we were so early on, but we looked up fun ways to eventually tell everyone. But because we found out on my mom's birthday, we actually wanted to tell her secretly at some point while we were there.

When we got to my mom's house, we were all just hanging around and waiting on Price to get there. Laura made an odd request that we take a picture that night, and that she just wanted to be better about documenting things with pictures. She had my mom and I stand by the tree and Austin (actually videoing) told us, "Ok, now smile, Mom, and say, 'I'm going to be a grandma!'" We were so happy to hear the news and were so surprised. Of course, I immediately wanted to know all of the details. I figured out we were 2 weeks apart to the day, and it was so hard to keep all of the excitement inside! Rob and I went to bed that night talking about how fun it was going to be to go through pregnancy with Austin and Laura, and to ultimately raise our kids together. Cousins two weeks apart!

The next morning Laura and I were on a run and, of course, we were talking all about the pregnancy. There came a point in time where she just kept talking about how wonderful it was to be surrounded by family that could pray for you and support you because they knew of the pregnancy and how nice it was to finally let the news out. I finally just made her stop on the side of the road and told her that I was expecting. It was a fun moment to share, just the two of us.

With Laura in the know, I knew we would have to tell everyone else. It was just too fun of a coincidence that both of us were pregnant and due in August.  That night we opened presents with the family. I had gotten an ornament and had written "Baby W's First Christmas - ETA August 2013."  I waited until the last present had been opened and then handed my mom one that I had hidden.  Her reaction was so much fun, and it was a blast getting to celebrate with my family once they knew.

The next evening, we headed to Rob's parents' house in Boerne to be with his family for Christmas Eve and Christmas. We did a similar number with his parents in letting them open the last present and them finding an ornament. They were very excited, and we spent the next day and a half talking about babies and future plans. 

I told a few of my closest friends on New Years at the Prewett Ranch. Rob and I had recently gone on a trip to New Orleans, and so I pretended to let them look through our pictures from the trip. This is what they found at the end of the roll :)

For others that we had over to the house (my Bunco group, other close friends, etc.) we just left our sonograms up on the refrigerator and let them find them find out that way. It was fun to see a slight confusion on their face at first and then put two and two together. 

Any way we did it, telling people that we were expecting has been one of my favorite parts of the pregnancy so far. People have been so sweet and warm to congratulate, and we have had so much fun with it. 

More soon!

Pregnancy - Part 1: TWO Blue Lines

Hello all!

I hope this finds you all well! My last post revealed some big news for us, so I thought I would try and play catch up (mostly for myself) on my pregnancy and our journey to a family of three. I haven't posted anything yet, so I will start from the beginning.  Warning: This might contain detailed and yucky details. Boys, beware. :)

Rob and I had talked about starting a family and we knew that it might take me a while to get pregnant for a number of reasons. That being said, we decided to pull the plug in October. (See, I told you it might be detailed and yucky.)

Fast forward 2 months...Rob and I were headed out to dinner on December 15th. It was the 4 year anniversary of our first date, and we were going out to celebrate. I had been feeling a little funny for the past few days. I decided to take a pregnancy test because I knew I would probably be drinking that night. I was in a hurry, so after...well, you know... I quickly took a look and...nothing. One line in each panel. I quickly threw it away and headed off to the our dinner, thinking that it was dumb of me to have even taken a test. I hadn't even missed my cycle yet. We had a lovely night enjoying each other and reminiscing about the past four years. How time flies!

Two days later, Rob and I were having a normal evening at home. He was in the kitchen thawing out some meat for dinner, and I still couldn't shake that feeling of being a little off. I was super tired after school each day (and a few other odd indicators) and I was just stumped. I was supposed to start my cycle that day and didn't, but it still wasn't that odd since I was sure my body was just trying to get over being on birth control. On a whim, I decided to take another pregnancy test. I repeated the same steps as two days before, waited a little bit and looked at the stick. Again, one line in each panel.  I set the stick down on the sink, and as I washed my hands, I just chalked up my tiredness to it being such a busy time with holiday parties and activities and to my kiddos at school being super excited about their Christmas break. I finished up at the sink, dried my hands, and as I reached over to throw the stick in the trash can, I saw them. Yes, THEM. Two blue lines making a plus sign in the first panel. My heart beat a little faster as I pulled out the instruction sheet from the linen closet even though I knew what it said. With shaking hands, I reread the instructions. They hadn't changed. After making sure I wasn't mistaken, I began to cry. A wave of a million different emotions welled up in me. I was overcome with excitement and joy...we were going to have a BABY! We were going to start a family. This was it. A moment I had thought about for so long. But then, I was instantly nervous and scared at the same time. Our lives would forever be changed. Were we ready?

With a face full of tears, I walked into the kitchen and Rob was still at the sink. I reached around him and put the stick in plain view. He waited a second or two and then said, "What?" That was it. That was his response, and kept on with his business. He turned around to look at me and said it again. "What does that mean?" "Babe!! We're pregnant!" I told him, now laughing that he wasn't understanding. "No way," said my engineer of a husband. "You've got a positive and a negative there. That can't mean pregnant." I literally had to go and get the instructions again to prove to him that I wasn't pulling his leg. When it sunk in, we laughed and cried together in the kitchen and just thought about the enormity of that night...What it meant for us as a couple, what it meant for us as a family to be, and all that was in store for us for the next 100 years. What a rush, and what a blessing that the Lord had given us.

I pulled out my phone and figured out that I was just 5 weeks along, and then calculated that my due date would be in August. And then I started thinking, wait a minute...I took a pregnancy test two days ago. How odd that it didn't read positive then. I rushed into the bathroom and fished out stick #1 (gross, I know). Sure enough, there THEY were again: two blue lines making a plus sign. I just hadn't waited long enough the first time! I showed Rob and we had a good laugh. I guess good things really do come to those that wait the whole instructed 3 minutes. :)

We went on a walk a little bit later that night and talked about baby the whole time. We were so excited, and we just couldn't stop smiling. We knew it was the start of a long journey, but we were thrilled to be walking down that road together. I will never forget that night and the joy that we felt.

I never knew pregnancy would be a roller coaster, though, and we were in for some rocky times. I'll write about that soon.

Until then! More soon,