Baby W

September 20th began something like this.  


I woke up, knowing my monthly visitor was two days late.  I was annoyed, mostly, but this was nothing new.  Ever since I started getting cysts and having problems with my ovaries, my period has had a mind of it's own.  However,  I had this little idea pop into my head....."you should take a test."
Um...Okay?  I had taken a test a few days before - and it was negative.  (Don't believe everything you read on the front of a pregnancy test.  "Know six days before your missed period!!"  Lies.)
I took the test.  I wasn't paying much attention to it as I expected it to read negative - just like the five million tests I have taken before.  When I finally looked at the test, I about fell over when I saw a faint - VERY FAINT - line, creating that little sign that means "your life is about to change forever."  
So, in complete panic mode, I call my sister.  "Whitney, I need you to come over.  I just took a pregnancy test, and I think it's saying I'm pregnant.  Hurry."  So, my amazing little sister drove to my apartment at the butt crack of dawn to verify that I was not seeing things - that there was indeed a line.  Sure enough, I wasn't seeing things.  
Well, sorry EPT, your preggo tests aren't good enough.  At this point, I was not educated enough about home pregnancy tests to know a faint line is still usually a positive.  As I told Whitney "I need a definite 'yes' or a definite 'no'.  Not a 'maybe'. Let's go buy a different test."  So, off to Wal-Mart we went.  I bought a First Response (you know, the one with the pink lines) and a ClearBlue digital test.  Talk about the longest drive to Wal-Mart in my life.  We finally made it back to my apartment and I took the pink test first.  Whitney and I sat and stared at the test, and a more obvious pink line appeared, indicating I was pregnant. But I was STILL not convinced.  Pregnancy was something I watched everyone around me do, it wasn't something that happened to me.  Pregnancy was something I had been told might not happen for us since my ovaries are crap.  I ripped open the box to the digital test, and took that one too.  And while it was taking it's sweet time reading, I left the bathroom.  While I was pacing my bedroom like a nervous wreck, I heard  my little sister squeal.  I knew what that meant.  And before I knew it, we were jumping up and down, squealing together like two pre-teen girls at a Justin Bieber concert.  (Okay, to be fair, I would probably squeal at a Justin Bieber concert too and I'm 25 years old.)  Sure enough, the test gave me the 'yes' or 'no' I was looking for:  Pregnant.  Whit got ready for work, and soon left me alone with my thoughts.  
Suddenly, all I wanted to do was tell Clayton.  This was NOT a secret I could keep from him no matter how badly I wanted to or how hard I tried.  And I always thought I knew how I wanted to tell him we were pregnant, but that went right out the window.  Haha.  I hadn't talked to him that day, but knew he was coming home from the Academy for lunch.  I didn't have much time.  I ran to the store and got 4 pastel colored balloons and weighted them with a little Ty Beanie Baby bear (remember those? haha) that was holding a sign that said "You DID IT!"  I put all three positive tests in a ziploc, and attached the bag to the bear.  I then hid the balloons in one of our closets.  I grabbed a marker and in little letters wrote the word "baby" on my stomach.  I then went to the kitchen and started making his lunch.  
Clayton walked in the door - and my heart was pounding.  I told him that I had a weird rash on my stomach and wanted him to look at it.  When I didn't immediately lift up my shirt to show him, he caught on that something was on my belly and it wasn't a rash.  He's right - if I really had a weird rash on my stomach, I'd probably have met him at the door half naked to show him.  He said "there's something written on your belly, isn't there?"  He lifted up my shirt - and the look on his face when he saw the word "baby" was priceless.  He said "You're joking" and asked "Are you serious?" probably ten times.  I told him I was serious, and then I went and got his balloons.  (Later he told me he thought I was trying to be cutesy and had written something like "I love you" on my stomach.) I showed him the three tests I had taken that morning.  I don't know why, but when I showed Clay the tests, it hit me.  I'm pregnant. I started shaking and got super hot and almost passed out, haha.  Clayton scooped me up in his arms and gave me the biggest hug and kiss EVER.  My dear sweet husband finished making his lunch, and I sat next to him at the table.  Every other sentence out of his mouth was "You are pregnant" or "I'm going to be a dad" or "You're going to be a mom".  Seeing my husband so excited about our news made me fall in love with him all over again.  All my nervousness started slowly disappearing and being replaced with feelings of love and excitement.  He headed back to work.  
When Clayton gets off work at 5, he always calls me to let me know he is on his way home.  So when 5:15 rolled around and I hadn't heard from him, I called him.  I didn't get an answer.  I texted him and asked where he was, and he told me he was staying after to work out with some friends from the Academy.  About half an hour later, he walked in the door with Cafe Rio and two beautiful lillies (my favorite!)  with a little card saying "Baby is Here!" where he had written "in 9 months".  Yup - my big tough, manly husband is a big sweetheart sometimes.  :)  Enjoy some pics from that day - NOTE:  No makeup on me. Don't judge me.  I spent that whole day crying, and makeup was simply NOT an option.  

After Clay came home from work.  Soooo happy. :)

Had to get a pic with SiSi McGee - she's gonna be a big sister!!

Flowers hadn't bloomed yet - when they did... wow.  I don't know where my pic of them went tho?

My husband is the best.  Seriously, I love that guy.  

Proud papa to be.  He's going to be THE best daddy!!

Hahahaha.  

We didn't want to tell our families right away.  My mom knew first, but only because Clayton couldn't go to our first doctor's appointment on October 15th, so I had to give my mom enough notice to get time off work.  And then after several days we ended up telling my dad because he, myself, Clayton and Whitney had all drawn swan tags - and apparently there are studies done somewhere that say it's not the best idea to shoot a gun while preggo?  Haha - long story short, my dad won't let me hunt.  And if you know my dad, that's saying something in and of itself. 

I ended up in the ER on the night of October 8th.  That's where I got to see our baby for the first time.  I measured a week behind what I thought I would.  I thought I would be just over seven weeks pregnant.  Turns out, I was only six.  But everything looked good with baby and all my levels checked out exactly where they should be for being six weeks. 

On October 15th, I got to see baby for a second time - this time with mom in tow.  :)  I measured at 7 weeks and everything looked perfect.  A few days later, the morning sickness monster started kicking my butt.  

We told Clayton's parents and siblings the next week when I was eight weeks.  We were really excited to share this news with them, but told them to keep it a secret!!  We told my baby sisters and Grandma DeAnn on Halloween, just before 10 weeks.  We told Grandma DeAnn to keep it a secret, but I know for a fact she didn't do a very good job, hahaha.  Oh grandma. 

I got to hear baby's heartbeat again at 11 weeks.  I'm now twelve weeks.  I get to be seen every two weeks by the doc because I can't put any weight on or keep any food down - so I'm pretty excited I'll be able to hear baby's heart beat more than every four weeks for awhile.  

Because getting cysts on your ovaries while you are pregnant is rare, I thought if I did get pregnant, it would be a breeze for me.  Boy was I wrong.  The pain in my ovaries is gone, but it's been replaced by constant nausea and vomiting and exhaustion.  But you know what?  That's okay.  Feeling sick every day sucks, don't get me wrong, but it's a reminder that this pregnancy is a miracle and it's going well.  Clayton and I are overjoyed.  We are so grateful we have been blessed with this little guy (if you ask Clayton) or girl, and we absolutely can not wait for June 3rd, 2013.  :)