So I realized that this blog is just in it's early stages and still a little rough around the edges. I also realized that I just sent my story into cyberspace without so much as a little history. Where do I begin? Like so many others out there, Justin and I met at work. From the start, the chemistry was undeniable. We started dating in July of '02, got engaged in July of '05, and were married on April 29, 2006.
We collectively decided that we would wait to have kids for at least a year after our wedding. By July 2007, we'd held strong to our ground, but we were also ready . . . ready to start trying. I never really expected for it to happen so quickly, but in October 2007, I took the test that gave me two pink lines. I was bursting with nerves and utter excitement, but had to wait a little while for Justin to get home from work. When he did, I think he went into shock. He kept asking me if I was sure, so I took a 2nd test to satisfy him. Sure enough, it was true. We were still shocked but also excited. We were going to experience this new territory together and had no idea what to expect.
My first doctor's appointment was in early December, so Justin and I decided that the timing was just right to keep the pregnancy a secret from everyone until Christmas Day. Our little secret was definitely a difficult one to keep. The main thing that people started realizing was that I wasn't drinking anymore. What made it believable was that I'd just started taking medicine for my chronic hypertension, so we told everyone that I couldn't drink on the new medication.
Christmas Day couldn't come soon enough. Justin and I planned to get our family members gifts that would say Grandma, Grandad, Uncle, etc. We'd gotten my mom, my 2 sisters, and Justin's mom these cute engraved snow globes. We got his dad an engraved beer stein, his brother an engraved keychain, and my brother and sister-in-law an engraved frame. (Yes, I'm obssessed with Things Remembered). Anyway, Christmas morning came around and, for the first time, I was nervous going over to the parents' houses to exchange gifts. We went over to my mom's first. Justin and I made a point to open our "secret" gifts last. When we handed them out to my mom and sisters, my sister opened hers first. She didn't want to ruin the surprise, but she looked at me, smiled, and questioned, "Really?" My other sister got into hers next, but she also bit her lip because at that point we were all looking at my mom waiting for her to open hers up. She may have used her maternal instincts to sense that something was up because she was eager (and a little nervous) to open it. All of a sudden, the snowglobe crash-landed on the wood floor!
Even though there was glass and water all over the place, both of my sisters went to pick it up and show it to my mom. I think the combination of the news itself and the fact that she broke the gift caused her to start crying. And it never fails, I cry everytime my mom does. So we shared some unexpected tears, but they were all thrilled with the news. We still had to head over to Justin's parents' house, where again "smooth sailing" was not part of the itinerary.
We went through the same motions, leaving our special gifts for last. Justin's brother opened his first, and like my sisters, immediately knew what was going on but didn't say anything. Justin's dad opened his mug next but thought the engraving read "Conrad", not "Grandad". He couldn't quite understand the gift but tried to appear appreciative nonetheless. When Justin's mom went to open her snowglobe, I braced myself thinking she may drop and break hers too. She finally got it out of the box but couldn't even see the engraving on it! Justin's brother was brimming with excitement, so he turned on the lights in the living room and made her put on her glasses. She finally read the "Grandma" engraving and it still didn't quite sink in. Justin cleared up the confusion for both of them, "That's right. We're pregnant!"
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