{Hidden Baby Chronicles} Big Fat Positive

April 11, 2014

This was a day that I will always remember.  It was one of those days where you are very aware that something very significant that will mark a huge change in the rest of your life is occurring.  It's actually been a few days since my big fat positive on April 11, but I wanted to make sure I took the time to sit down and record the events of this day, as it is sure to be a very memorable one in the story of our lives. 

April 11 was a Friday, my sister's birthday actually.  I had taken the day off of work since we were planning on leaving to drive to Austin that afternoon for my race.  I wanted to have some extra time to pack, do some last minute errands, go on one last run, etc.  I had decided earlier in the week that I would take a pregnancy test that day, even though I wasn't due to start my period until Sunday, since we had plans to meet up with some friends for dinner and drinks in Austin that night.  I wanted to make sure I was in the clear for some pre-race adult beverages.  I didn't really put much thought into the fact that I would test that day.  I was pretty convinced that I was not pregnant- just thought I better check it off the list.  This was actually only the second month that we had been "trying," and for whatever reason, I had it in my mind that this would likely take us quite a few months. 

I woke up that morning, went on one last run before my race on Sunday, and ran some errands.  By the time I got home, I was already running short on time, and I hadn't even started packing yet.  I called my sister to wish her a happy birthday, and started unloading groceries.  I hung up with my sister, went and grabbed a test from the bathroom, peed, set the test behind the box so I wouldn't be tempted to peek, and then went back into the kitchen to continue unloading groceries.  I noted the time and started getting a little stressed that I still had a lot to do before David would be home from work and ready to leave for Austin.  I headed back toward the bathroom.  I did pause for a quick second before I moved the box aside so I could see the test.  It was one of those, "is this it?" moments.  But I was sure it wasn't "it."  I moved the box aside, grabbed the test, and saw a faint blue line.  I had to grab the directions to verify the correct reading of these tests... even thought it's pretty straight forward, and I had indeed taken these types of tests before.  "A second line means pregnant!"  I thought to myself in a minor panic.  I actually then put it down on the counter, left the bathroom and calmly headed into our room to start packing like nothing had just happened.  I was definitely in shock, and not really processing anything at that point.  Just a few seconds later, after packing absolutely nothing, I grabbed my iPad and FaceTimed my friend, Kim.  Kim is one of the only people who even knew we were trying, and she had been such a support and encouragement to me- answering questions, offering advice, etc.  We don't ever really FaceTime so I think she thought it was a little odd I had called.  She asked if her son Cooper had accidentally called me on her phone.  I assured her he had not.  We chatted for a couple minutes, before I finally burst and told her that I had just taken a pregnancy test, and I help up the test.  I said something like, "I'm here all alone, the line is kind of faint, and I just need someone else's opinion."  She was so excited and assured me that that line was most definitely not a faint line.  That was when I started shaking and getting a little teary.  Although, surprisingly, being a huge crier usually, I didn't ever really cry all that much.  She calmed me down a little bit, congratulated me, and told me to go call my doctor. 

Somehow after that, I managed to be calm and not think about it all that much so that I could pack for the weekend.  The whole time though, I was calculating how soon David would be home, and how I quickly would need to call my doctor before he got home and also come up with a cute way to tell him the news.  I got a hold of my GP's nurse who gave me the number for an OB in their practice.  I spoke to that nurse who was very nice and congratulatory.  I mostly just wanted to ask her if it was OK for me to run the ten mile race that I had been training for that was just two days away.  She assured me that it was and cautioned me that if I had any cramping to just slow down.  She also set me up for an appointment with the doctor at week 8. 

David actually came home during the middle of that call, so I just moved out into the apartment hallway to finish that call without him overhearing the whole thing.  I was shocked at how easily I was able to act completely normal once David got home.  We finished packing up the car, and hit the road for Austin.  So basically at that point, I had about three hours to decide how I wanted to tell David that I was pregnant.  I was a little bit sad at that point that I didn't have more time to put more thought into it, go out and buy a onesie or something, or otherwise create something more "Pinterest-worthy."  And I was also a little sad that we would be around his family and friends that weekend so we'd have to be very secretive about it even though the news was so fresh and exciting.  I was coming up short on ideas for something cute/creative on such short notice.  I was texting with Kim on our drive over there and she asked me when my last period was so that she could calculate my due date.  I gave her the info, and she sent me back this:

According to this calculator, our due date would be December 18.  Our 4th Anniversary!  What are the odds?  That was when I decided to use one of the photos of the positive test I had taken on my iPhone and just use on of those write-over apps to write "Happy 4th Anniversary" over the photo.  I did all of this with David sitting right next to me in the driver's seat.  When we arrived at his parents' house, we only had about 45 minutes before we needed to leave for dinner.  We went upstairs to get changed and freshened up, and I told him I wanted to show him something on my phone.  He came over, took the phone from my hand, looked at the photo, and said, "Whose is that?  It's not our anniversary...."  He was pretty confused.  Once I helped him figure out what was going on, we just hugged and I filled him in quickly on what had happened that day.  We then had to rush out to dinner, but it was still a special, very memorable moment. 

After dinner with friends, David and I had some time to kill before picking up his sister, Renee, at the airport so we walked around downtown Austin a little bit and went into a few bars.  It was a beautiful night, and it was fun to finally be alone to talk a little bit more about our big news.  David was so happy and excited.  At one of the bars we went to, it was so cute to see how excited he was to tell the bar tender that I had just found out I was pregnant and could he please make me a preggo-safe drink.  It was awesome to see how excited/proud he was to tell a random stranger.  And I actually did get some really good alcohol free drinks.  It turned out to be a really fun night for the two of us to celebrate our big news!