The Day We Found Out...

August 23, 2014
12:30pm

My period was 9 days late.  I had been having cramps.  I was sure it was coming anytime.

I had taken 3 pregnancy tests, all of which had come back negative.

I was positive that I wasn't pregnant...just adjusting to the stresses of a new job and the new hormones of the women that I was working with.  Well turns out, I was positive alright.....just not in the way I thought.

I had been talking and texting with one of my most dear friends, Rebecca, about what I needed to do. She was up to speed on everything, including the morning that I discovered that the pregnancy tests I had been using were almost expired (exp. Sept. 2014).  So I took her advice, and waited until the weekend to see if my period would ever come.  And when it didn't, she highly suggested that I go buy a "more reliable test".  {OK-- I admit, I had been using the Dollar GenTral ones.}

On my way home from the Oriental Farmers' Market, I swung by WalMart and picked up a pack of 2 Equate brand tests.  I figured that if I was pregnant, even the Equate brand should be able to pick it up since I was 9 days late. And of course, I double checked the expiration date- Sept. 2016.  I went on home, not thinking a thing in the world. I mean, 3 negative tests that weren't technically expired yet. And, we had not been trying to get pregnant.  After all, we had agreed that children weren't necessarily in our game plan for the future.

So, you can believe my utter shock and dismay when I took the pregnancy test, set a timer, went and ate half a piece of pizza, and came back to see this:

I stood there...staring. Surely this wasn't right.  The new life that I was about to embark on flooded over me at once.  And I broke down.  I mean, ugly cry.  I hadn't planned on this.  I wasn't prepared.  I wasn't good enough.  And so, I called Rebecca and everything came out.  My fears, my insecurities.  And as I walked up and down Spann Road, she just listened and offered advice when I stopped blubbering.  In fact, I'm surprised all of Trenton doesn't know by now.  She also texted me a picture of the "baby bible" which she let me borrow.

After calming down, I got off the phone with Rebecca and knew that I needed to find some way to tell Jacob.  Since he was on his way home from the Jacksonville Farmers' Market, I decided to make a sign that said "Welcome Home, Dad" and attach the pregnancy test to it.  I hung it on the door to the back bedroom thinking he would have to go back there when he got home.  Well, change of plans.  The closer he got, the more I knew that my plan would never work.  I would start crying when I saw him, and the surprise would go out the window.  So, after realizing that I still hadn't gotten my coolers out of the car, I decided to move the sign out to my car window.  I also added a disclaimer to the bottom.

Original Sign

New, Modified Sign

I also took a video, knowing that I would most likely want it one day in the future.

Throughout the day, I continued to process.  I broke out in random bouts of crying (even waking up multiple times during the night).  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Trent and Rebecca invited us over for dinner (y'all we are so blessed by their friendship).  Before going to dinner, Jacob and I went to Target (per Rebecca's advice) to get pre-natal vitamins.  And of course, while we were there we saw 3 families that I knew for a total of 10 people, and I looked like a hot mess.  The pharmacist helped me pick out the vitamins until I could get to the doctor for a prescription.  Then, we headed over to the Scott Farm.  Trent and Jacob ate a deer roast with vegetables that Mrs. Anita fixed, while Rebecca and I ate Chick-Fil-A.  And might I say that she even brought me a Caffeine-Free Diet Coke.  The dinner, conversation, and laughter (there is ALWAYS laughter when the 4 of us get together) was much needed.  Right before we left, Claire gave us our first present-- a bear teething ring (Claire Bear!).

The night did not get any easier and all kinds of emotions bowled me over.  Jacob did his best to comfort me and tell me that everything was going to be more than okay.  And I just sat, listened, and continued to process.  I mean, was I really pregnant?