The journey begins

On the morning of September 8, after a bought of feeling, well, crampy and “weird,” I decided to take a pregnancy test (you know, just for giggles). Much to my surprise, the result was positive! Test 2 followed that evening and test 3 the next morning. All signs point to go. We were overwhelmed with joy, surprise and a million questions.

Because of some initial cramping, the doctor brought me in for some blood work and an ultrasound immediately. The gestational sac was right where it was supposed to be! More blood work followed two days later and my hCG levels had doubled. So far, so good. 

The waiting game continued. And we discovered that we don’t like to keep things hidden from people we love. We shared the news with “Papa and VieVie” and “Grandbuddy and Mimi” around 5 weeks. You can imagine the surprise, tears, excitement and sleepless nights that followed! Finally, the proverbial cat was halfway out of the bag. Whew! 

But what about all of those social events that we had planned?! How were we going to keep this a secret until we were ready to share the greatest news in the world (especially from my girlfriends who have “baby” radars)? We tried a number of things..unlimited excuses for staying home, water in beer bottles and Derek sneaking behind me to drink my “wine” (thanks, honey!). You get the jist...and believe me, this was miserable. 

Around the beginning of the 6th week, the nausea sets in. Early mornings are met with saltines and ginger ale in bed (have I mentioned that I married the most patient, loving, selfless, incredible man in the world?! This baby is so lucky to have him as a daddy!), followed by deep breaths behind my office door at work. Finished up with exhaustion and a yearning for my comfy couch at the end of the day. Heart burn, a “shrinking” bladder and a roller coaster of emotions are also hanging out with their friend, sour stomach. But it’s oh so worth it.