Our Little Surprise

Well, we've been keeping a little secret for a while now. And it's getting to the point that we're ready to spill the beans. 

I guess we can say that it started on UEA weekend when we decided to take advantage of me having 2 days off work so we could go down to the Monticello Temple (the last one on our list of temples in Utah to attend before the end of the year) and spend some time at Moab. I felt a little carsick on the way down, which is unusual for me. I attributed it to eating something that didn't agree with me while we were traveling. We went to the temple then headed up to Moab where we had our tent all set up so we could spend the weekend. The next morning we set out to explore Arches National Park, which was beautiful. We enjoyed ourselves and exploring new things we'd never seen before. However, before we  came home, Jeff wanted to do an ATV tour. I wasn't so sure to begin with, but he really wanted to so I let him do what he wanted and agreed to go. We had a two-person ATV, so he drove and I sat on the back. I did not enjoy myself at all. I got so motion sick it was all I could do to not lose my breakfast. Jeff kept telling me it was because I wasn't driving myself...but now I realize that there were other factors thrown into the mix. And we found out the next morning.

After we got home, I started thinking and did a little bit of math. I told Jeff, and he lovingly encouraged me to go find out. So, I headed to go take a little test that would change our lives. When I walked out into the kitchen, terrified and trembling, all I could do was show him that little stick with a "plus" sign telling us that, indeed, I was pregnant. All my queasiness throughout the weekend suddenly made sense. 

Once the initial shock wore off, we became very excited. It was fun keeping our secret, but it was difficult too, as I soon started feeling the effects of morning sickness. I was miserable for about 6 weeks, and some days walked out the door for work in tears because I felt so awful but couldn't call in because of the few number of days that I have each year. I eventually called the doctor and got something that helped me be able to make it through the days. Gratefully that was before we went to Boise to see Lance in his state swim competition, because even though I was miserable in the car on the way, I was able to keep it hidden from my family because I didn't want to tell them until we were all together and LaKesha wasn't there in Boise because of school. And seeing Jeff's family as often as we do, we were also able to keep our secret from them.

Our plan was to announce it to our families on Thanksgiving. We had Thanksgiving dinner with Jeff's family. He and his mom have a tradition of giving each other "monkey gifts" and we had found a monkey with a bib that I could stitch on. So we bought that, and I stitched "Coming June 2013" onto the bib. He wrapped it up and gave it to his mom before Thanksgiving dinner when all his family was gathered around. They were all very shocked. Mom's reaction was "You're kidding me!!" And that little monkey was put on the shelf alongside the pictures of her grandkids in the kitchen.

After dinner we got in the car and headed up to Idaho, arriving at my parents' house around 10:30. When we were all gathered around, they gave Grandma Good who rode up with us her birthday present. And then I said that we had an early Christmas present for mom. She has always said that she is going to cross-stitch a Christmas stocking for each of her kids' first baby to "curse" us for the rest of our babies, just like her mom did. So we gave her a kit to do just that. When she saw it she was very excited. After all, she has been a little grand-baby hungry. Grandma was also excited, as this will be her first great-grandbaby.

That was a few weeks ago now. The Wednesday after Thanksgiving, we went to our first Doctor appointment. I expected to maybe hear the heartbeat, but the doctor did an ultrasound and we were able to see our precious little baby. It was so fun to see the way it moved its little arms and legs, and to see its heart beating. That made it all real. 

We've enjoyed having our little secret, but it's getting to be hard keeping it so now. After all, my waist has outgrown my normal pants. So, we're now sharing it with everyone, and excited to do so. Our Little One is due in June, a week after school gets out for the summer. 

Ultrasound, November 28, 2012