What a difference a year makes!!

August 2, 2006 started out as any ordinary day. I was up by 5:45 and after battling traffic, was at work by 7:00. I was going about my day as I usually do, but something was in the back of my head. Could this be it? Could we really be pregnant? You see, August marked a year of trying to start our family. We had planned to go visit my doctor in September if we had not gotten pregnant. They recommend you try for a year before running tests to determine if something is wrong and because I am not in my 20's anymore, I wanted to have things checked as soon as the year was up, so that we would have plenty of time to pursue any avenues needed to have a child.

Well, I sat at my desk wondering if today would be one of the best days of my life thus far, or would it be another "low" day. I just couldn't take it anymore, I was too excited to sit still. So, at lunch I ran out to pick up yet another pregnancy test (I had taken several over the last year). After buying it, I realized that I could not leave it in my car in the hot August heat for the rest of the afternoon. So, I double-bagged it to conceal it and put it in my desk. It was calling my name all afternoon!! I just knew I couldn't take it at work because whether it was positive or negative, my emotions would get the best of me. Promptly at 4:00, I left work and headed home. As soon as I walked in the door, I rushed to the bathroom. At last, I had my answer, or better yet, WE had the answer to all of our prayers. I was finally PREGNANT!! In no more than 5 minutes, I grabbed my purse and a Sprite (no-caffeine, plus I would need a drink so that I would be able to take another test when I got back, lol!) and rushed out the door.

Somehow, I had managed to keep Sam in the dark. After a year of trying, he pretty much knew my schedule, but was hesitant to ask me the status. Therefore, I had my opportunity to surprise him. I headed to Mardels and bought the "New Dad" Willow Tree Figurine, and a special little book. I went next door to Hobby Lobby and bought a Happy Birthday gift bag (Sam's b-day was exactly one week away) and a pink and blue balloon to tie to the bag. Once home, I confirmed that I was pregnant with a second test (thank you, God) and assembled the gift. We had just recently gotten our landscaping done, and since I knew Sam would not sit until he had watered it. I quickly went out and hand-watered it all before he got home.

Finally, Sam arrives home from work/gym and he sees the gift. I tell him it is an early birthday gift from me, and that he has to open it, because I am just too excited to wait a week! Well, he didn't even realize the balloons were pink and blue! But, when he saw that the Willow Tree box said "New Dad", he looked up and said "Really?!?!". Yes, God has blessed us with pregnancy. He kept asking me if I was sure and I kept saying 'yes'. I had already gotten two positive results and in all my previous tests, I had never gotten a single false positive.

We were so excited and I just couldn't keep the good news any longer. We set out to tell my parents and were trying to determine a way to get Sam's mom and dad together for the news (God already had a plan---keep reading). I called my mom and asked if we could come pick up our ladder that they had borrowed. Why in the world would we need it on a Wednesday night? Oh well, the excuse worked. We showed them Sam's early B-day present and they were ecstatic. During the 30 minutes we were at my parent's, Sam's mom left a message on his cell, that she and his dad wanted to take us to brunch that Sunday for our birthdays since they are exactly 3 weeks apart (isn't it cool how God set that up and they invited us, instead of us initiating it with them which would have brought up suspicions?). I bought two frames and told them we had pictures taken recently. Instead, the frames were "I Love My Grandma" and "I Love My Grandpa". They were both so excited about becoming first time grandparents. Sam's dad told our waiter and bus boy. It was so much fun to witness their joy. A few weeks later, we set out to go visit Sam's granny, aunt, and brother to share the good news with them. Nate is granny's first great grandchild, so she was also very excited. She had whispered in my ear on a few occasions that she was ready for us to have a baby. She is such a God-fearing woman, so I told her to take that up with God. She didn't know it, but at the time, Sam and I were doing all we could to make it happen ;-)!! I decorated a T-shirt with iron-on letters that read "Baby on Board" to make our announcement. His aunt noticed it first and his granny pulled back from hugging me and said "is this for real?". She was so proud and couldn't wait to share the news with all her friends. Both of our sisters were told by phone as well as my aunts and uncles.

Over the course of the first 2 weeks, I took a total of 5 tests to be absolutely sure we were pregnant before we spread the word to all members of our family.

This is the shirt I wore to Sam's granny's house. After looking in several stores with no success, I opted to make my own. Kind of cheesy, but it served its purpose!

These were the frames bought to tell Sam's parents. I typed up a caption to insert into the frame that read "Picture to be arriving late March or early April". We didn't know our due date because it would be 3 more weeks before we had our first doctor appointment to confirm the pregnancy.God, thank you for entrusting this special gift in our care. He brings us overwhelming joy and it is our goal that as his parents we bring You all the glory.