I wanted to be free to have a glass of wine or something at the wedding, so I decided to take a test before we left Friday morning. I have a history of being 'irregular' so I didn't expect the result to be positive…it was just a precaution.
Well, I got up and took the test and everything was looking normal….until a faint line started to appear. What?? I was shocked and took a second test….same thing, faint line after a minute or two. With that, I asked Dalton to stop by the house so I could 'show him something.' He walked in and looked at the tests and, with a slightly irritated look, said that he didn't even know what that meant. I showed him the test instructions, and he said "Well, looks like you're pregnant." We gave each other a short, tense hug and exchanged shocked looks. He promptly said "I've gotta get back to work," and left.
Needless to say we weren't thrilled to find out like we were with the first two. We were shocked and confused…..and needed time to let the news sink in. Unfortunately we were about to see both of our parents, half the town of Graham and more that weekend. We tried to talk about it on the way to my parents, keeping it light, but the shock was still there. (Don't get me wrong…we want more kids, and now we are so excited, but to find out we're having another one so soon was not what we expected.)
Once we got to my parents' house Dalton went to help Dad do something and I finally spilled the beans to Mom. I felt so relieved when I told her, and she was a little shocked too. Later that night we told Dad. He said "Girl, you're crazy!" which was so helpful…not. We all laughed though and went on about our business.
The next day we rode down to Houston with Merann. On the way we were talking about Ace's birthday coming up and she said "It's about time to have another one, right?" We laughed it off, giving each other a knowing look. After we checked into the hotel, we went to a late lunch with Dalton's parents. We were desperate to get the awkwardness out of the room and so, right before a bite of fajita, I said "Well…" and promptly took a bite so Dalton had to finish the sentence. As soon as the word was out relief settled over us and we could enjoy our lunch. They were super excited, which also made us feel better. We managed to make it through the wedding and reception without telling anyone else, but, at Louis' urging we went ahead and told Merann after the reception. She was pretty excited too.
After the whirlwind weekend, during which I told my grandparents and aunt because they were at Mom's house, I made an appointment to see the Dr. After that appointment, we guessed I was about 6 weeks and was to come back for a sonogram in a few weeks. We were trying to decide when to tell everyone and wanted to make it cute, and decided to wait until the sonogram.
Of course before the few weeks passed a couple more people were let in on the secret because they guessed or we couldn't not tell them. One of those people was Paw. Dalton told him at the emergency room during a quick visit and I'm so glad that he did. It's now a special memory we have.
When we finally told Cooper, his reaction was priceless. We told him that I was going to have a baby, so he would have a little brother or sister. His response: "A sister please." We laughed and told him it could be either one….to which he replied "Ace is my brother, I want a sister." Then I said that that was why I had to go to the Dr. He promptly said "I need to go to the Dr. to get a sister." It was pretty funny and we got it all on video. I hope he isn't disappointed if it is a boy.
Sonogram day came and Dalton and I headed in to find out the details. The baby was there, with a 143 heartbeat and a due date of somewhere around Nov 19th. Apparently the line was really light on the test because I found out really early. Everything looks good and we are now on the countdown.
So now that we are used to the idea we are excited about having another little one around! I'm determined to wait until he or she is born to find out boy or girl, but I haven't gotten Dalton convinced yet. I feel like it would be such a special thing, and as fast as time has been passing, it will be here before we know it. Everyone we see says that they hope it's a girl, or they bet it's a girl, or they assume we want a girl this time. We listen politely and smile, but in reality a third boy would be awesome. But we're happy to let God decide this…..no worries about making the wrong choice!
It's been a little weird because I keep 'forgetting' that I'm pregnant and then it dawns on me. I guess chasing two other kids around, teaching Bible study, and getting ready for the fun busy outdoor time of spring and summer is distracting me. It's so amazing how different each pregnancy is with regards to how I mentally think of it. And yet this one is so much like the others so far in that I want the same things and feel great. I'm always up for meat, salad, cheese and hearty things when I'm pregnant. Maybe it's another boy? Who knows!
"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3
