Our Surprise +

I wrote this on June 9, 2011, after finding out about our little Gem.  I think it got stuck in "drafts" because we weren't ready to tell people we were pregnant yet...I think it's safe to tell people now ;) 

A few weeks ago, I was so sick and more exhausted than I could ever remember being.  I postponed a trip to my beloved Colorado to see my family over this exhaustion--it was that bad.  Within the previous two months, Augustine had had roseola, a week long stomach bug, two canine teeth cut, and an ear infection...needless-to-say I was getting very little sleep, especially when we throw into the mix that Luke was traveling for soccer off and on throughout this period. 

It all came to a head when Luke was on a five day trip to play games in Charleston and Orlando.  Augustine was sick, I was sick {and I rarely get sick}, and I was so tired I could hardly see straight. 

But things didn't get better when Luke got home.  I was still sick and tired.  Among other ailments, I had a sinus infection and couldn't smell or taste anything for a week! 

One evening, as I was making dinner, I got a tiny whiff of the Ranch breading for the chicken I was making and almost hurled.  A few times that week I had felt nauseous, but Luke and I had attributed it to either taking my antibiotic {for my sinus infection} on an empty stomach or to the fact that I couldn't smell anything right {I somehow thought my nose was confusing my stomach and causing it to be upset}. 

But that night at dinner, after taking a few nibbles of my Ranch chicken, I dramatically picked all of it up off my plate and moved it to Luke's plate in utter disgust.  "I can't eat that!" I said, "It's going to make me throw up!"  Mind you, I couldn't really taste it...but the little bit of flavor that was getting through was not going over well.  Of course, it was a new recipe that neither of us had ever tried before, so I kept telling Luke he didn't have to eat it if it was gross.  But being the great guy that he is, he spent the rest of the dinner convincing me that it really was good {to this day, I have my doubts and really don't think I will ever be able to try that recipe again!}. 

That night, as I rolled over to go to sleep, I realized I hadn't taken my antibiotic that evening.  Normally I would just get up and take it, but that night I was just too tired to even lift my head off my pillow.  "What is wrong with me?" I thought.
 
In the morning, I thought about taking my medicine again.  But out of the blue I got this nagging feeling that I should take a pregnancy test.  It was a crazy idea.  After all, I {to my knowledge...} had only ovulated twice since becoming pregnant with Augustine in March 2009, and based on my calculations there was no chance that I was pregnant.  But just as the thought went through my head, I saw an empty red, silo cup on the counter and figured it was meant to be.  I grabbed the cup and went straight to my bathroom, knowing that first-thing-in-the-morning pee is always best and that I didn't want to take my antibiotic until I knew it was safe if I was pregnant. 

As I searched for the test under our bathroom sink, I debated whether or not to go get Luke.  Finding out I was pregnant without Luke by my side had never appealed to me, so we always took the tests together...but at the same time, I knew the chances of pregnancy were very low, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings by getting his hopes up.  So as he worked away on his computer in his office down the hall, I took the test. 

Just as I was laying the test down on the counter to watch the results appear, Luke walked into our room and knelt down on the floor, facing away from me, to sort through the laundry basket. 

I couldn't believe it {yet, strangely, could believe it considering my life of late} when a + immediately appeared.  Without saying a word, I walked over to Luke and began tapping him on the back side...over, and over, and over.  He thought I was just messing around and didn't even turn around!  Finally, I said, "Luke!!," waving the test excitedly in my hand.  He looked up completely surprised and thrilled. 

Fear not--this is not my actual pregnancy test.

Suddenly everything made sense.  I wasn't going crazy after all.  I wasn't suffering from a mid-life {quarter-life?} crisis.  I wasn't an emotional, irrational mess for nothing.  There was a reason I was so tired I could barely function, there was a reason I physically removed food from my plate at dinner the night before, there was a reason my immune system was shot.  It's funny because looking back, I knew the only time I had been that tired before was during my first trimester with Augustine...and the only time I had felt that nauseous before {for those of you yet to experience it, it is quite the distinct sensation} was during my first 20 weeks with Augustine.

Since that fateful date, about a week ago, I have been tired and sick and nauseous...and excited and thankful and happy.  We can't  wait to welcome another little one into our family!  Although we don't know the exact due date, due to the fact that we kinda dropped the ball on keeping track of my fertility signs, we suspect the baby will be born in late January or early February.  Once we get an initial ultrasound in a few weeks, we will have a better idea. 

Please pray for us and for the baby!  Thank you!! 

**A little disclaimer**
Please do not let our "surprise" pregnancy deter you from using Natural Family Planning.  Since we were not trying to avoid pregnancy and were, in fact, very much hoping to get pregnant, we were not very attentive to my fertility signs.  We have used NFP very effectively to avoid pregnancy in the past, as well as to achieve pregnancy, and I would recommend it to everyone.  It is a completely natural, healthy, and moral way to space your children when practiced appropriately.  I should probably just write a separate post about it...but in the meantime, if you haven't heard of it, you should do some research on it.