Yep, we're pregnant! God has truly blessed us - and we are counting down the days until we meet our son/daughter this summer. Our official due date is August 5th.
Today is day one of my second trimester. I honestly can't believe how fast it's gone already! I hope and pray that over these next few months, I am able to stop and be truly thankful every step of the way for this miracle of life that God has blessed us with!
So here's our pregnancy story, for those who need a way to kill 10 minutes :)
Lance and I began trying for a baby this past October. At the end of the first month, I was completely crushed when it became obvious that we weren't pregnant. I was really surprised at how upset I was - everybody told us that we needed to mentally prepare ourselves for at least a year's worth of trying, and I truly thought I was prepared for anything - but I guess my heart wasn't quite that stoic! So we pressed on - to November.
We traveled to Houston for Thanksgiving - and in the craziness and business of the week, it never dawned on me that I had missed having my "friend" visit. It was only once we got back to Memphis and were back in our routines that I started to add things up in my head. I had been a few days late in October, so I honestly thought it was the same that time too. On my weekly grocery run one night, I grabbed a pregnancy test and to be honest, I wanted to take it so I could mark the possibility off of my list (I was afraid of getting my hopes up again!).
To my complete awe and wonder, it came back positive! I took the second test in the box, and - of course - the results were inconclusive. The lines never appeared at all - it was a dud :( I wanted so badly to run to Walgreens to buy another set of tests, but knew Lance was on his way home for dinner. It had never occurred to me that I would be taking a pregnancy test without Lance knowing about it - we have shared every second of the journey together, and I just never pictured it that way!
I quickly finished dinner, and stashed the positive test under my napkin on the table. When Lance walked in the door, the table was set and dinner was waiting for him.
As a little side note here: growing up in our family, we had a dinner ritual where each person had to share "the three most exciting things" that happened to them that day. Yes, it's as fun as it sounds :) I have gotten Lance to indulge me every now and then in this little game, and thought that night would be the perfect day to play it again.
So I asked him about his top three. He got to number two, and as soon as he was finished - I interrupted him and said "Can I do your number three for you?" He was really confused but graciously obliged. I pulled out the test and held it up for him to see. The next few moments were among the most precious of my entire life!
It took him a second to register what I was showing/telling him - but once he realized our news, he broke down and cried the happiest tears! We hugged and cried and prayed together - it was such a wonderful moment, one that we'll never forget :)
I told him, through my tears, that I really needed - for my own sanity - to confirm the results by buying another box of tests, but that I would wait til dinner was finished. He looked at me and said, "Our dinner can wait - let's go to Walgreens right now!" What a fun trip to the store - the fastest I think we've ever had :)
I chose a different kind of test that allowed no room for misinterpretation - it either said "pregnant" or "not pregnant" in the results window. Let me tell you - both of them showed "pregnant" within 10 seconds! There was no doubt in our minds that we were pregnant! We both were still in awe and shock - our lives would never be the same! And the fact that it had happened so quickly - well, we are humbled once again by God's perfect timing and His reminder that it's not about what we want, but what He wants for us.
I went to my Ob-Gyn the next morning to take a confirmation test - and I was surprised to find out that it was a blood test. I honestly thought I'd be peeing on a stick (sorry, TMI!) and they'd tell me right away. But they said the results would take 2-3 days to come in. This was a Thursday morning, so all day I was sick to my stomach with the thought that we might have to wait until the following Monday to get our news confirmed!
I actually called my doc's office the next day and left a message on the nurses' line - asking them to please PLEASE get back with me that day, if at all possible, because the wait was killing me. Within the hour, my fabulous nurse had called me back with the wonderful news: I was pregnant!
Thus began the most exciting, nerve-racking, humbling, emotional, blessed journey that Lance and I have had as a couple!
We both knew that we wanted to wait a while to share this news with people, because of some family history on my side of miscarriages. So we waited until my first ultrasound on December 22nd - the week of Christmas, how perfect is that?? We asked the ultrasound tech to make extra copies of the baby's picture for us, so we could put together our surprise. We hadn't sent out Christmas cards yet, so we took full advantage. We printed off our own homemade cards - the outside read "Merry Christmas from the Willises" - and the inside "from all three of us!" with the baby's ultrasound photo.
Since we knew we wouldn't be seeing my family at Christmas, we decided to FedEx them theirs. My Mom, Dad, sister and Grandmother each got their own. We called them Christmas Eve morning and asked them to open the cards. It was wonderful to hear the shrieks of happiness! I hated that I wasn't there to tell them in person, but we're still so thankful to have shared our wonderful news at such a perfect time of year.
Lance's parents and brother were coming over for dinner on Christmas Eve, which was the perfect setting to tell them the news. Before we sat down to dinner, we passed out their cards and asked them to open them. It was so priceless - Martha, Lance's Mom, opened hers right away and began screaming! Bill, Lance's Dad, couldn't get his envelope open. Lance reached over and ripped it open for him, so he could catch up. It was such a memorable time for our family - Bill cried, Martha hugged me, and poor Reed - I think he was a little overwhelmed by it all :)
We shared the news on Christmas day with Lance's extended family, who was gathered at his parents' house for lunch. I had told my extended family the previous night on the phone, as they all gathered at my aunt's house for dinner.
The ultrasound at the top of the page was taken this past Tuesday - at almost 12 weeks. It was truly amazing to see our baby yet another time! (Lance wasn't there for this one, because I didn't realize I'd be having another ultrasound - everything I'd read said it would be a boring check-up and no reason for the Daddy to come - I really hate he missed it!) And it actually looked like a baby this time, not a little alien :) When the tech put the sensor on my stomach, we saw the baby kicking and punching and doing flips. Since I still can't feel the movements, it was a little surreal - but to see that beautiful heartbeat and get to witness God's greatest miracle up close, it was a wonderful wonderful day.
We've now shared our news with everybody, and are very blessed to have so many fabulous people in our lives to take this incredible journey with. We can't wait to fill you all in with more Baby Willis news as it happens. I go back to the doctor in a month, and our BIG appointment (finding out the sex) will be in six weeks. We can't wait :)
If you are reading this blog, I know you are a dear friend or family member to us - and I just want to thank each of you for being such a great support system for us. Lance and I are truly blessed!
Til next time,
-JessWill :)
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