Then Comes LO in the Baby Carriage (PART I)!

Now that you all know about how hubs and I met, got engaged and married, it's time to share the latest addition to our story. We call her "Little One," or LO for short.

Hubs and I always knew that we wanted a family. And we wanted it to happen sooner than later because we got married a little later than some (I was 27 and he was 36). So it was November 2005 were married. In the Spring of 2006, we were ready to embrace the idea of starting our family.

Now, I debated a bit whether or not to share this next piece of information since it's quite personal and was a very difficult experience for us. After thinking it over, I decided that sharing it would help to paint a clear picture of our experience and how grateful we are for our LO. So... I got pregnant in May 2006, but suffered a miscarriage in July at 8 weeks. We had to wait 3 months before trying again, but I did get pregnant a second time, only to suffer another loss at only 5 weeks. As you can imagine, hubs and I were quite devastated and had to rely on our faith to see us through that dark and difficult time.

So let's fast-forward a bit to the good stuff! Monday, November 20, 2006. I took yet another pregnancy test and received a positive result. As you might imagine, my response was not as enthusiastic as one may expect. Hubs and I discussed it and decided we would be "cautiously optimistic" this time around. We definitely embraced the idea but didn't want to be disappointed if we suffered another loss.

We had several ultrasounds throughout the first few months to make sure everything was looking good. We rented a fetal doppler so we could listen to the baby's heartbeat anytime--day or night. We passed the 5 week mark. We passed the 8 week mark. Our hope was growing. We passed the 10 week mark and things were still going good! Of course we planned to wait until 12 weeks (at least) before telling anyone.

On Christmas Eve, I couldn't handle keeping the news to ourselves any longer. We were at hubs' parents' condo with all of his family there. I pulled him aside and told him I wanted to share the news. He was apprehensive (wanting to protect me, I think, from the possibility of making the announcement and having to share the bad news if something were to happen), but agreed. After all the gifts were opened, he stood up and told the family we had one more gift for everyone, but it wouldn't arrive for another 7 months. His parents knew immediately what he meant and were SO excited! Once everyone else realized what was going on, they all shared our joy. On Christmas Day, we were gathered together with my family and made the same announcement. It made it all so real now that our families knew we were expecting! I couldn't BE more excited!

Finally the day came for the ultrasound that would (hopefully) tell us if we were to expect a boy or girl. To be honest, I had my heart set on a boy--only because I wanted two kids, a boy and a girl, and I wanted the girl to have an older brother. Man, did I put a lot of thought into that! So we're at the doctor's office and the ultrasound tech is telling us what's what on the screen, and she points to the "two white lines" that indicate a baby girl. I really can't explain the feeling that came over me at that moment! It was as if all of a sudden I realized that I had a daughter! I wasn't disappointed that we weren't having a boy--I was just SO happy to realize that I was a mommy!

I had an amazing pregnancy. I had heard such horror stories from sisters, friends and random women who had awful experiences with their pregnancies: bed rest, heartburn, swelling, back pain... the list went on and on! The only issue I had was the heartburn, and even that wasn't all that bad.

The time was quickly approaching for the arrival of our baby girl. When I think back on it now, I can remember how it seemed each day was like a month, and that the pregnancy went by so incredibly slowly! And I still feel like it did. Really that isn't a bad thing--I enjoyed being pregnant, but at the same time I was SO anxious to finally meet our girl and hold her for the first time!

Well, the arrival of our little one is a story in itself, so I'll have to make this a two-parter and share her birth story next. But I will share a pic of my lovely big 'ol self at a whopping 8 months pregnant for your viewing enjoyment (okay, not really "enjoyment" so much as "laughter- and/or pity-invoking")...