And Baby Makes 4!

Well, 5, if you count our furry baby, Chance! Yes, we're pregnant!

Robby and I are very excited about the new addition to our family! The baby is due December 5, but since I will most likely have a repeat c-section, our doctor wants to deliver on November 29 - just 21 days after Abigail's 2nd birthday! If you remember, Abigail's due date was November 25 (even though she came 3 weeks early!), so it is funny to Robby and me that "we do the same things around the same time of the year" as our ob/gyn put it. This time, I blame our 2 week spring break. What else were we supposed to do with our time?! :)

We've already had two doctor's appointments, one on April 13 to confirm pregnancy (sonogram!) and get all the lab work done, and one this past week, on May 12. On May 12, my doctor jokingly said that I am "boring" because I have no HIV, no syphilis, no thyroid problems, no UTI, no infections, normal pap, A+ blood type, good blood pressure and the like. Hey, I'm okay with being boring when it comes to my health!

Today I am 11 weeks pregnant - just shy of ending my first trimester! The first few weeks were awful. Even though I have only been physically sick once, I have had nausea and aversion to most food as early as I can remember. It just doesn't feel good and every smell makes me wince. I hate the smell of food! I'm hoping, as I near the 2nd semester, that I will start feeling better very, very soon! It's already improved, but I still can't look in the refrigerator without gagging.

We found out we were pregnant (for sure) on March 24. On March 17, my non-pregnant indicator was due (aka Aunt Flo), and when it didn't arrive, I took a pregnancy test - negative. Yes, we were suspicious. On March 21, I took another pregnancy test - negative. (This is no surprise to me, though, because when I was pregnant with Abigail I got back a negative BLOOD TEST at the hospital when I was really pregnant. I guess I feel pregnant before I am actually pregnant enough to turn a test positive.) With two negative tests, we didn't know what to think, and just thought that the stress from the TAKS test and stuff must have altered the dates of Flo, but when I cried THREE times during one Biggest Loser tv show, on March 23, our suspicions just increased.

That same night, I had a dream that God placed a baby in my arms! Now I KNEW that I was pregnant! I awoke extra early, rushed in the bathroom and took a test. This time, the test was positive! I didn't tell Robby right away - he's very sensitive to change and big news like this; I didn't want to freak him out before going to work - so I opted to wait until that evening. Plus, I had to think of a cool way to tell him.

On the way home from work, I had to stop at Walgreen's for...well, I can't remember what now...but when I was checking out, I saw Willy Wonka candy bars with "Look for the Golden Ticket Inside!" on them, so I picked up two. (One for RKR, and one for me, of course. They looked delicious.) When I got home (yes, Robby was already home, so I had to be sneaky), I found some yellow paper and wrote "YOU FOUND THE GOLDEN TICKET! I'M PREGNANT!" on it. Now, the most difficult part: I unwrapped the candy bar and placed the "golden ticket" inside, then wrapped it back where you couldn't tell I had opened it! Okay, okay. You could tell, but only if you looked closely. Robby didn't notice.

Then I told Robby that I got him a surprise at the store and handed him the candy bar. At first he said, "Thanks. I'll eat it after dinner," (he's never one to spoil his appetite or eat dessert first!), but I persisted and said, "No! Look! It says Golden Ticket on the front - just check and see if you won!" After a little more persistence (okay, demanding), he opened it. I wish I had the camera on his face, because when he saw the yellow paper, he honestly thought, at least for a second, that he had the Golden Ticket! It was priceless. Then he realized it was just yellow paper and my handwriting. "What the heck...?" he said, then I said, "Read it!" Tears were welling in my eyes, so he didn't even have to read it. He said, "OH! Uh-uh. Are you...?" and then he read it and just stood there for a second. "How do you know?" he asked.

So I led him into the bathroom and showed him the result: Pregnant. It wasn't one of those "figure it out by interpreting the lines" type of test, it was very simple. Pregnant or Not Pregnant and ours said Pregnant. (I learned from the first time. Because with Abigail, I showed Robby two positive pregnancy tests with the lines, and he said, "Uh-uh. No you're not." This time, I wanted it to be matter of fact. Pregnant!)

After reading the final word, he sighed a little bit (after all, this wasn't really planned!) then hugged me and less than 2 minutes later, we were both excited! I was excited the whole day, but I was anxious to see his reaction. He just needed a little processing time. Ever since then, after those two minutes of letting it sink in, we've been overjoyed with our pregnancy and the thought of having a new baby.

Everyone knows it was no secret that we want more children, and more even after this one, so although unexpected at this time, this baby is in no way unwelcome. We are so excited and happy and Robby already talks to my stomach and loves the baby, as do I. We are so, so happy and blessed to have this addition. We can't wait until November/December!

Looks pretty good, right? This is after I put in the Golden Ticket!

No doubting this. Pregnant!

Abigail squealed when she found out she will be a big sister!

Very, very happy!