Wow, We Were PREGNANT!!

I remember thinking that I couldn't sit down the same way anymore or get into the car the same way anymore, or do ANYTHING the same way anymore...it was amusing to realize that I sat down more carefully, and I didn't flop myself into the car the way I did the day before I found out I was with child!! I thought I had to be soooo careful!!! I was afraid of "dislodging" my unborn...I soon came to realize that things were going to not be as different as I thought. I could still sit normally and drive normally, etc.


I made a phone call to my OB-GYN's office to tell them that I just took a pregnancy test and that it was positive! The receptionist answered the phone, and I told her who I was. I mentioned that I was pregnant, and that I needed an appointment. She asked me when my last period began, and I told her. She told me that she would schedule an appointment for December 8th...WHAT?????????????? What did she mean, December 8th???? That was more than a month away!!! It was November 5th!!! Little did I know that they don't do your first pre-natal exam until you are about 8 weeks (or so) along...that did not seem fair to me!!


The next few weeks were super interesting and stressful!! I was going to the seamstress for wedding dress fittings. We were starting the house-hunting process. We were keeping our pregnancy a secret....from everyone!! We had decided to not tell our families until Thanksgiving.


Thanksgiving dinner was upon us. Jack's dad, his wife, my parents, and sister were all present. My mom had prepared yet another phenomenal Thanksgiving meal. We were all just about finished with our meals when Jack took my hand under the table. He started to talk about how thankful we both were for all of our parental support with the wedding preparations, and wonderful and helpful they were. He continued with how we hoped that in eight or so months, we could be just as thankful for our new baby!!


The reactions are as follows:
My mom, Karen: jaw dropped, tears, hand and napkin to face.
My sister, Catherine: jaw dropped, tears, big smiles.
My mother-in-law, Cassie: confusion, tears, smiles.
My father-in-law, Joe: smiles, tears (but don't tell anyone), hands in the air in a cheering motion.
My dad, John...........: pursed lips, frown, kind of pissed look on his face.


These were extremely predictable reactions. My mom knew what our plans were about trying to get pregnant. She knew that we wanted to have a baby during the next summer, which meant we had to plan for the beginning of the pregnancy before the wedding. I think she was excited for us. My in-laws...well, I am not sure they knew our plans, but Jack and I had talked about how they would take the surprising news. Jack called his dad's reaction perfectly...he totally said that his dad would do the fist pumps in the air!! I thought that was so funny! We knew that it would take a couple of seconds for the news to sink for Cassie, but that she would also be happy to know that she was going to be an official grandma for the first time!! I knew my sister would be happy and supportive, and would probably have a tear. Then there was my dad...yikes!!! He was NOT happy. He was to the point of angry. I think he was embarrassed that we would get pregnant before our wedding. I think he thought it was inappropriate. I also think that he thought his deacon reputation would be tarnished...all of this I could appreciate and understand. I also know, as I write this three years later, that he wouldn't change things for the world. He told me two days ago (which, just happened to be November 5th, 2010...three years after we found out we were pregnant), that if he knew that "this," pointing to Riley, was going to be the result, he would have never reacted that way...he is a very proud grandpa!!


This was only the beginning of telling people that we were pregnant. We decided (for the most part) not to tell anyone else that we were pregnant until after the wedding. I really wanted to be able to enjoy our wedding without all of the hoopla of baby talk.