Taking The Test

I find it interesting to hear how women tell their men that they are pregnant. Whether it is a huge surprise told over a candlelit dinner or just in casual conversation, it is never boring.

I always thought that I would find out on my own and surprise Nick in some awesome way. However, after a couple of years of marriage, I realized it does not always work out that way. For one thing, it is hard to keep secrets from the one person you share everything with. For another thing, it is way too hard to hide any feelings regarding something so important.

After a month of "let's see what happens without birth control," we both knew something was up when that expected week came and went. No way was I able to hide that from Nick because we were both so sensitive to the possibility of becoming new parents. I remember taking the test in our apartment and waiting together to find out the results. We looked together at the test and were confused. There was a line, but it was very faint. Should we be excited? What did this mean?

I started calling the 800 number on the box (yes, I am that person) and while I was listening to an automated voice telling me that a line means pregnancy no matter how faint or dark, I heard Nick call from the other room, "It's getting darker!"

And that is when life completely changed for us. Abby arrived on her due date months later.

I love my Caleb story. I was just late enough to possibly consider a test so I made up some excuse to run to Kroger and picked up the test. I came home, thankful that Nick was upstairs giving Abby a bath, and took the test downstairs. When the result proved that my instincts were correct, I decided to share the news.

Picture this setting: Nick was giving a screaming 16-month old girl a bath while she splashed and aruged with him. I just stood there, test in hand, grinning like a crazy woman. He finally looked up, saw what I held in my possession and said, "Are you kidding me?"

Nope. Our insanity was about to double.

Once the shock wore off, we grinned like idiots and hugged and cried while Abby just watched with not a clue of what was to come.

Our little baby that we lost in December was a story of the tech age. I was late, did not tell Nick, took a test while he was at work and was thrilled with the news. When I realized my due date was the first day of camp, I sent him a text and said, "Looks like we won't be going to camp this year." He caught on and texted back to make sure he was not jumping to conclusions. We finally got to celebrate when he got home.

With this child, it was a little different. I was at my friend Becky's house and made a comment how I was a few days late. I thought it could be explained away as my body getting used to things after our miscarriage. After all, Nick was in South Africa that month for two weeks-what were the odds that I got pregnant?

Apparently pretty good.

Becky (who is also pregnant and due in July) helpfully mentioned that she still had an extra test if I wanted to use it. I shrugged it off and said, "Don't worry about it-it's probably nothing." Of course, by then, it was like the elephant in the room. I could not think of anything else but that test. I lasted about twenty minutes before saying, "Oh, what the heck, I'll take it."

As this was a generic test with no instructions, I had no idea what the results meant. Becky took one look and said, "Yep, you're pregnant!"

I drove home in shock and even bought another test just to make sure. When that result proved the first right, I did everything I could to stop myself from calling Nick to share the news. I left both tests on our bathroom counter and let him find them when he got home.

When he finally went upstairs, I quietly followed him and waited to see his reaction. And what was he starting at in the bathroom? The new razors that I had bought him...sitting right next to the tests. He finally saw them when he caught me staring at him with a goofy grin on my face. His shock matched mine and so did his tears of joy.

Feel free to comment and share your stories-every one of them different from the next, but just as joyful.