First, to back up a bit, the weekend before, we went to Austin to ride in the Tour de Gruene, a bike ride (not race) along the river in the New Braunfels area, followed by a visit to Wurstfest. Here's a picture of me right after finishing the 50 mile bike ride. Kevin had done a shorter route than me so he had already gotten a post-ride refreshment and gave me a sip. Ironically, this is probably the first picture of me pregnant, though needless to say I had no idea at the time:
(Before I continue with the story, I must take a moment to point out that this picture sums up the life I don't have right now: no flat belly, no bike riding, and no adult beverages. Sigh...ok, moment of digression over.)
As that week went on I began to have a feeling that there might be a bun in the oven. I won't go so far as to say that I knew, but I had a strong hunch. Partly it was due to some physical signs (won't go into specific detail but you can read here about early pregnancy signs), but really it was more intuition than anything else. I remember going to yoga Thursday night and at the end during relaxation pose, when the instructor told us to focus on one happy thought, I thought about a baby.
Friday, November 6, was my 31st birthday. I had a "day off" award to cash in at work and I decided that a long weekend was a great birthday gift to give myself. I decided it would be a good day to try a pregnancy test to see if that hunch was correct.
I woke up around 6 out of habit and headed into the bathroom with pregnancy test in hand and waited to see what the verdict would be. The directions said it could take up to 3 minutes but I had my answer less than a minute later: a faint but unmistakeable plus sign in the result window.
It sounds odd to say, but I can honestly say I wasn't surprised. Happy, but not "oh my gosh I can't believe it!" so much as "I knew it!" I debated whether to wake Kevin up to share the good news or just tell him when we woke up but I was afraid if I waited the plus sign would fade away. Given that that plus sign is still visible, albeit a bit more faded, 7 months later, I suppose I could have let him sleep...ah well, I know for next time I guess ;)
I woke him up, showed him the test and told him he was going to be a daddy. I remember him saying "wow, cool!" Since neither of us had to be up so early we both tried to go back to sleep but of course after finding out such life-changing news it's pretty hard to sleep!
Just to make sure, later that morning I went to the drug store to get a different brand of test, this time one of the fancy digital ones that says "pregnant" or "not pregnant." Different test, same result.
On my days off I like to take advantage of the opportunity for a nice outdoor workout: bike ride, rollerblading, or a run. That day I went for a run, and as I did a few laps around the lake I remember thinking that someday soon I'd be pushing a stroller around the lake instead of running, and wondering how long I'd be able to keep up my usual exercise routine.
I don't remember everything else I did that day but I'm glad I was off work, I can't imagine I'd have been very focused on work and it would have been hard to keep the news to myself. I imagine it wasn't one of Kevin's most productive days ever at the office.
We had plans that night to go to Pappas Brothers to celebrate my birthday with Nicole and Marko. We decided to tell them the big news because 1) they are good friends who would be excited for us and play a big role in the little one's life, 2) we knew they would do the same, and 3) they were sure to notice that the birthday girl wasn't drinking at her own party. While we waited for them to arrive we talked about how to break the news. As it turned out they provided the perfect opening when they gave me my gift, a bottle of wine from a winery we visited in Napa Valley. I laughed when I saw it and told them I was looking forward to drinking it...in about 8 months or so! That bottle is still in our little wine fridge, and when I am able to partake again we'll have them over to share the bottle and celebrate the birth of Daniel and their son Alejandro...funny to think how much all of our lives have changed since that bottle was purchased last summer. It will be so fun to watch those two little guys grow up together!
Tonight I was thinking about it and realized they were also the first to know Kevin and I were engaged, because Kevin enlisted them in his proposal plans. They set up the park bench in Turtle Creek where he popped the question and stood guard there till Kevin secretly called them on our way over, then came back to congratulate us and take pictures, including this one.
That night was also a birthday celebration for me, albeit 2 days before my actual birthday. I hope I'm blessed with many more birthdays, but it's hard to imagine that any of the ones in my future can top 2006 or 2009. Those 2 have definitely set the bar pretty high! I am looking forward to the handmade happy birthday cards and gifts Daniel will make for me someday, and I'll enjoy telling him how finding out I was going to be his mommy made my 31st birthday exciting and unforgettable :)
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