BIG News!!!

Well, as most everyone knows by now...Jared and I are having a BABY!!!! We are so excited to announce this! We are truly still in shock and if I didn't feel almost constant pressure on my left side, I wouldn't believe it! Jared wants to wrap me in bubble wrap! He is going into major overprotective mode, but I'm ok with that! When you wait for 6 years for this moment, I guess you can never be too cautious; however, bubble wrap is overbored! I mean, can you imagine what my students would say? Or, those frequent bathroom stops, how akward! Anyhow, if it's not him, then it's Pam and Joseph. We met Joseph at the Bass Pro Shop in Prattville Wednesday because that is his day off and Mama, Pam, Xander, and I are all on spring break. When I ordered shrimp, you should have seen Pam and Joseph's head spin! "You can't have shrimp!" "You are not eatting that when it comes out!" "You can have half my potatoes." "You can have half my chicken." So, I snuck 2 pieces and ate my potato chips and some of Pam's chicken. Mama gave me half her salad. After lunch, Chad mentioned getting Starbucks and Pam said, not in front of Emily! Seriously, I don't know what to eat! Help! That night, when we got home, after church, Dad was not happy about the shrimp thing either! Even after Katie told him it would be ok, just not often, he was still adamant about mercury being linked to autism and such. They are all cracking me up! I honestly don't mind, though, because I want to do everything safe and do my best to eat right. I haven't had much of an appetite this week, but it could be because I'm not doing that much and I am in such shock, I kind of walk around like a zombie and forget to eat! I'm sure it will get better when I am back to work next week, when I am more active!
On to some news on how and when we found out we were expecting.
Wait...I really don't know where to start. I mean, we started this journey 6 years ago in 2004. I guess I will start with now. I knew I could take a pregnancy test on Monday, March 15, 2010. All weekend, I was somewhat emotional and a little grouchy which I only know as PMS. Realizing that I had all the symptoms of Aunt Flo, I became saddened knowing that another month had gone and I still was not pregnant. Then I began deciding, because women that have been through what I have, must DECIDE that they are happy and just deal with what comes next. Most women dealing with infertility usually have depression as a result and I was determined that that would not be me. I have a wonderful family, an amazing husband, faith in God, and a spectacular life! I am gonna be fine! It never took away the pain and disappointment, but it always got me through it, plus MUCH prayer! Anyhow, I began preparing myself for the worst. I woke up Monday and thought, "I will just take a test now and deal with the outcome. I'll be over it by the end of the day (maybe) and I will be here at my house by myself with nowhere to go, so I won't have to put on a happy face." So, I grabbed a test and took it. I walked out of the bathroom and came right back in (now usually it takes the full 3 mins. to give a result, which has always been a 'not preganant' result.) I look down with a beating heart, not expecting for it to be done yet and saw, "Pregnant." On a side note, I only buy the extremely expensive tests, not because they are better, they're not. I buy the expensive ones because mentally it's better for me. I was sick and tired of trying to decided if the pink line was dark enough! Infertility messes with your mind and common sense and suddenly you think you're pregnant when you know you're not because maybe if you pray over it enough, will it to be positive, then maybe it is a positive pregnancy test. Ok, so back to me anxiously (anxious, another infertility symptom, you wanna know if you're pregnant or not, but you don't want to face another negative result, so you get so worked up your shaking and almost sick, heart beating out of your chest...)looking down at the test and it was done and read 'pregnant.' I began shacking more and pacing around the room in a circle breathing heavily. Then I immediately had to call Jared, which I knew he wouldn't be able to answer. Then I called him right back again and still no answer, which I knew he wouldn't be able to and I probably officailly succeeded in scaring him. Then I told myself to calm down and think. I wanted to make telling Jared special. I wanted him with me when he found out and I didn't want him driving like a maniac for the 2 hour ride home. So, I came up with an excuse and began texting him that I was sorry I called when I knew he couldn't answer and all I wanted was to find out if he would make it for dinner so I could unthaw the chicken. Lame, I know, but if I had to say it at that moment, he would know something was up and I really wanted to surprise him! He ended up calling me back thinking something was wrong and I gave him the whole chicken excuse in my best nonchalant voice I could muster. He wasn't convinced completely, but knew I had the whole 'time to take a pregnancy test' thing looming over my head, so he chalked it up to that. Whew! Now I went back to pacing the floors in dazed like trance! I kept telling myself to get it together! I decided to eat breakfast so I could take another test and then call the doctor. I did, it was still positive (still shocked), so I called the doctor and left a message. Then I left in search of the perfect gift for Jared. I had always wanted to get this Alabama umbrella stroller that I had seen once and use it to tell Jared that he was going to be a daddy. Unfortunately, that was years ago and I hadn't seen them in a while, but I was determined to find one! I set out in search of one, drove ALL over Birmingham (which probably was smart in my condition) and never did find one. I did find out the company that makes them is probably going to stop and so stores will not have one. I will have to search the internet for one. I had to come up with a plan B. I bought a baby t-shirt that says, "My First Alabama t-shirt" and bought it. The doc called me back and told me to stop wasting my money on tests and believe it! They told me to come first thing the next morning for bloodwork to confirm it. A few hours later, Jared was on his way home and I was ready to tell him! He called and told me that he was 15 mins. from the house and that is when the wildly beating heart came back and my brain left me again! He walked in the door and I got up, grabbed the bag with the shirt in it (I had the 2 tests in my pocket to whip out and show him.) I went to the door and told him I bought him something today. He told me I shouldn't have, but instead of opening it, he hugged me (sweet-yes, but my heart was about to jump out and tell him for me!) I asked Jared if he was ever going to open his gift and he said in a minute, he just wanted to hug me some more. Incredibly sweet, but seriously? Then, as he was holding me he said, "Is that my heart beating so fast?" Uh-oh my heart is gonna tell the news before I can. I told him to just open his present and then I reached in my pockets, pulled out the tests, and started waving them in his face and crying (I finally cried, well except for that quick moment when I got in the shower after I took the test and it just hit me that I could be pregnant.) He didn't even have the shirt out of the bag! he was confused and stunned and I just said, "Jared, it worked!" We were laughing and crying and not believing it! We are so happy! We are thankful that God has blessed us with even more than we already have! Please pray that everything goes smoothly with this pregnancy!