Wednesday, October 8, 2008 was a life changing day for me.
It was the day I found out I was pregnant with my son. It was also the day I believe I became a mother.
What an amazing moment/time in my life.
Amazing and completely terrifying!
It wasn’t as though we hadn’t been trying to conceive, we just weren’t trying very hard, in other words, we weren’t taking my temperature, pumping my body full of injections, marking days off on a calendar or any seeking assistance from a reproductive specialist. That would come with baby #2!
My period was seven days late so having just come from working out followed by lunch with a friend, at her urging I took the test.
I stood naked in my bathroom crying. I was elated when I saw the digital word “PREGNANT” pop up on the EPT stick… twice! I kept checking and double checking it over and over.
I was happy, in quite a bit of shock and then I quickly became very worried. I had just returned from a wine tasting (read: binge drinking) weekend with my girlfriends and the week before that my husband and I were on vacation, which involved many, many pool side beers. Needless to say, everything was fine.
It was overwhelming but also very exciting and I couldn’t wait to share the good news with the daddy-to-be. I will never forget pulling the EPT out of my purse, sliding it across the table at dinner that night and him asking me if it was still wet!
I had no idea what I was in store for, but luckily I had the BEST pregnancy with none of the typical symptoms. No morning sickness, off the wall food cravings or aversions, no heartburn, constipation, bloating or swollen feet. I maintained a high energy level throughout the entire nine months and walked a total of 479.09 miles (yes, I kept track!). Only towards the very end (week 37) did I start to grow increasingly uncomfortable… like I had run out of room. I was having a hard time sleeping and being on my feet for long periods of time and my back hurt all the time, but other than the end, the rest was great. I know, I know, I’m one of those people.
Todd and I enjoyed every minute of reading What To Expect When You’re Expecting out loud to each other in bed late at night, giggling over the fruit and vegetable size references and daydreamed about our different our lives were about to become.
As we waited, we also did all the usual new expectant parent stuff… Snapped monthly bump photos, shared our good news with family and friends, watched my body change and grow and grow and grow, felt baby kicks, picked out a nursery motif, put together a crib, washed all the tiny articles of clothing and wondered how anyone could really be that small, registered for shower gifts, tested strollers, made lists of names we liked and could agree on, took far too many parenting classes and generally walked around with brighter smiles and springs in our steps than we had ever had before as we happily anticipated our firstborn’s arrival.
It was a magical time.
I was 29 weeks pregnant when this photo was taken by my friend Stephanie of Stephanie Ann Photography
This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop, Prompt 4. Describe your first pregnancy… piece of cake or terrible experience?
A version of this post entitled Happy Anticipation originally appeared on Letters For Lucas on October 8, 2009.
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What a lovely first-time experience, especially so for a first-time mother. I had a fairly good first pregnancy too – although at the end, I was really, really large and uncomfortable. 🙂
I’m starting to experience that large and uncomfortable phase now. Ugh.
That sounds like a blissful first time pregnancy for you!
I was very very lucky! Then and now with #2 as well.
That sounds like a wonderful pregnancy. For my first, I had the typical symptoms for the first 3 months (morning sickness and food and smell aversions) but after that passed, I felt great.
Oh, so you’re one of those women too! Yay us!
You look beautiful in that picture!
It sounds like you had the most perfect pregnancy ever. I can only imagine how many people are jealous of you for that. Hopefully this one is just as easy.
Thank you! I love this photo too. Luckily, pregnancy #2 is going equally as well.
I love that picture!
I was lucky with both my pregnancies and felt great during both. The trouble didn’t start until after baby #2, who never slept for the first three years of his life…
OMG, that is one of my greatest fears. I think I’d take a trimester of morning sickness in exchange for a baby that sleeps!
You sound like someone who loves pregnancy. I am wary and in awe of you people. 😉 Honestly, it sounds like a wonderful pregnancy, and I’m glad you got to experience it.
I found out I was pregnant with the twins soon after our 5 year anniversary. We always joke about how much we drank that night not even knowing I was about 3 weeks pregnant.
Yes, I was and am very lucky!!
I think many women find out they are pregnant after several nights of drinking. Gulp!
I love that you kept track of your miles. Haha! My pregnancy was very similar, minus all that activity. 😉
I keep track of everything! I’m totally anal like that. My goal with my current pregnancy is to log more mileage. So for so good…
It sounds like you had a wonderful first pregnancy. That photo is just gorgeous. What a great keepsake of your pregnancy!
Thank you, it is one of my favorite photos of myself. (:
My first pregnancy was just like that. I felt great! I’ve heard that each pregnancy gets more difficult. I’d love to see you compare the two! 😀
Luckily, pregnancy #2 has been very similar. Whew!!
So beautiful. And yes, you were one of “those” women. I could I could have been one of “those” women. 😉
I am blessed times two!
That is so awesome- and so, SO foreign- that you had a wonderful first pregnancy!
It is foreign. I am very lucky.
Sounds like a storybook pregnancy. You look amazing in the picture you posted with it. My own pregnancy was uneventful until 32 weeks when I blew up like a balloon and became toxemic. All is well now and my daughter is 22 years old.
It really was a storybook 9 months! I’m so blessed.
What a gorgeous picture of you, Tonya! I hope you have that one blown up and hanging somewhere prominent in your house. 🙂
It is framed. I love it too, thanks.
Oh my goodness! You look simply radiant in that pregnancy photo! 🙂
Thank you, it is one of my favorites.
I always think of you as the evidence that pregnancy can actually be a good experience! Just not for me, apparently. 😉
Love that photo. Stunning!
It feels very unfair! I’m sorry you had a rough go both times around.
I will never forget the moment you told me you were pregnant. We were waiting for our food at Fuddruckers! I was feeling sad because of what day it was and really needed to hear amazing news like this. Whenever I see a Fuddruckers to this day, I can’t help but smile. I hope that I am as lucky as you have been with your kind pregnancies. Morning sickness scares me!
I’ll never forget telling you either. That was a precious moment indeed. xo
This would almost be a bittersweet post (just knowing what was coming for #2) if it weren’t for the good news right now! 🙂
So far being pregnant with #2 has been very similar, but yes, getting to this point was pure hell!
I am completely jealous of your first pregnancy. I was really sick and had gestational diabetes, and didn’t really get to enjoy it until about week 20 or so. But it’s all worth it! I can’t wait to hear more and more about Baby #2. 🙂
Yes, in the end, no matter how much what kind of drama we go through to have our babies, it is all worth it!
I don’t know if it’s that amazing smile of yours or the sunflowers (my favorite flower) but I just started tearing up reading this.
I had such a hard pregnancy, so wrought with so much STUFF , that reading about yours made me smile.
I know that how hard you worked for Baby #2..it makes reading about Lucas and that pregnancy even sweeter. xo
Sunflowers are my favorite too and I adore this photo.
I’m sorry you had such a hard pregnancy. Just knowing what you went through makes me mad about that. It’s all worth it in the end though, right? xoxo
Echoing the Fluevog recommendation. They have a lot of options that could be really great.