So the big question, of course, is-- do you want a boy or girl? While I do have to admit that the cliched line is true-- as long as it's healthy, that's all that matters, it did become clear that I wanted to develop something to call "it"-- this bunch of cells growing in me. Glenn's dad kept calling the baby "Junior", but I was adamate that the name be neutral. I suggested "Pat" after the androgenous character on Saturday Night Live, but Glenn liked Alex better. So we decided preliminarily to call it "Alex." But I realized.... how strange would it be to refer to this baby as "Alex" for nine months, only to have it be born and named some completely different name.
No-- we needed a name that really didn't have any meaning. A name that couldn't ever actually be a name. I tried out "Palex" for a little while, but we didn't like that either. Well, after a day of thought, David and Glenn came home with the perfect name...
And so for now, it's not a bunch of cells growing in me. It's "Little Wahoo." (And if you don't know what a Wahoo is, you need to catch up on your UVA history.)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Telling the Parents
So the day finally came.... the day that Glenn and I got to share our happy new with our parents. First up were my parents on my dad's birthday. We called them up while they were on vacation in Colorado. Dad answered and I made small talk for a few minutes, as usual. Then I told him that I had gotten a present for both and Mom together as a kind of birthday/ XMas combo present. I asked him to get Mom on the phone too and I, myself, switched to speakerphone so Glenn could chime in.
"I have a present for you guys, but it won't be ready until around July 10 or so," I announced. They were stumped for a moment, trying to figure out what wonderful thing I had purchased for them. Glenn spoke up after a second... "You know, that's about 8 months from now..."
I then reenforced the point by just coming out and saying I was pregnant and the screaming began. Dad was his usual contained and yet excited self, repeatedly saying, "Alright! This is great! Alright!" If you know my dad, you can imagine the voice he used when saying this. In fact, after a few minutes, he was even stuttering and speechless. But it was great to hear the excitement in their voices. I can't exactly remember what they said, only because we were all so ecstatic.
The next day we headed out after work to Roanoke to spend Thanksgiving with Glenn's parents. They had also both had recent birthdays. As a late gift, we had bought two little picture frames for them and in each frame was a picture of, what Glenn's mom calls, "The stick I peed on." So we settled down after having dinner and pulled out their birthday presents. We told them to open them at the same time. At this point, I still wondered if they had figured out I was pregnant. As the mother-to-be, I sometimes think that everyone must know, when-- in reality-- no one does.
His mom got closer to getting the paper first so I focused on watching her. She reached into the paper and pulled the frame out. Her face screwed up, as she took a minute to figure out exactly what it was and then her face froze and then melted. She looked up at us in shock with questioning eyes, as we nodded. With a jump, she burst out of her seat, and into tears and ran over to us. Meanwhile, Hoopop (Glenn's dad) had opened his frame and sat with a giant grin on his face, rubbing his hands together. You could already see the plans rolling around in his head.
It is quite a special thing to tell your parents that you are having a child. All of a suddent, you are taking a new adult role, one that they themselves once went through. You are beginning to have the experiences they once did.
"I have a present for you guys, but it won't be ready until around July 10 or so," I announced. They were stumped for a moment, trying to figure out what wonderful thing I had purchased for them. Glenn spoke up after a second... "You know, that's about 8 months from now..."
I then reenforced the point by just coming out and saying I was pregnant and the screaming began. Dad was his usual contained and yet excited self, repeatedly saying, "Alright! This is great! Alright!" If you know my dad, you can imagine the voice he used when saying this. In fact, after a few minutes, he was even stuttering and speechless. But it was great to hear the excitement in their voices. I can't exactly remember what they said, only because we were all so ecstatic.
The next day we headed out after work to Roanoke to spend Thanksgiving with Glenn's parents. They had also both had recent birthdays. As a late gift, we had bought two little picture frames for them and in each frame was a picture of, what Glenn's mom calls, "The stick I peed on." So we settled down after having dinner and pulled out their birthday presents. We told them to open them at the same time. At this point, I still wondered if they had figured out I was pregnant. As the mother-to-be, I sometimes think that everyone must know, when-- in reality-- no one does.
His mom got closer to getting the paper first so I focused on watching her. She reached into the paper and pulled the frame out. Her face screwed up, as she took a minute to figure out exactly what it was and then her face froze and then melted. She looked up at us in shock with questioning eyes, as we nodded. With a jump, she burst out of her seat, and into tears and ran over to us. Meanwhile, Hoopop (Glenn's dad) had opened his frame and sat with a giant grin on his face, rubbing his hands together. You could already see the plans rolling around in his head.
It is quite a special thing to tell your parents that you are having a child. All of a suddent, you are taking a new adult role, one that they themselves once went through. You are beginning to have the experiences they once did.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
"I know my body"
Glenn and I decided about 5 months ago that it was time for us to start trying to have a baby. We had waited a year like we had intended and were hoping to get pregnant during the summer so that the baby would be born at the end of the next school year, affording "Mama" a nice little break from the end of the year procedures at school. Alas, the summer past with no pregnancy. Toward the beginning of the school year, I hit a rough patch with my irritable bowel and we decided to take it easy on trying until my body got control of itself. So September passed and suddenly, I became better. So it was back to business.
Several weeks ago, I suddenly started to feel a little different. As crazy as it sounds, I felt like I was consistently a little rounder around my belly. I have a tiny little waist, so you never know. However, I am Mrs. Paranoia and didn't want to tell anyone, even Glenn, because I thought if I did, it wouldn't be true. So I kept the secret and just rubbed my belly every once in a while. Finally I told Glenn I thought I was getting bigger, but he told me it was probably just the large dinner I had just eaten. Go figure. But my Mommy instincts couldn't be changed.
November 4 came and there was no sign of "Aunt Flow". I held my breath every time I went to the bathroom and just crossed my fingers. A week passed and when Glenn found out I still hadn't had "any visitors", he figured I should take a test.
So I went into my stash of pregnancy tests and took a First Response test. Unlike the other times I had used the test, a second line was suddenly very faintly visible. What could this mean??? I wasn't positive. What if it was a mistake? I wanted to test again, but of course, I had run out of tests. So at 8:30 at night, I hopped into my car and headed over to CVS. I got a fancy schmancy digital pregnancy test. It actually flashes an hourglass while it processes your results. It didn't take long to process though and the word "Pregnant" popped up quickly. I yelled and screamed and hugged Glenn. Finally, our wish had come true.
Because I am paranoid, we decide not to tell our parents until Christmas when I am sure everything will be all right. We figure it will also make for an unforgettable Christmas present. Of course, though, I have to tell some people so I reveal the secret to a select few of my absolute closest friends. I figure that if anything DOES happen, I would want them to know anyway. Hopefully no one will read this later and be angry that I didn't tell them right away, but I felt like this was the best thing to keep my own stress levels at bay.
Several weeks ago, I suddenly started to feel a little different. As crazy as it sounds, I felt like I was consistently a little rounder around my belly. I have a tiny little waist, so you never know. However, I am Mrs. Paranoia and didn't want to tell anyone, even Glenn, because I thought if I did, it wouldn't be true. So I kept the secret and just rubbed my belly every once in a while. Finally I told Glenn I thought I was getting bigger, but he told me it was probably just the large dinner I had just eaten. Go figure. But my Mommy instincts couldn't be changed.
November 4 came and there was no sign of "Aunt Flow". I held my breath every time I went to the bathroom and just crossed my fingers. A week passed and when Glenn found out I still hadn't had "any visitors", he figured I should take a test.
So I went into my stash of pregnancy tests and took a First Response test. Unlike the other times I had used the test, a second line was suddenly very faintly visible. What could this mean??? I wasn't positive. What if it was a mistake? I wanted to test again, but of course, I had run out of tests. So at 8:30 at night, I hopped into my car and headed over to CVS. I got a fancy schmancy digital pregnancy test. It actually flashes an hourglass while it processes your results. It didn't take long to process though and the word "Pregnant" popped up quickly. I yelled and screamed and hugged Glenn. Finally, our wish had come true.
Because I am paranoid, we decide not to tell our parents until Christmas when I am sure everything will be all right. We figure it will also make for an unforgettable Christmas present. Of course, though, I have to tell some people so I reveal the secret to a select few of my absolute closest friends. I figure that if anything DOES happen, I would want them to know anyway. Hopefully no one will read this later and be angry that I didn't tell them right away, but I felt like this was the best thing to keep my own stress levels at bay.
"I always do what Jess suggests"
Well, just as I have since high school, I am following Jess' suggestion and starting a blog. About 5 weeks ago, she became the first of The Clique to have a baby and has just started blogging the life of her little one. As she said that she wishes she had blogged her pregnancy, it made me think what a great thing it would be for me to do.
A little memory for my little one someday. SO if you haven't figured it out by now, I am pregnant after roughly 6 months of trying and this blog will tell the whole story.
A little memory for my little one someday. SO if you haven't figured it out by now, I am pregnant after roughly 6 months of trying and this blog will tell the whole story.
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