July 26th – Where did this month go? I was so anxious about July because I knew that it would be SO BUSY, and it has been, but I’ve been able to see a lot of people that I love, start to get back in the swing of work, and knock out a TON of baby stuff! I’m off for one more summer adventure today – Chattanooga! One of my best friends Amberlee lives on Signal Mountain, so I’m going to run around up there for a few days! I’ll also be able to join some of my friend Jennifer’s bachelorette activities, so it should be a fun weekend!
I hit 24 weeks on this pregnancy journey yesterday, so I’m going to backtrack 20 weeks and get some of the initial baby news jotted down once and for all (I’m sure I’ve already forgotten some details).
I found out that I was exactly four weeks pregnant on a random Thursday after work, which was a total shock. I had this gut feeling that I was pregnant (for reasons I won’t go in to!), looked up some research, and flew to the drugstore. The most honest prayer of my LIFE took place during that two mile ride to Walgreens. I was literally praying out loud begging God for the outcome that was a part of HIS plan. I’d realized that so many stressful and not so ideal situations turned out to fall right into place, so I trusted that God’s timing was always perfect, even when it didn’t seem like it at the time. I had that kind of peace on the way to the store. I obviously didn’t want to be pregnant since Jamie had just deployed eight days beforehand, but I knew that if I was it would be okay.
The test was positive, and I literally couldn’t stop rubbing my eyes and shaking the test to see if this was true. I took another one, and it was clearly positive. I took about a minute and leaned over the bathroom counter frozen.
Then I called my sister Jennifer and sobbed for a solid 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe this was how I was telling my sister she was going to be an aunt. She was squealing with excitement, telling me my due date, giving me all of her nurse advice (having a nurse in the fam is the BEST), and I just wanted her to relax and not be so excited! I was SHAKING because I was so scared! I hadn’t done pregnancy research in the slightest! I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mom, telling our family and friends, etc., but I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening and that I was going to be going through it without Jamie.
By this time it’s almost 5, and I knew Jamie wouldn’t be waking up for another four hours! I sent him annoying text after annoying text to try and wake him up, but it wasn’t happening! I knew that I couldn’t sit at home alone that night, so I called my friend Elizabeth Madaris, told her that I thought I was pregnant, and that I was coming over. I grabbed a digital test on the way, and she met me at her front door. Once the digital test confirmed it, I cried out of fear and surprise AGAIN. She cried with me because as a fellow Army wife and someone who knows me so well, she knew this was life changing. Her husband got home a few minutes later, and the three of us just sat around for a few hours waiting by my phone for a response from Jamie. He finally was able to call around 8:30. When I saw his name pop up on my phone, I about lost it! I knew that he was going to be shocked, excited, and scared just like me (HE JUST FLIPPING LEFT FOR 12 MONTHS!).
I felt the biggest weight lift off my shoulders after I told him. I didn’t feel so alone anymore and was already starting to feel like I can do this. We can do this. We are going to have a baby!
I know that I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night as Jamie and I texted until I fell asleep. I had no idea how to handle this situation (I seriously had NEVER done pregnancy/baby research before!), but I still was resting in the peace that in hindsight we’d view this as our biggest blessing. Five months later, I definitely do! As I type this, she is rolling around in my stomach like a crazy girl. I can actually see my stomach moving all over. It’s seriously such a miracle! I had an ultrasound last Monday, and to hear the ultrasound tech say that she looks “perfect” is music to my ears!
Hope this wasn’t TMI for anyone! Part two coming up next – telling our parents! Stay tuned. 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Erica
PS – Here are some pictures of her nursery so far! Missing a little bit of wall decor, but we’re still (hopefully) 100 days from her due date!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo