Prenatal Visit

     So far, BC and I are doing well. The only thing that would make our situation perfect would be to have Jason home. He left last week and it was hard saying goodbye. I think it was hard because he hasn't been home long, and also because my hormones are having WW III inside my body. SO, that's fun! These past couple of weeks have been really great and I dare say that the pregnancy has been pretty smooth. There have been a few episodes of slight nausea but it never ends in vomiting. I was experiencing some discomfort as I slept and frequent restroom trips in the wee hours of the morning. Now things seem to be back to normal. All except the overproduction of liquid from my tear ducts for no apparent reason. I fear that if I even glance at an infant I might cry more than he or she. Needless to say, I am anxious to meet BC. I love having all the slight symptoms I do, because even though I see no evidence of BC, I know he/she is in there! I have been doing  a lot of reading and I feel very relieved to know that what I am experiencing is normal. It's so nice to have so much knowledge at your fingertips.
     Today, I had my first prenatal visit with the nurse practitioner. There were three other couples in the prenatal class with me. I was a bit hurt when the speaker thanked all the fathers that showed up for being "so involved." I know Jason would have been with me if he was in the same state. Our first order of business was to complete an OB questionnaire. It sure was a lot of paperwork. That was followed by a few speakers announcing free classes for parenting, baby budgeting, breastfeeding, and Daddy boot camp. I am so grateful that through our health care we have so many options. After the presentations, we each had prenatal lab work and interviews. The nurse practitioner was impressed that overall I was very healthy. I told her that I hadn't had any awful pregnancy symptoms. Hopefully, this track record continues throughout the pregnancy. Jason called me soon after my appointment to get all the details. Our next adventure will be next month and it includes a look at BC for the first time! As, I write this I am already starting to cry thinking about it. Our little coffee bean will be a bit larger by then and God willing we will soon be able to inform everyone of our BC. Thank goodness for that because this has been the hardest news to keep to ourselves.

Surprise Notification

     The month of June was a very busy month indeed! With a move on the horizon and an attempt to make a dream come true, we were definitely occupied. Jason had only been home a couple of weeks before he was quickly put to work. On June 9th, I had a mid-cycle ultrasound to see if my fertility medicine had worked. Alas, my follicles showed no signs of ovulation and I was told to return in 5 days for a second attempt. On June 13th, I arrived at the fertility clinic only to receive disappointing news. The doctor was already talking about IVF and things didn't look promising. He said that most likely I wouldn't ovulate. I was pretty upset because time was against us as Jason was set to leave in July for a few months with the possibility of another deployment on the back end. As I stifled the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes on the way home, Jason reassured me and said it was only the first try. I knew he was right and it comforted me. As the days passed, I accepted and even welcomed the possibility of another year as just a couple without a baby. We were also very distracted because we were in the midst of our move and driving to and from Virginia Beach. After a long week, we finally made our final destination: Beaufort, SC. It was so nice to be back in our house! Indy fell in love with his yard and I enjoyed my husband's company. He was finally home and on leave. Over the next couple of weeks we worked everyday to get settled and we did yard work in the 90+ degree weather. Soon we would reap the rewards of a nice home with beautiful grass. It wasn't until July that I started feeling a little different. I shrugged it off and thought perhaps I was going to have a period soon. One day I was in such a bad mood that I had to avoid being around anything or anyone that aggravated me. Okay, okay, maybe it was a couple of days! After speaking with good friend, she brought to my attention that I usually have a period before her. At this point, I hadn't really paid any attention because I didn't think it could be possible. So for extra measure and because the fourth of July was fast approaching, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I informed Jason of my decision the night before. The next morning, half asleep, I opened my package and performed the test. I immediately saw one line and assumed it would be negative. So I washed up and then checked it again. This time I saw two lines - one darker than the other. I assumed it meant I wasn't pregnant because the other line wasn't dark enough. So I read the instructions and I noticed an illustration that looked like my result. Underneath the illustration read: PREGNANT. I immediately felt my body flush with warm happiness and tears welled up in my eyes. The pain and anguish that I felt the day of my ultrasound flashed in my mind and drained out of my body only to be replaced with an image of a baby inside of me. It was a moment of pure bliss and it felt like heaven on earth. That morning any negative feeling I could ever have did not exist. I was on cloud 9! On July 2nd at 8:03am I was first notified of "BC" or "Baby Craig." Of course the next thing to do was to notify the Daddy. So, as he lay there sleeping I shook his arm. Slowly, he woke up to ask me what was wrong. Proudly, I showed him my result and then the instructions. As soon as he realized, we embraced and I laughed. Never to be left out, Indy Craig shared the moment with us. He jumped onto the bed and started to lick our faces. Jason told Indy he would have a new "brother" or "sister." Over the weekend, I took a total of four pregnancy tests to make sure I was pregnant and they were all positive. Finally, on July 5th, the pregnancy was confirmed a the clinic. BC was a complete surprise and the most wonderful surprise I have ever been blessed with! Now we wait for our first ultrasound which is scheduled for August 5th. Unfortunately, Daddy will be in San Diego but he will hear every detail from BC Mommy.