Long story short... I AM PREGNANT!!! :) It truly is amazing how things work out. We knew we were ready to start working on baby number two, but there was one big obstacle: as a teacher, I have to use my sick days in order to get paid during my maternity leave. With Nikos, I used up all but one-half of a day, so my sick time was almost completely depleted. With this in mind, we decided that our efforts to try for a baby were going to be a "limited engagement"-- that is, we would try ONLY during the month of August, in hopes of getting pregnant with a late May/early June baby. If that didn't work, we would hold off on the baby-making for another year or two, until I had enough sick days stored up for a decent maternity leave.
It took me seven months to get pregnant with Nikos, so I was convinced that we wouldn't be lucky this month. I consoled myself with thoughts of drinking great wine at Mike and Steph's wedding in Napa in November. Gus and I also said we would take a vacation together next summer, if I wasn't pregnant. While those things sounded fun, I really just wanted another baby-- a little brother or sister for Nikos! Still, I was not optimistic.
Just like the last time I got pregnant, there weren't really any huge signs. I always hear people say that their breasts started to hurt, etc., but that just isn't me, I guess. I have been exhausted all week, but that's nothing unusual, given that school just started up again. Everyone seemed exhausted, to be honest. I also felt bloated, but blamed that on the fact that I was eating a lot of junky food. The only sign that made me possibly suspect that something was up was my sense of smell... For the past few days, I have noticed more smells than usual. And some of them really bothered me. Like on Wednesday night, when I stepped out of the shower only to find that Gus had taken my bath towel (he was doing laundry). I quickly grabbed a clean towel from the laundry basket on our bedroom floor, and started to dry off with it. It smelled AWFUL-- like it had been sitting in the washer for a while before being dried. Kind of like vinegar. I was so nauseated by it that I opted to dry off using my hand towel-- no joke! And when I complained to Gus about it, he swore up and down that he could not smell a thing. That's when a little lightbulb went on in my head! ding!
Today, after work, I got home and saw the box of pregnancy tests just sitting there on my bathroom counter, just daring me to take one. I knew that it was probably too early, since most tests recommend waiting until 14 days after ovulation (today is day 11 for me). Still, I figured, "Why not?" I took the test, set it down, and it appeared to be negative right away. No surprise. But I carried it with me into another room, and glanced down a minute later. WAIT-- was that the beginning of a second line???? I ran into the dining room, where the natural light was better. Yes, there was definitely a second line, and it was getting darker. It didn't get especially dark, but it the world of pregnancy tests, "they" say that "a line's a line!"
Being the planner (and daydreamer) that I am, I had a shirt made months ago for Nikos to wear on exactly such as occasion! It said "Have you heard the news? I'm going to be a big brother!" I dug the shirt out of its hiding place in my dresser, and dressed Nikos in it. I then took him out in the yard to attempt to take some pictures (for blogging purposes, of course!), but my model was uncooperative and kept trying to crawl off the blanket. So we went back inside and played for a bit, waiting for Daddy to get home.
And of course, Gus had to work later than usual! And then he stopped to get us dinner at Chipotle on his way home, making him even later. By the time he walked through the door, it was just about bathtime for Nikos. I tried to hold Nikos so that Gus could read his shirt, but he just wasn't noticing. Finally, I said, "Hey! You haven't even commented on your son's new shirt!" He took Nikos from me, read the shirt, and gave me a look. Not a look of excitement, but rather one that very clearly meant "Really? You got him a big brother t-shirt and you aren't even pregnant yet? Aren't we jumping the gun a little?" So I said, "But it's TRUE!" Gus was in shock!! He thought it was still too early for me to test, and wasn't expecting that news at ALL! But the shock quickly gave way to happiness and excitement, and we began to discuss various details (due dates, rearranging furniture to make another nursery, names... that sort of thing). Anyway, that brings us to right now! We're having another baby, due sometime around May 15th! And this time, it happened on the first try! We feel so excited and blessed... So stay tuned! :) :)
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