Tough Decision #1 - check

Last week I made the really tough decision NOT to go on the Vacation Bible School trip to Haiti I had been planning on attending for several months (http://familyhm.org/). I was sitting at work Thursday afternoon and it just hit me like a ton of bricks out of the blue that I had no business going to Haiti while I'm pregnant...and then I started crying (loooove the hormones). Thank goodness no one was around at the time.

I had been telling myself ever since I found out I was pregnant that going to Haiti would be fine. I would take all the precautions and be super-careful while I was there. After all, there are lots of pregnant women in Haiti right now who are doing perfectly fine, right? I was totally convinced that going on this trip to Haiti was God's will for me and my baby, and that He would take care of us.

Turns out I was just being really stubborn and wanting to go for my own reasons, not God's. Once I finally made the call and pulled out of the trip, I felt a sense of peace that I hadn't felt in quite a while. I know that He still has plans for me to visit the developing world and experience His love and power there...but not while I'm pregnant!

I know this is the first of many many decisions I'll have to make from now on that put the well-being of my child over my own selfish desires. It's kind of crazy to have made this decision at only 9 1/2 weeks gestation! And I thought giving up red wine was tough! Even though I'm disappointed that I don't get to travel to Haiti this year, knowing that not going is the best decision for the Biscuit completely overshadows all of that disappointment. Wow.

Investing in a Pregnancy Test

So I am a cheap-o but have decided after recent experience that buying the cheapest pregnancy test in the store is not a good idea. (This story doesn't end in me saying I had a false positive - do not be alarmed!)

When I thought I might be pregnant, I went to Target and bought the "best deal." It included two tests and I figured that had me covered. So I went home and took the first test. After several minutes of anxiety and panic, I checked the test...nothing. Literally nothing showed up. Freaked out by this unexpected result, I consulted the directions. "Nothing" meant a failed test and a retry was necessary. Now - I am at home, all alone, the only one in the world who knows I am taking this pregnancy test and I have to do it all over again! I was not happy about that. My "deal" wasn't turning out so well.

So onto the next test. This time with less anxiety but more exasperation. This time the "control" line did show up - a lovely horizontal blue line that tells you the test is functioning properly. Then, slowly and lightly, a vertical line began to appear forming a plus sign. This little teeny faint plus sign indicated to me - hey, I might be pregnant. The little teeny faint plus sign also indicated to me - hey, you might just be crazy and are seeing things.

So the day that my family and Richard's family were heading into town for Richard's graduation that weekend, I decide to keep my big mouth shut and not tell anyone - not even my poor unsuspecting husband - that I think I just took a positive pregnancy test. I also decided I would limit my alcohol consumption just in case.

So Monday after work, and after the graduation festivities, I finally fess-up to Richard that I need to take a (another) pregnancy test. I had bought a digital test on the way home that cost a little extra but hopefully wouldn't leave me hanging. Seeing a digital word "pregnant" has breathtaking effects and is way better than wondering if you're seeing vertical lines!

So my advice (that I will follow for any future pregnancy testing) - no "deals" and only digital.

Father's Day

So Richard received his first Father's Day card today from me. That was kind of crazy. I don't think he was expecting it or even thinking about it as a possibility.

Today in church there was a couple sitting in front of us with a baby-carrier-thing (I'm going to have to figure out what they are actually called). Richard whispered to me that they must be brand new parents because both of them kept looking over at the baby every few seconds. He also said they must be brand new parents because they didn't have the deep-set look of exhaustion about them yet. Sure enough, later in the service, the mom walked out carrying the baby and it appeared to be all of a few days old.

It's weird how we're starting to notice these types of things now.

5K with the Biscuit

This morning was the Komen Race for the Cure. Me & the Biscuit made it to the race while Richie was laid up at home with some sort of lake-funk-illness. I've done the Race for the Cure twice before but haven't done it in several years. I had forgotten how amazing it is to be out on the road among tens of thousands of people out to do something good and something healthy all at once. I think they had 25,000 people at the race. I kept up with LP for a few minutes and then decided to take it easy. I definitely need to get myself into shape again - especially given my newly developed sweet-tooth!

Hopefully Richie will be feeling better soon!

So we're weird and are calling our baby "the Biscuit." That sounds much better and more personal than "it" we think. We began calling the baby this on May 12th - one day after Richard's UNC graduation - and much to our surprise we went from planning summer trips to wondering about baby plans!

This past Thursday we got to "see" the Biscuit for the first time. Not only that, but we were able to see the little heartbeat! June 12th will be a day to remember (at least until the next big revelation). Joy coupled with relief!

We're aware you can see nothing in the picture but it is what it is. The dark spot is the oven and the little blob at the bottom is the biscuit.

What Melanie knows about being pregnant so far:
- I am now pooped all the time.
- I can't poop all the time now
- Even little breasts perk-up when the hormones start raging
- My usual potato chip cravings have turned into ice cream cravings