Unfortunately for me, Ralph would win this little chess match. On the night of our wedding, I slipped on my wedding dress and severely sprained my left knee. (So much for conceiving on our wedding night.) Initially, I was able to walk with crutches, but slowly progressed to limping awkwardly for the next few months. I could BARELY walk up/down stairs...needless to say, getting pregnant wouldn't have been a great idea. I started birth control soon after.
Fast-forward 7 months later to May 2014...
My limp had gone away, and I was able to manage getting up and down stairs without gripping onto railings. And I had baby fever - a very bad case of it. One day, I asked Ralph if we could start trying. His response was, "How many more pills do you have left for this month?" I told him about 2 weeks' worth. He simply said with a smile, "Alright, well throw them away then." So I did.
I wasn't expecting to get my period for another 2 weeks when I stopped my birth control, but it came a few days later. Soon after, I bought some ovulation tests to help us find out if I'd ovulate that month or not. I read on several pregnancy websites that it could take up to 3 months for a woman to get back on track (hormonally) after getting off birth control. I used the ovulation tests and was discouraged when all of them were negative. I figured that I wouldn't ovulate that month and we'd try again in June.
A few weeks ago, towards the end of May/beginning of June, I noticed my breasts were a bit swollen and were really tender. I thought nothing of it, since my breasts normally feel that way a week or two before I start my period...and I was supposed to start my period on Monday, June 16th, but nothing happened. I didn't think much of it because I figured my body was still re-adjusting after discontinuing birth control.
On Tuesday, I decided to take an ovulation test - if I was ovulating, it'd explain the sore breasts. And lo and behold, the test came back positive! That night, Ralph and I "tried".
The next day, my day off, I had lunch with Nina, Keyan, and Kaela at Gen. Afterwards, we had some dessert at Fusion Tea Bar then went to Target so Nina could sign up for her baby registry. While there, I picked up a few things, including a pregnancy test. I didn't think I was pregnant (of course not, how could I be if I've just started ovulating?), but something just compelled me to get it.
When I got home, I put away my groceries and let Wendy out to pee. I saw the box of pregnancy tests (it was a 2-pack) and, after a moment or two, decided to get tested. After using all those ovulation tests, I was pretty much a pro at peeing on a stick. So I took one of the pregnancy tests and went to the bathroom. I did my deed, recapped the test, and set it on the floor. I didn't even get a chance to flush the toilet when I noticed a blue line appear on the window that indicated a positive result. I was in absolute shock. I flushed the toilet, picked up the stick, and just stared at it.
Ralph was still at work, and I didn't want to tell him the news over the phone. I also didn't want to tell my parents over the phone. Who did I call? Cara. She was shocked and happy and offered to come over, but I told her to stay put. I just needed someone to know, and she was the one I knew I could call.
I paced back and forth in our apartment and kept picking up the pregnancy test to make sure the two blue lines were still there. I was just in disbelief. In that moment, I realized that I had to tell Ralph when he got home - but how? Quickly, I emptied out an egg, painted it baby blue and wrote "CRACK ME OPEN" on it with a black Sharpie. In it, I inserted a paper message, and put the egg in the refrigerator.
I took the second pregnancy test to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke (nope, that one was positive too). Then I hid the two pregnancy tests in my closet, and I waited for 7:30 to roll around.
When Ralph got home, we ate dinner first (McDonald's - I didn't have much time to cook!). He grabbed a soda from the fridge, saw the egg, and asked, "What's that?" I told him to open it, but he was a little cautious about it. He said he'd open it once he was settled. Ugh. It was absolute torture! I had to wait for him to finish his dinner AND put away his work stuff!
Once he was all done, he took the egg from the refrigerator and sat down next to me. "Oh, it's empty!" he said, realizing how light it was. I said, "It's not empty. Open it." He asked me what was inside, to which I rolled my eyes and repeated, "Just open it." After tapping it on the table several times, the egg split in half, and Ralph unrolled the paper message that I had put inside earlier. It said, "You're going to be a daddy!" He stared at the piece of paper, then looked at me. "Really?" was all he could say. He looked back at the paper, then back at me, then gave me the biggest hug. As I hugged Ralph back, it finally hit me...we're going to be parents. I tightened my hold around him and began to cry.
Let the journey begin!
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