We're... Pregnant?!

Hiya, folks! Rachel here again. You're going to have to get used to hearing from me, as Ryan's work situation is still a bit hectic. Sorry!

Now that we've recapped 2019, let's catch you all up on the big news of our year so far: our pregnancy! I've mentioned previously that Ryan and I had both been told together and separately that conceiving a baby on our own would be incredibly difficult if not impossible. Why?

Well, we've been given a lot of reasons over the years, but the top ones always being my PCOS diagnosis and our overall health as individuals. As we got more micro with our wellness journey, I went through a series of hormone tests and learned that not only did I still have PCOS, even after losing nearly half my body weight, but that I also had extremely low levels of progesterone. Fun Fact: you need progesterone to get pregnant.

We weren't in any rush to start a family, but we were also nervous about the prospect that parenthood just may not be in the cards for us. It was a hard scenario to grapple with, but we decided to stick with our healthy habits and not add more pressure by "trying" - only to be continually disappointed if it never worked. What was destined to be, would be, and all that jazz.

So, when I noticed I was a couple days late back on January 10th, I didn't think much of it. I was working from home that day, and had a million other things on my mind. But as the morning went on, I thought, "Why not take a test? Just for fun." I definitely didn't expect anything to come of it, so after doing my thing, I wandered off and got busy with emails. A bit later, I realized I had forgotten to check the test, so I wandered back into the restroom to look at it still sitting on my sink.

Then I saw the tell-tale "+".

Pro Tip: Never take a pregnancy test "just for fun".

I'm not sure if the YELP I made was audible or just in my head, but whatever the case, I snatched up the test, mouth agape, staring for what seemed like an eternity. Naturally, I took 4 more tests just to be certain. All of which came out with the same result: POSITIVE.

At that point, I went into what I can only identify as emotional shock. I found myself hastily cleaning the house to try and busy my hands, pacing, and not saying a word. No one was home except Hammy (our dog) and I, but I usually talk to myself when big things run through my mind. Not this time, though. Complete and utter silence.

It struck me that I needed and wanted to tell Ryan, who would be home for lunch in a very short amount of time. But how could I just blurt something so big like this out when he'd immediately have to turn around and go back to work? Also, I had always wanted to tell him in a special way if this did ever happen for us, and now I had absolutely no time to order anything cute off Etsy or even Amazon. UGH!

So, he comes home for lunch. We small talk. He asks how my day is going, and I respond with, "fine." Small talk continues. His 20 minutes are up, so he starts to head back out the door to work, and reminds me we said we'd meet at the gym when he got off. I'd forgotten, but I feigned remembering and assured him I'd see him there.

NOW WHAT TO DO?!

I decided we'd still meet up at the gym, do a work out, and then when we made it back home, I'd share our news.

I quickly threw together an announcement idea that I could pull off in the short amount of time I was afforded between then and when he'd be off, which is illustrated below.

Essentially, I wrote a cute note saying, "We have so much to celebrate in 2020! Especially your promotion..." and then on the pregnancy test I wrote, "To Dad", "Due 9/2020." I shoved the note and the test in two separate envelopes and then put them in the mailbox before rushing off to the gym.

Our work out went on without a hitch, even though we did run into my grandma, who for some reason I panicked about because "WHAT IF SHE NOTICES I'M PREGNANT SOMEHOW?" She obviously didn't. And then back home we drove in our separate cars.

I rushed in first, and setup my phone to record a video of him finding out and patiently waited for what seemed like an eternity. See for yourself...

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d493df_4d0888ba3a6b47cbb4bada1eb092d80f/720p/mp4/file.mp4

His response was perfect, and we both cried obnoxiously before ordering Chinese takeout and spending the rest of the evening trying to wrap our minds around the fact that it had happened - we were actually going to have a BABY.

Sometimes it's still hard to believe. Afterall, when you're told your entire adult life that it would never happen, you start to believe it. But here we are. Without any medical intervention besides changing our lifestyles to that of healthy adults.

We're in awe, and probably always will be.

Later, I'll share how we spilled the beans to our other loved ones, but that's all for now!

With love,

Rachel