Family

It is week 16 and I have to say (knocking on wood) that all has been calm. It has been unfamiliarly trouble-free that I worry if this is the calm before the storm? Looking back on the day I learned of this pregnancy it seemed I was doomed to have a gray cloud follow me for the next nine months. It was the stereotypical crawl in a hole and start drinking at 9:00 in the morning kind of day…

I took two pregnancy tests at Fred Meyers (Recap: I took eight for Kaden). I guess I finally have faith reading the little pink line. Yay; baby on board! We had a plan. We knew we wanted to be done having children before I was 32, but two babies so close together is quite honestly, bloodcurdling. Eh, Semantics. Finally, one of my many plans stayed true to my life’s calendar. Woot. Woot. So, where you may wonder is the gray cloud? Ah, it is developing.

It was July 2nd and 100 plus degrees. It was just plain hot outside. A busy bustling day ahead, so I was taking Kaden to his Great Grandma’s. The cloud begins to stir. CRASH! We are rear ended. Super. So, do I tell Adam we are having a baby before or after this news? I go with the car bulletin. It needed to be timelier.

As the heat continues to make me feel as though my skin is sloughing I meet my husband at our non air-conditioned home. It isn’t just Fourth of July weekend or a Thursday, but Moving Day! Perfect. I probably do not have to share that regardless of how joyous baby news is it is deflated after being rear ended on moving day in 100 degree heat constantly surrounded by others. Simply stated, the baby news is becoming my personal irritation. I want to share it, but when?

My husband is lifting our life into the bed of his truck. I am emotionally exhausted as well as reaching the days physical limitations. He is on a mission of moving and in time grows grumpier and grumpier. Hey, I am not too proud to share these are not our best moments. We are not a good team because we always work well together. Oh, no-no. We are a good team because we know when to call it an individual activity. Trust me; loading of the truck is a solitary job for this family. I don’t have the patience for it and he doesn’t have the patience for me. It is a match made in Heaven.

Anyway, the day moves forward and the news is eating at me. It is eating at me literally. I am starving. I am tired. I want to scream the news into his face. I don’t, but I really really want to. We are rarely alone making it that much harder. I grow edgier. Will he be upset that so much time has passed between me knowing and sharing our news? Is it selfish I share this during life’s third most stressful event? It is a no win. Misery loves company, so I opt to tell him.

We are driving and I finally get the nerve, “Hey think you could pull over some where so we could talk for a minute?” I was totally gesturing in a female sort of way with my index finger slightly pointed up doing circles, which clearly meant the park one street over to the right. In man verbiage this meant pull over NOW as though the truck is on fire! Here we are tired and exhausted curbside on Gloucester. Me being me I tear up and nothing is said from mouth. At this moment we come back together as a team. He says, “Babe, we are having a baby, aren’t we?” He knows me. He takes my hand and congratulates us both. At this moment the cloud lifts and there is light.

We breathe and immediately start talking about baby names. We have a two mile drive to our new home and in this short time discuss if we want to find out the gender and we chose the names. It is official: we are a family of four.