Flashback Friday

Story thus far:  Spouse had had his heart valve replaced in Jan; another surgery to remove fluid and a blood clot in Feb; and had to start TB meds since a test tube with his name on it had tested positive for TB.  He returned to work in June, and things began looking up again.  But a monkey wrench was about to unfold....

July 2003:
After baseball/softball season was over, I felt relieved.  I also did a few other craft shows and sold a few more books.  But the weekend of the 4th, I probably slept for 18 hours, and nearly nodded off during the fireworks display.  Plus, I realized Mother Nature was a week late....and my boobs were so tender I could hardly sleep on my stomach.  Surely I wasn't....I mean, you have to DO something in order to be....was I in menapause?

The spouse, having no idea of what was going on, started talking about his retirement plans, which made me even more miserable.  Our youngest had just turned nine, for God's sake!  And since the spouse's truck had just died, he was using my car to get back and forth to work.  So how would I even get to town?

The answer came the following Monday.  A friend called, wanting to kidnap my kids.  I said sure, and would she run me to my doctor's office?  J arrived; we dropped the kids off at her house and in the care of her hubby, and off we went to Indianapolis.  We talked and laughed all the way there, and when we were about a block from the office, I 'fessed up about my fears.

Into the exam room I went, and peed in the cup.  Dr. S came in and asked me why I was there.

"You've got the whiz quiz results; you tell me."

"Tell me your symptoms."

I did.  "I want you to tell me a) I have a very strange sleeping bug in my body; b) I'm depressed; c) menapause (nodding my head); or d) (swallow) pregnant...but don't let it be that."

He put down his chart.  "Well, you know what they say....if it looks like a horse, acts like a horse, and sounds like a horse, it's a horse and not a donkey."

"Oh noooooo...."

"Yes, honey, you're pregnant."

My emotions were all over the place.  One minute I was crying, because it would mean turning my office into a nursery; and the next, "Hey!  I can get a diaper Genie!"  Then I'd be in tears again.

I literally cried all the way home, and felt guilty, since J was infertile and had adopted.  Here I was, 'fertile Myrtle' at age 37 with a child I didn't want.

I decided not to tell the kids yet; I wanted to tell my spouse.  We decided to let the kids spend the night at her house so D and I could be alone with this unexpected news.

When D arrived, he got into the shower as usual.  When he was nearly through, I called to him that I had something to tell him.

"What, are you pregnant again or something?"  He shut the shower off.

I burst into tears again.  "Yeeeessss...."

He entered the bedroom, still drying off.  "That's all?"  He started laughing, which made me cry even harder.  "Oh honey, it's okay....we'll get through it."

I still wasn't convinced, and cried the next two days.  The kids were thrilled at the prospect of a little brother or sister, and wanted to know how big it was at 5 weeks.

"About the size of a peanut."  And so it was dubbed 'Peanut'.

My parents were stunned, but thrilled.  My sister had just had a baby in May, so now her child would have a cousin a little closer in age:)

And the last weekend in July, my dad drove the kids and I out to White Rock, BC to meet my new nephew and play in the Pacific Ocean.  Unfortunately, I was in the throes of morning sickness, so my dad got an up close and personal view of what it's like to travel with a pregnant lady!

Next Month:  Traveling While Pregnant and Another Change