Pregnancy Condensed I, That Says "Pregnant"

You weren't the easiest baby to have. We had been actively thinking about having you for about a year and a half before you decided to come together. There was just something about a soft Mexican breeze across the balcony of a six story marble mansion overlooking a cliff into the ocean, cold margaritas and fresh guacamole every day that spelled "the-time-is-right."

So about two weeks after coming back to the US, when I was already late for a meeting on Capitol Hill concerning the right of all children to affordable health care, I decided to take a pregnancy test. There were a few hopeful signs: dark blue veins across my chest and a bit of spotting at a weird time that convinced me that testing five days early wasn't crazy.

And there it was...two lines. Peanut was the only one home to celebrate the moment with me. I cried, just a little, and called your dad but was glad when he didn't answer.

I sat through the long meeting, an extra pregnancy test burning a hole in my bag, and was thrilled to leave as soon as it was over. The gum I was chewing made me feel a little sick; gum would do that through the remainder of my pregnancy.

Your dad called just in time for me to get off the Metro downtown and I suggested we meet for lunch. We went to Pangaea Market and Cafe, a fair trade craft store down the street from his office. As soon as we got there I went into the bathroom and did another test. I hadn't had much to drink that morning and the results were less than stunning. I was pretty sure there was another line but it wasn't clear enough to go waving around the restaurant. I put it in the zipper pocket of my bag and walked back out.

Michael knew something was distracting me and asked what was going on. I told him I thought
I might be pregnant and explained the tests. I pulled the one out of my bag and he could definitely see the second line. He got a little teary eyed, I tried to urge caution, and we both sat there with little grins on our faces imagining the life that stretched out before us.

I walked around all day thinking--"if this pregnancy doesn't stick, at least I've had this one day. I've seen the double lines."

I spent $35 more dollars on pregnancy tests that day and they were glaringly positive. We were having you.