Announcing the news

Our original plan to tell our families was to have them come to our house for a special dinner.  Steve is quite the planner and was looking forward to the details of the meal, but unfortunately, he is married to an impatient woman who was agonizing over the week long wait for that meal.  We went canoeing on Saturday, and I told Regina and Melinda, with the instructions that they couldn't say a WORD until we told our parents that coming Friday.  Well, by the time we got back to my parents' house after our float trip, I had talked Steve into telling the parents that evening.  Since Dad's 50th birthday was the next day, I told him we had an early birthday present for him, which in hindsight is actually either an extremely late 50th birthday present or extremely early 51st birthday present.  Regardless of the details, they were excited!  Especially Joey.

After we left Bella Vista, we headed back to Siloam and asked Steve's parents if they wanted to meet us for dinner.  We were starving, but his dad was out working late, so we went ahead and grabbed a bite on our own.  We ran by La Hacienda and got some chips and salsa afterwards and headed out to his parents' house.  His dad wasn't there yet, so we just chatted for a while until he got there.  When he got home, Steve went out to the car and got a bag with some bibs we bought and told his mom he found the bag in the yard.  Once again: excited parents. :-)

The next day, I started having some spotting in addition to the cramping I had been having since before we found out we were pregnant.  It was obviously alarming, so I called the clinic and they told me to come in so they could check.  I was nervous about having to go alone, so mom and Joey went with me.  Joey's chatter about his video games was a welcome distraction while we waited. :-)  The doctor finally came in and did an exam and then sent me over for an ultrasound.  The ultrasound didn't pick up a heartbeat, but the technician did see the gestational and yolk sacs and said that everything looked great for that point in the pregnancy.  Then I had some lab work done and headed home to rest.

The next day, I had some bleeding, so I called again.  They told me to come in the following day (Wednesday) to recheck my blood work.  It was kind of a long afternoon, but I did a lot of praying and reading my Bible, especially in the Psalms.  While I was still a little anxious about everything, I was much more at peace that God was (and is) in control and does everything out of love.  I went back in to the doctor at noon the next day and had more blood drawn.  By 4:00, I hadn't heard back, so I called the clinic.  The nurse said my numbers looked great.  In 43 hours, they'd gone from 4900 to 9700.  I was so relieved!

Somewhere in all of that, Sunday I think, Steve brought home the first present for the baby.  And me, too. :-)  In the back is the baby's first book - Goodnight Moon.  Does my hubby  know me or what?!

After my appointment on Wednesday, I thought the baby and I could use another treat, so I stopped by Borders.  I picked up What to Expect When You're Expecting for myself and got Moo, Baa, La La La and The Going to Bed Book for the baby.