One Year Later: How We Told

I know most of you won’t read this until at least tomorrow, which will be December 23, 2012.  Just one year ago, our worlds totally changed.

Aaron and I had been earnestly praying and yearning for a baby.  We endured eight months of seeing each other every other weekend due to Aaron’s out of town work that kept him away for 11 days in each trip.  He only got to come home for 3 days at a time in between the 11 day stretches.  That separation was incredibly difficult, and we were beyond thrilled when he got the news one week before Thanksgiving that he would get to come home for good!  On December 22, I dared to take a pregnancy test in the afternoon after we got home from work.  I knew that pregnancy test results were the most accurate in the morning, but I couldn’t wait!  I took the test and was beside myself with joy when the word “Pregnant” appeared.  I tried to maintain a “normal” face as I returned to the Man Room (the room in our home that’s painted in Detroit Red Wings colors and has Aaron’s RC cars and dome hockey table in it) to continue our game of dome hockey.  Aaron was going to be off of work the next day, and I planned to leave work a little early to go get a doctor’s confirmation on the pregnancy before I told anyone—this is the way Aaron and I planned it.  We wanted doctor confirmation before anyone knew—even Aaron!  That evening, we went to “the neighborhood” (the place my parents and his mom and Randy live) to eat dinner.  On the drive over there, I wrote a special note on my phone’s “Notepad.”  Here is what I said:

“I’ve been wondering if I am, and today I took a test that settled some of my questions. …I’m going to the doctor’s tomorrow and get it confirmed :) 

Dear God,

Thank you for this miracle!  Please keep us safe on this journey. 

Love, Reba

 

Dear Baby,

How we’ve prayed for you so! I am so excited to carry you near my heart.  I am going to strive to be the best mommy possible.  After you & I go to the doctors tomorrow, we will tell your daddy and he will be so thrilled!  I love you so much!  My soul doth magnify the Lord!

Love, your mommy”

So, when we returned to our home, Aaron decided he was going to stay up all night and play xbox online with friends.  I went ahead to bed.  When I woke up in the middle of the night, I took another pregnancy test (well, they come in 2 packs, so I figured I might as well use both to be sure!) :)  This test said “Pregnant” as well!  I was so so thrilled and I could hardly go back to sleep.  At work, I was chomping at the bit to leave early so I could go to the doctor’s office.

 When I got to the doctor’s office, I took their pregnancy test and waited as patiently as I could for the results.  The nurse looked at the little test stick and said “Yep, you’re pregnant. Yay!!!”  I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get home and tell Aaron.  I knew that my little brother would be coming over later that day to play some video games before we went back over to the neighborhood for dinner (we go there a lot… it’s fun!) :) I made it home before my brother got there and I raced down the hallway to prepare how I was going to tell Aaron the big news.  You see, several months prior, I bought a teeny tiney onesie that said “I’m told I’m a Red Wings fan.”  So, I pulled it out of its hiding place in my nightstand drawer, and called out to Aaron (who was in the living room)  “Hey, can you come here and look at my new outfit?”  When he walked in the room, I held up the onesie.  A huge grin lit up his face and he said “We’re pregnant?”  I nodded and he began to cry.  We hugged and kissed and thanked God.  We quickly thought of a couple different ways to tell our families.  When Bryan arrived to play video games, I ran to the grocery store and bought 2 yellow pacifiers.  Back at my house, I put each one in a little gift bag with tissue paper. 

At dinnertime, we began our trek to the neighborhood.  We stopped down the hill at my parents’ house first since we’d be eating dinner with Aaron’s mom and Randy just a few minutes later.  So, we had my mom and dad sit on the couch and handed my dad the gift bag.  We said “This is an early Christmas gift—something for you to have for your home.”  Dad reached in the bag, pulled out the pacifier, gasped and started crying, and looked at Mom.  Mom then nodded back at him and began crying too.  So, I think we were all crying at this point, but managed to get out some sentimental words. :)  Dad prayed for us and for “this new little life growing inside” of me.  Aaron and I made our way up to his mom’s house with the other gift bag. 

We had his mom, Randy, and Randy’s mom, sit on the couch and we handed his mom the gift bag.  She pulls out the pacifier and says “Really?”  Aaron nods and then everyone started crying and hugging. Randy’s mom took a picture of Claudia holding the pacifier with Aaron, myself, and Randy standing with her.  She still has the picture displayed in a curio cabinet in the piano room at her home.  I like to walk into the room and look at that picture and then think of Michael and how fast time goes by!  :)

 On our way to pick up pizza that night, Aaron and I called his dad to share the news with him.  We then called my older brother and his wife.  Once Aaron and I got home later that night, we called his uncle, aunt, and cousins.  The next morning—yep, Christmas Eve—we called our grandparents to tell them they’d be “Great-Grandparents.”  All of them laughed with joy.  We called some of my Aunts that day to tell them, they laughed for joy as well.  It was so nice to be enveloped in such joy!!!

 

I think back to those days often, with fond memories of how fun it was to plan out how to tell Aaron, and our parents that we were going to have a baby!  It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since that time.  I’m sure in 15 minutes, I’ll be posting again and it will be December 22, 2013!  Time surely has a way of slipping by very quickly when there’s a baby to gaze at and love on! :)

 

Shortly after I told Aaron that we were going to be parents, he hung up the onesie in the Man Room. 

When I was in my last few weeks of pregnancy, I held up the onesie along with the Auburn beanie and soccer-ball patterned socks to show the outfit Michael would come home from the hospital in.

 

 

And, of course, we have a picture of our sweet “little” babe wearing the onesie and the other outfit items, on the day we came home from the hospital.



It’s so fun to see how little he looks!

 

*** Present Day ***

:)

Today, finally, we got a Christmas craft done!  Yay yay yay! 

This morning, we did some "fun shopping" to get craft supplies.  Michael was so tuckered out, that he fell asleep on the way home.  We brought him inside in his carrier, and decided to do one of the craft projects while he was sleeping.  Aaron quickly grabbed the paint, sponge brush, paper towels, canvas board, and Johnson's Hand and Face Wipes. 

We slid off Michael's socks and booties.  I sponged green paint on his left foot and Aaron held the canvas on it.  Of course, Michael curled his toes, so we have a partial left footprint.  So, I wiped off the paint with the Johnson's Hand and Face Wipes, before it had time to stain his foot.  After all, I don't want him to have little Grinch-y green feet on Christmas! :)  With the left foot clean, we got started on the right foot.  I sponged paint on it, and Aaron held the canvas on it.  Michael started squirming and slid his foot while we were trying to take his foot off of the canvas.  So, the right footprint is a little messy.  But, these things don't bother me in the least because it shows that Michael is an active little guy even when he sleeps! :)

Here is a picture of our finished product:

 

 

I drew the heart and wrote the words with paint pens.  I am very happy with how it turned out! :)

Here's the star of the show with his masterpiece:

 

 

We will be attempting to do hand-print ornaments sometime soon.  I already know they'll probably look like smudges since Michael is bound to curl his fingers into a fist or slide them around once his hand is on the ornament.  But, it's the thought that counts, right?  And I'm sure, years from now, I'll look back on these First Christmas items with pure joy and remember my precious squirmy son whom I absolutely love to pieces. 

 

Well, our home is all decorated for Christmas!!!  Although, I have to say, that I was eyeing some super cute Christmas decor at Hobby Lobby today, and will definitely be making a trip back there to partake of the after-Christmas sales and clearances! :) 

 

Here is our awesome tree (yes, it leans, but I think it's kinda great):

 

 

Here's the glitzy glamorous lit up version:

 

Cozy, right?

 

Here are two of Michael's ornaments:

 

This one is from Grandma Chips.

 

This one is from Grandma Dana and Grampa Bill.

 

And of course, as promised, here are some Christmas pictures of Michael:

 

 

 

Here are some family pictures:

 

 

Michael is a doll.  I mean, how can you not love this face:

My heart is so full of love for this little chunky sweetness that I can't contain myself:  I am so blessed to be a mommy.  Michael is an awesome baby and if you were to ask me to pick a favorite day with him, I'll say "everyday."  Everyday is my favorite.  Everyday is better than the day before.  The love grows everyday.  The milestones come everyday.  The joy seeps out more and more everyday.  Every. Single. Day.  I love this little kid.  I'm blessed that he (without words) calls me Mommy.  :)  

Until next time! Much love, Reba