spilling the beans

Ok, so I wrote about crazy happenings...now that we've told the kids and I am right in the head (well, as much as I ever am), I can write about it here.

I went for a checkup at my primary care to get a refill on my synthroid. I had used up all of my pleasejustrefillitonemoretimeIllcomeinforanappointmentsoon's. Coincidentally, I was a few days late and had taken a pregnancy test (I'll pause for a moment here while those of you who know me in real life gasp).

Well, at my exam, my uterus was measuring way up by my belly button. Completely not normal for the five weeks I would have been. The nurse practitioner asks if I have a history of fibroids, which I don't. She leaves and talks to one of the physicians and then comes back with a referral for an ultrasound to find out what the heck is going on. On it she has written "ob, abdominal mass." She suggests that I try to get in asap...next day, if possible.

Of course, with our insurance there is just one radiology chain that we can use and the soonest they could get me in was something like 8 days later (that time is a blur in my mind). So there I am, dreaming up all the horrible deaths I am going to suffer as a result of this mass. Bill and I were both freaking out.

I finally have my appointment and thankfully get a nice tech. She is getting ready to start and tells me that she will do a quick external scan to "see what we're dealing with" and then switch over to an internal one.

So as soon as she puts the doppler on me, WHAMZOOM! GIANT BABY REVEALED! MOTHER STUNNED. I start blacking out as I hear her laughing and then asking me repeatedly if I'm ok. I get somewhat of a grip on myself and stare at the screen, feeling totally unconnected to what is going on. The tech takes some measurements and hat I'm about 20 weeks. Did you hear that? Halfway.

The only pregnancy symptom I had over the summer was fatigue, which I easily attributed to a horrific move. I had horrible cramps and bleeding which, in retrospect, must have been threatened miscarriage or something else. Certainly not periods.

Bill and I took some time to process this. After about a week I started feeling movement. Crazy. Just plain crazy. Find out you're pregnant. A week later see a giant baby. A week after that feel movement. I'm on a fast track, here. As I've told a few friends, the only thing that could be better (?) would be to have gone to the er with food poisoning and delivered a term baby. Nuts.

We told the kids a few nights ago. You have never heard such squealing. Coincidentally, Hope and Emma have been begging for a baby sister (or twin baby sisters, in Hope's case), for the past few weeks. We had just finished eating dinner and I said to them, "Well, you know seven has always been my lucky number..." They went nuts. We didn't even have to say anything else. At some point one of them asked when the baby will be born and we told them. Clara was silent for a moment then said, "So you have been pregnant for 4 1/2 months and are just now realizing?!" Thanks, Clara. I already felt dumb enough, lol.

Now to tell other family members.