The Best Christmas Present

I've always heard stories about women who didn't know they were pregnant until they started having symptoms, or they were a week late, or they felt a little "off". As someone who was religiously taking pregnancy tests every month as soon as I possibly could, I never understood these women. Not until I became one of them.

For 2 years we've been trying to have a baby. The first few months we weren't too concerned about it, I mostly went off of birth control because I thought it was making me sick, which I later found out I was sick due to my Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome. But we figured that we were ready to have a baby and if it happened it happened, if it didn't it didn't. During this time I only took pregnancy tests if I was late, or sick. I never expected a positive pregnancy test, but after a few months I got one. We were shocked, and thrilled, but it turned out to be a false positive. That really changed things for us. We didn't know how badly we had wanted this until we thought we had it. We kept trying, and after the first year we got more serious about it. I was taking ovulation tests every single month, and I never once got a positive result. Normally we would have gone to see a fertility doctor at this point, but we were in Arkansas for most of this time and we didn't want to start any fertility stuff knowing we were only there temporarily. When we got back to Arizona, I found a fertility clinic, scheduled an appointment, and spent 2 hours filling out all the paperwork. We took a deep breath and realized that this was no longer in our hands, but we were ready to take the next step.

We got settled back in Tucson, and then took off to spend time at the Ranch and in Utah for Christmas. We had a great time in Utah, we were able to celebrate Christmas with my family, see Rick's family, and spend time with friends. We left on the 23rd so we could spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with Rick's family at the ranch, and that was amazing as well. The day after Christmas we were ready to go back to Tucson. I was helping Rick's mom pick up some toys off the ground and I bent over to pick one up, stood back up, and felt like I had just completed a triathlon. I was so out of breath and had to sit down. On our drive back to Tucson I was feeling nauseous. and I told Rick he needed to pull over so I could throw up. When I got back in the car I said "My CVS has been under control for almost a year...I think I'm pregnant." We both didn't believe the words I said, just because we've thought the same thing before and it was never true. When we got back to our apartment, I had 2 pregnancy tests left from months prior and decided to take one. As I sat there holding the test in my hand staring at the 2 bright pink lines my first thought was "That's weird...why are there 2 lines? This test must be broken." It took me a good minute to realize what two lines meant. Once it hit me that this was a positive result I couldn't keep back the tears. I showed Rick and he said "I'll believe it when a Doctor tells me it's true." That brought me back to reality quickly. We had been here before with a positive pregnancy test in our hands and hope in our hearts and it turned out not to be true. We decided to take more pregnancy tests and if we got a bunch of positives then maybe it was real. Rick went to the store and came back with more tests. After the 5th positive result, he laughed, and we cried, but we still needed a Doctor to tell us it was real. I ended up taking 8 home pregnancy tests. Every single one was positive.

I found a Doctor here and made an appointment. We were able to be seen the next week. The appointment was very routine - urine test, blood work, medical history. I told my Doctor that we had a false positive home pregnancy test before and we needed to know if the blood work showed I was actually pregnant. She told me that my urine test was positive and that they wouldn't know the results of the blood test for a few days. She also looked at me like I was crazy since I had taken 8 home pregnancy tests but still doubted if I was actually pregnant. By this point my all day sickness was in high gear so I knew that either I was really pregnant or something was seriously wrong with me, but I still needed a Doctor to tell me "Yes, you are pregnant." I think Rick needed it more than I did. I hate that the false positive robbed us of that initial feeling of excitement and hope.

A few days later I called my Doctors office and asked for the results of my blood work. They told me "Everything looks great." So I said "So, I'm really pregnant?" The girl on the phone was really caught off guard by that question and said "Uhhhhhmmmm....yes" like I was a moron, but it was what we needed to hear. Finally it was real. I was really pregnant. Holy crap - we're going to have a baby.

I had an ultrasound scheduled for the next week to determine how far along I was. I thought I was 6ish weeks along, my Doctor thought I was 7ish weeks along. I was nervous going into that appointment, and I prayed there would be a heartbeat. As soon as she put the ultrasound wand on my belly that baby appeared on the screen, it wiggled, stopped, and then waved it's hand at us. We both cried, and Rick couldn't stop laughing. He was sitting by my feet and he was too far away to be able to hold my hand so he kept saying "Can I hold your feet? I need to hold you. Let me hold your feet." And he held onto my feet and we cried as we heard that strong heartbeat. She measured the baby and said "You are right on schedule - 8 weeks along." I had no idea I was that far along, and we had only found out 2 weeks earlier. Everything became even more real after that ultrasound.  We are having a baby.

We decided not to get each other anything for Christmas this year because we were going to be going to Utah. We ended up with the best Christmas present we could have ever asked for. Baby Brimhall - our Christmas Miracle.

Blessed

Rick made it to Chandler, Arizona on Tuesday night. On Wednesday he started his training. He had to be in Tucson at 8 am, he left at 6 am and was still 20 minutes late. We thought about living in Chandler so we could live closer to family, but after him having to travel 215 miles round trip in 1 day we decided against that.

While he was at training he talked to his trainer, Jim, about our situation. Rick told him that we didn't have an apartment yet and that I was still living in Utah until he found one for us. He told him that we had thought about living in Chandler but after his commute that morning he knew he couldn't do it everyday, and he was bummed that he had to keep doing it until we had a place of our own down there. As soon as Jim heard about our situation, he offered Rick a place to stay. Jim lives right next door to his Daughter and Son-in-Law (who is an Engineer for the railroad) and he said that they have an extra bedroom he can use until we find an apartment so that Rick doesn't have to make the long travel everyday. When Rick got there, they got him settled, and took him out to dinner. Today Rick sent me a text and all it said was "We are so blessed right now!" I talked to him not long after that and he told me that he was talking to the couple he was staying with and they were asking him if he had looked at any apartments yet. Rick said no but that he was going to soon. Guess what? The wife is a real estate agent. Guess what else? They have a condo for rent, and if we want it it's ours. It's in a nicer part of Tucson, which means things are more expensive. We can't afford a condo, we were just planning on getting an apartment. When Rick told her our budget she said "That's fine. It just won't be ready for a week or two because we are tearing up the carpet and putting in brand new hardwood floors and repainting everything. If your wife comes down and it's not ready yet you guys can just stay with us until it is ready." 

The wife then asked Rick what I did for work. He told her that I'm a Medical Assistant and I would be looking for MA jobs when I got down there and we got settled. She just so happens to have been an MA previous to getting her real estate license. She said she knows where to go and who to talk to and that getting me a job will be easy.

Are you serious? These people have never met me, they have only known Rick a day, and already they've done so much for us. I'm overwhelmed by their generosity. I've never lived outside of the Provo/Orem area and have been scared to live in a new place with new people, but I'm not even there yet and already they're taking care of us.

Everything is falling into place perfectly. It's like we don't even have to try and it's all just happening for us. I get to be lazy AND be blessed at the same time, and those are my 2 favorite things combined. Just kidding. Kind of. This is definitely making the transition easier. We are blessed.

I almost wrote "we are seriously so blessed" and then I got embarrassed.

THANKFUL

Things have been busy with Team Brimhall. Rick is still working full time babysitting the crazies. I am still working part time and busting my butt in school. This girl that I go to school with and I decided to take one test a day for the last 2 weeks. So far we've done it but it's been exhausting. We took a break from taking tests today and learned how to do finger pricks, and then practiced on each other. We are now both comfortable with doing them, and we now both have bruised fingers. Rick and I (well, just Rick, he put everything away while he let me sleep in) organized all our stuff. We have started doing things like unpacking all of our kitchen stuff and his mom has been packing up all of her kitchen stuff and getting ready for their big move. Amidst all the busy days and changes going on, I've finally had time to think about the Holiday Season and the things I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for Rick. He loves me, he takes care of me, and I've never been happier. He also makes me laugh all the time. The other night he was sleeping (he likes to sleep with multiple pillows) and he kept moving one around and then stroking it. I asked him what he was doing and he said "playing with the goats". He was totally asleep. I couldn't stop laughing. Then again today I was doing homework and studying for a test I thought I was going to take tonight. Before he left for work I said "wish me luck on my test tonight", he looked at me, smiled, kissed my head and said "you're welcome". Oh, I just love my partially deaf sleep talking husband.

I'm thankful for my family. I have wonderful parents, I have 2 older brothers that I look up to and love dearly, they have awesome wives and amazing children. I have a bitchin' (sorry mom, but you and I both know that sometimes there just are no other words to use) little sister. She's awesome and funny and she's going to start school with me in January and I'm stoked. And I have freaking amazing parents. Not long ago I wrote THIS post about them, and that really sums everything up about my parents, but there is one more thing I want to say about my mom. On Mothers Day of this year her status on facebook said something like "Keep in mind that Mother's Day can be a hard day for some people". I had never thought of that. What about the person who lost their mother? What about the woman who yearns to be a mother, but for some reason she can't be? This year is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. What about those who struggle the most around the Holidays? What about those who have lost loved ones and feel pain because they will not celebrate the Holidays with them? My mom's example is teaching me to be more compassionate towards others. We never know what someone else is going through.

I'm thankful for Church. Not just the one I belong to, I'm thankful for all Churches, Religions, and for those who believe in a Higher Power. We live in a world where Religion is being attacked. There are those in this world trying to tear down other peoples Faith just to make themselves feel better. Unfortunately, some will stop believing because of this. But there are always those who will stand strong no matter what. We need more of these people in the world.

I'm thankful for Rick's family. Not a lot of people love their In-Laws. I got lucky. Rick's family has shown me nothing but love. I'm thankful for his parents for raising him to be awesome and for letting us live in their house when they move. Times are tough and they are helping us out probably more than they realize.

I'm thankful that Rick and I both have jobs. I'm so lucky to have the job I have that is flexible with hours, making it possible for me to go to school. We're also so blessed that Rick is a State Employee which means he gets state benefits. We seriously lucked out.

I'm thankful for my friends. I have this gift where I only pick friends who are funny and awesome. It's worked out really nice for me. My friends are amazing.

What are you Thankful for?