The Beginnings of the Bean

The whole pregnancy thing is kind of crazy to me.  Sure, I understand the principle of it, the science behind it, but now that it's happening, I have to admit--I can't believe there's a human growing in there!

Like many women before me, I was completely floored when that little test came back and said "Surprise! It's go time!"  Early in February I had an appointment scheduled with my doctor to go in and discuss starting a family.  I decided it was probably worthwhile to take an at-home test prior to going to the appointment so that I could tell the doctor, without a doubt, that I wasn't pregnant.  Well, that plan didn't go off quite like I thought it would.  I took the test and, low and behold, it came back positive!  I called the doc and let them know, and was told to come in at my scheduled time as planned.  I decided not to mention anything to Brandon, who was still at work.  So I went to my appointment, and wouldn't you know, the test they gave me there came back negative.  Turns out the tests they sell at Walgreens are more sensitive that those that are used at the OBGYN.  Go figure!

So, to sort out my conflicting results, the doctor ordered blood work.  If you've ever taken the at-home pregnancy test and thought the three minutes of waiting lasted FOREVER, wait until they do blood work on you.   They told me to expect results by 11:00 am the next day.  Turns out some of the equipment needed to complete the work-up was down, so I didn't actually get the results until about 4:00 pm (and probably ten phone calls later!).  But, when the results did come, they were exciting!  We were officially pregnant.  It was time to let Brandon know.

Rather than simply sit him down and tell him we were going to have a baby, I wanted to jazz up the announcement a little.  While at the grocery store a few days earlier, I noticed that you could buy fortune cookies in the bakery section.  While I didn't think they were probably a hot seller, I thought they'd fit into my little plan perfectly.  So I bought a box and typed up my own little fortune for Brandon.  When dinnertime arrived I insisted that I wanted Chinese (which I think, in hindsight, should have tipped Brandon off--I don't really like Chinese!).  So I ran out, picked up some take out, came home, hijacked the fortune cookie and dinner was served.  Brandon had no idea what was in store for him, but when he cracked the cookie and figured out that I had gotten to it first, he was really excited.  The Snyders had a secret!

Two appointments and two ultrasounds later, we find ourselves here today, at 8 weeks, six days.  We finally felt comfortable sharing our news with our families and friends, and have just a few people left to notify.  Our little Bean is no longer a bean, but is about the size of a medium green olive.  I spend a lot of my time feeling like I'm going to be sick and complaining about being tired, and Brandon spends his time taking care of our new puppy (timing doesn't appear to be our strong point!) and trying to do what he can to make me feel better.

Stay tuned for more updates!