Our Big Holiday News!

November 19th, 6:00 am.  I stared at a positive pregnancy test and swelled with pride!  I ran upstairs to tell Sylvain, who was already awake and putzing in the kitchen, getting ready for the day.  He was thrilled.  There were hugs and smiles and an awkward silence that holds the thought, "What were we thinking?" that neither of us wanted to say out loud.  It's okay.  We've had the same thoughts before.  It doesn't matter how much you've planned or how long you've waited (which, thankfully, wasn't long for us), those first few hours after a positive pregnancy test are full of awe and doubt mixed together.

We said goodbye to each other that morning and we carried around out little secret for weeks.  Well, not really.  I had to send a text to my best friend because she had asked me if I was pregnant the night before and I told her I didn't know yet.  I also had to tell my Mom earlier than planned because she gave my girls a bath that night and I thought she saw the pregnancy test sitting on the bathroom counter.  I thought she didn't say anything just to be nice.  It was killing me, so I had to find out if she knew, and when I saw her the next week, I asked her, "So.....did you already know I was pregnant?"  Judging by the way her jaw hit the floor and the excited expletives that escaped her mouth, I'd say she genuinely did NOT know.  Oh well!  If anyone should know early, it should be my Mom.

On Thanksgiving, I sipped the same glass of wine for hours just to look normal and avoid questions.  Nothing gives away a pregnant lady like turning down a drink!  A couple weeks later, I told my Dad and Stepmom, and I still think my Dad's reactions to big news are my favorite.  He nearly fell out of the chair in which he was SLEEPING when I told him!  I also told a few close coworkers that week, so things were starting to feel more "real."

On December 23rd, I had my first prenatal appointment with a NEW group of midwives and I heard a healthy heartbeat.  It was the first time I heard a heartbeat by myself, without Sylvain, but there was nothing I could do.  It was still glorious and amazing and shocking and real.  The midwife smiled at me and cooed, "Merry Christmas, Rachael!"  I cried a little.  I was so relieved!

I rushed home so we could tell Sylvia the happy news.  Sylvain sat down with her and Margot on the couch.  There was no giant, "Really?!" or "Hooray!!!"  He explained that there's going to be a baby in the third bedroom upstairs because Mommy has a baby in her belly, and Sylvia calmly looked at him and said, "I hope it's a baby brother."  And that was it!  Since then she has flip flopped countless times on what she hopes for, but she loves to pat my belly and talk to my belly and snuggle with my belly to "keep the baby warm."  Margot is totally clueless, but she'll figure it out.


As far as the pregnancy goes, I've felt absolutely fine, just like I did with the others.  Margot gave me a little more nausea than Sylvia or this one, but it wasn't anything to get upset about.  I thought I was having terrible morning sickness around week six, but it turned out to just be a stomach bug that ended up hitting everyone in my house!  Once we were all done puking, I felt completely normal, which was a huge relief, because I didn't know if I could handle that kind of sickness for weeks on end!

We are so incredibly excited to welcome baby #3 in July!  The idea of a four year old, a two year old and a newborn scares me to death, but I'm so excited to see my girls grow as big sisters.  Given the way Sylvia and Margot have become fast friends, I think this third child is going to have plenty of love and attention from both of them.  I've taken to calling Margot my "little middle."  I used to wonder if we should really make her a middle child or not, but recently I've decided that Margot will be FINE.  The girl can hold her own!  She knows what she wants, she knows how to get it, and she doesn't take any crap from anybody, so I think she's going to make a great big sister.

I'll get around to writing about my new year's resolutions on another day, but for now I'll say that I hope 2014 is as amazing as 2012 and 2010 were, and all the years in between.  It's "The Year of The Baby!" and I couldn't be more pleased!