A Positive Test and A Scare

The first time I posted this picture, it ended up HUGE so I decided to trade it out for a smaller version, unsure if you really want a huge picture of my pee sticks glaring at you in the face. (:

Yes, it was a Surprise.
Yes, my husband made me go buy a whole pack of tests to double and triple check the first.

We found out the Wednesday before Christmas and told our families over Christmas.
My siblings thought it would be fun to play a little joke with it and let my parents know that one of us was pregnant but didn't tell which one. They didn't even suspect it was me. When they found out I think they were disappointed. They wanted it to be my brother and his wife.

I am 6 weeks and a few days and guess my due date is late August but planning on mid August since my doctor induces me two weeks early for my huge babies.

The kids are excited.
Gavin is already picking out names that no parent who loved their child would even think about.

Albert and I are getting more used to the idea.
I'm bracing myself for a long and difficult pregnancy. Not fun. But I know it will be worth it.
I can't believe we will have FIVE! Yikes.
But more than that, Micah and the baby will only be 2 years and 4 months apart. Some can do that distancing well. I usually need several years. Seriously, I'm still nursing Micah. I don't know if I can be ready for another baby by the end of summer. I guess I have to.

I know that we'll look back someday and wonder how our family ever felt complete without this little person.

So, on to the Scare.

Yesterday I got up and went running.
I came home and a couple of hours later I started cramping really badly. I looked it up on the internet and it seemed kind of normal. I lied down for a while.
Albert came home not feeling really well.
I started cramping up worse and wondered if this pregnancy could be an ectopic pregnancy. I had one about five years ago and nearly died from it. Having one increases ones chances of having another. I called the doctor and they told me to immediately go to Ryan Ranch and have an ultrasound done. We got in the car right away with the three younger children. Jacen was in the garage room playing x box and we didn't even take the time to tell him we were leaving or where we were going. We drove out highway 68 and passed the hospital to get to highway 1 to take to Ryan Ranch. I was in a LOT of pain. At that point I was sure it was a tubal pregnancy because of the amount of pain I was in. I felt myself struggling to keep coherency and conscientiousness. I could feel dark fog trying to cover my mind. I was trying to fight it. I could hear Albert (from what seemed like a very long ways away) asking me if I could hear him. I struggled to answer. I wondered if this was what it felt like to die. I thought maybe if I let myself go into the fog, I wouldn't feel the pain. That is when I lost consciousness and Albert did a quick and illegal u-turn to head to the hospital emergency room that we had just passed. He said I looked as white as a sheet and dripping with sweat. I awoke looking at the emergency signs and in no time was being wheeled up in a wheel chair. I don't think I could have stood at that point. I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I was taken immediately into a room and within minutes I was changed into a gown and blood was drawn and an IV in me. The nurse explained that if it were an ectopic pregnancy, it was life threatening, which I well knew.

The good news? The ultrasound showed that it was not an ectopic pregnancy. I started feeling better and my stomach cramping lightened immensely. The doctor concluded that it was merely a bad gastrointestinal virus that my body was dealing with harshly perhaps because of my pregnancy. I wonder if I panicked because of the last tubal pregnancy episode and that made everything worse. At least all is well now and it was only a scare. I grateful to my sweet husband to take care of me and for my sister who graciously came and got the children. And when we arrived home... Jacen was still playing x box and didn't even know we had left. He was probably pleasantly surprised not to be asked to get off and come in.

Our Christmas

We had a really nice Christmas. I didn't get many pictures taken though because I was having so much fun. We went to Coalinga for Christmas Eve. I loved spending time with my siblings and parents and we also got to spend part of Christmas Eve and Christmas with Albert's side of the family. For Christmas Eve in the afternoon we went to the Convalescent home to take Christmas cards and sing carols. The children did a great job and it was nice to include a bit of service to our evening.

Christmas day we came home in the late afternoon and the kids opened their presents then. We didn't have room in the car to take but a few.

Two Peas in a Pod

These two are so cute together.
They love each other so much.
They are so much alike.
I'm so grateful for my sweet girl and my sweet baby.

The New Cook

I typically do not let Micah hang out on top of the stove.
Please don't call Social Services on me.
The stove was off and I walked into the kitchen to see why Micah was being so quiet and he was busily "cooking" up some ravioli-fire truck a la mode.
This little guy keeps me SO busy!

My Little Elf

Doesn't he just look like a little Elf here?

Oh, Micah... Much to my dismay, this has become one of his favorite spots to hang out.

New Couches and Our Tree!

Yesterday we got these new (to us) couches and I'm so excited!
I should have taken a picture of the old couch. It would have made you appreciate these even more! Really. Plus, we only had one couch before to fit our family of six and some had to sit on the floor and it was a big deal sometimes, not to mention if we had company over. So now we have a couch and a loveseat and a chair. Our living room is small and I'm still trying to figure out how HGTV would arrange it but at least we can accommodate seating more people. I feel like we're stepping up in the world! About time.

This was the living room as we were dragging out decorations! What a mess! And I was scooping out fish tank water, which took forever, because we had to move over the fish tank in order to make room for the tree and it was too heavy until I scooped up about 15 gallons of water. Then, I had to refill. How nice it would be to have a formal living room. But I can't have that AND live in paradise. I'll choose location.

Linnea took a few pictures of her favorite ornaments. My favorites are the ones the kids make in school with their pictures but it seems Jacen's teachers have done that more than the other kid's teachers.

The day after Thanksgiving, we love to get out our Christmas decorations and put up our Christmas tree. The kids helped to pick out just the perfect Christmas tree. We buy a real one every year. I have been pretty insistent that we are real tree kind of people, even though Albert thinks it is more economical to buy an artificial tree. I don't think its more economical because to get a nice looking one, a person has to spend quite a bit of money and in the number of years it would take to pay off that artificial tree at say, $20 a year, I think the tree is going to need to be replaced before its paid off. Plus, one has to store the thing all year and if you live in a small coastal town where storage is worth more than gold, well you know what I mean. Still, I have to admit that Albert is wearing me down simply because I always try to lighten my carbon fingerprint on the Earth and it does seem "greener" to buy an artificial one. Some friends of ours rent a real tree that is potted and then it gets picked up after Christmas and planted later. That's a great choice but too expensive for us. Anyway, what are your thoughts on trees?

Finished product. Not as fancy as some but "ours" with a story or memory for each ornament. I was remembering when Albert and I were newly married and we didn't have all these ornaments.