We spilled the beans...

Neither Mark nor I are good at keeping secrets. Mark is worse- he typically wants to give me Christmas and birthday gifts at least a week in advance (probably around the same time he made his purchases). And, since we're living with my folks, we decided to share the news on Thanksgiving. We warned everyone that we're still very early on and asked them to keep it quiet from friends and family. Considering my brother and my brother-in-law are both parents, we figure both sides of the family understand what's going on and will respect our wishes.

Since Mark's family is in Mississippi, we had to share the news with them over the phone. It took an act of Congress to get his folks on the line together, and then I swear, it was another 5 minutes before they caught on. Donna (MIL) said that she had the same thing I did (assume she meant bronchitis, but she only complained of a sore throat- huh), so Mark asked if she was pregnant. Both his folks acted like that was a ridiculous comment until 3 minutes later when they finally realized what was happening. They were excited, of course. The next phone call was to Mark's sister. She and her husband were driving to the in laws, so we were able to tell them together. Then, Mark's younger brother (there are 5 kids total). Randy is the father of a 13 month old, so rather than congratulate us first, he decided to warn us that our lives are now over....not exactly what I was looking to hear. And, finally, we called the older brother, Tim, who I absolutely adore. He was so excited and said "Congrati-fucking-lations!" Exactly what I expected to hear. His girlfriend was there with him, and while we've never met, I could tell she was genuinely excited for us as well.

We waited ALL afternoon to tell my folks. Mark and I just kept looking at each other and giggling. Mom got onto me because I wanted her to put out the appetizers early. I don't know why she thought a cinnamon roll at 9am would hold me over until 7pm dinner....even if I wasn't pregnant and on steroids! So, we waited until everyone was there (just the folks, my brother and sister-in-law, their kids and us) and gathered to say grace before dinner. Immediately after grace, I said "Wait- before we dig in....Mark and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Not only are we back in Texas with all of you and building a house, we're expecting an addition to the family later this summer." Makenna, my five year old niece had no idea what I'd said, but since everyone else cheered, she ran over to me and gave me a big hug. Mom cried and then "yelled" at me for lying to her-- she'd been feeling so bad for us thinking the IUI had failed. Dad got a bit weepy, and the bro and sis-in-law offered congratulations and hugs. It was a lot of fun.

I still don't "feel" pregnant most of the time. I mean, it's just barely 5 weeks, so why should I? Every time I tinkle, I check the paper for spotting even though I know some spotting is normal. I have learned that I need to carry some snacks with me at all times. Mark and I went to a Christmas parade downtown and by the time it was over, I'd not eaten in about 7 hours. I got really feisty! Luckily, we found a roll of whole grain Ritz in the backseat, so I snacked on a few of those until we could get to dinner, which was the best meal I've eaten in a long time!

I get this weird pressure/feeling in my throat occasionally. I'm not really sure what it is. It doesn't necessarily burn, so I don't think it's heartburn or indigestion. Drinking water seems to help it at least temporarily. I notice I get this feeling when it's been 2-3 hours since I've eaten. Maybe there's a correlation....

Alright, enough for now. If you've read all this, kudos to you-- I'm "talkative" this morning. Mom and I are off to the grocery store, so y'all have a great day.