YIPPIE! YIPPIE!If a Child is a Blessing, Put Me Down For One

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series, updating the status of my 101 List.

Almost a year ago, I wrote a blog post about a family trip I went on with one of my co-workers/friends.

It was one of those trips that could easily be a public service spot on birth control. There was a leaking bag of throw-up, skinned body parts and several comments like, “Can we pull over? I need to poopoo!” 

Needless to say, there was a lot of chaos. (click here for original post)

It was perfect.

In that particular blog post – I announced to the world that I thought I was ready to be a dad.

As soon as I clicked “POST,” I heard the giggling from my friends and family around the country. Some of it was outright laughter.

Well...don’t pee yourself from laughing this time around....TK and I are pregnant. The first week of March, I’ll get the chance to mark No. 2 off my 101 List.

I’m going to be a dad!

YIPPIE!

I was on a mental-health trip to West Texas when I found out. I drove out the day before and TK flew to meet me Saturday night.

Saturday morning in my hotel room – before she had arrived – I read my Bible (something I’m trying to do more regularly), prayed, and wrote in my new spiritual journal.

Since we had been diligent about getting pregnant, a baby had become a constant on my prayer list. The wonderfully great thing about that morning, I actually wrote the prayer in my journal.

“My prayers today...for a baby.”

Less than 12 hours later, TK delivered the news.

“I didn’t know how to tell you,” she said. “I took a test last night – I’m pregnant.” (TK was little embarrassed she didn’t “drop the bomb” in a fun and unique way – I didn’t care. I was going to be a dad. She could have sent it to me in a text message as far as I was concerned.)

YIPPIE! YIPPIE!

We gave each other a big hug and a kiss, but quickly put together a game plan about telling the world. The emotional carousel of her miscarriage almost two years ago forced us to gently tap the brakes. We both agreed it was best to wait.

Once we got home from our weekend get-away, we scheduled a doctor’s appointment to see the heartbeat. We were told that once you see that little “flutter” on the sonogram machine – you have a 90 percent chance of carrying the baby to term.

We decided that would be the defining moment – when we could make it official and tell the world (a.k.a. Post it as our status on Facebook).

There was another reason that doctor’s appointment was so meaningful, though. That was the exact same visit – to see the heartbeat – when our world of being parents quickly came to a tragic and temporary halt during our first pregnancy.

Needless to say, there was enough anxiety in the doctor’s office to last a lifetime.

As the process began (no gory details), the anxiety and tension reached an all-time high.
I stared a hole through the monitor and held TK’s hand.

Finally, the doctor pointed out the heartbeat, the room completely decompressed. It looked like a peanut floating in space to me, but I didn’t care. His confirmation was like someone opened the airplane door at 40,000 feet.

YIPPIE! YIPPIE! YIPPIE!

A lot of people asked me if I cried. I didn’t – came close, but no tears.

I equate it to when I asked TK to marry me. There was a sense of confident happiness, but no crying.

NOW... I did cry like an infant during the actual wedding ceremony, so I’m anticipating myself being a fountain of emotions in that delivery room. (Hell, I’ve almost lost it a couple of times while writing this blog post.)

Thanks to everyone who has kept us in their prayers for the last couple years, and thanks to everyone’s kind words and congratulatory wishes since we made it “official.”

I ask all of you to keep those prayers coming – the primary one: That TK can actually make it 9 months without drinking a beer.

I just want to reiterate how excited we are, and how blessed we feel.

Now...back to my 101 List. I totally understand that Baby Crash/Baby Ily could completely derail my mission of pulling off this project.

Ummmm....I don’t care!?!?!

Whatever I don’t cross off in these 1001 days – I’ll roll it over into OUR list and try and tackle it together.

YIPPIE! YIPPIE! YIPPIE! YIPPIE!

Our little "space peanut"