February

2005 at 4:09 pm   |   by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Fun Stuff Baby Watch

I have never been a big fan of the month of February.  I know, how can I like one month and not another?  But stick with me here.  February is just one of those months that seemed to somehow sneak into the line-up.  I mean, we have September through November and the leaves are turning and you get to drink apple cider.  In December and January we get holidays and days off school and work.  March begins to give us hope for spring which arrives with April and May.  June, July, and August are full of heat and vacations.  What about poor little February?  It's just stuck in between January and March.  Someone probably put Valentines Day in there in hopes of helping it along.   

A couple of weeks ago, February took on new life for me.  February is exactly nine months away.  Lord willing, February will be the month in which my first child is born.

I know, I know, time for all of the girlie details.  Well, a couple weeks back, I was getting a little suspicious so I decided to go to the grocery store and get one of those pregnancy tests.  Of course, at the store, I kept seeing people that I knew so I grabbed a bag of Doritos and hid the test behind the bag so that no one would see.  I got home and stared in amazement as the little test had two lines.  What an incredible combination of excitement and panic all mixed into one.  (You see, the panic comes from many years of being present as my Mom, my aunts, and now my sisters, sit around and reminisce about all of their labor and delivery stories—not helpful for one that faints upon seeing a doctor's office.)  Back to my story. After my Mom reminded me that there was "no way out but through," I began to plot how I wanted to tell my husband, Mike.  This was a Thursday night and Father's Day was only two days away.  It just couldn't have been more perfect.  I decided that after he fell asleep on Saturday night, I would sneak out and decorate his car so that when he left for church on Sunday morning he would be totally surprised.  Sure enough, from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning, I could be seen blowing up what seemed like a million balloons, hanging bibs from mirrors, and writing on all of the windows with soap.  So I didn't sleep much that night, but it was worth it.  The next morning, Mike headed out the door to church (he goes in pretty early cuz he works at the church) and before I could even pull up the blinds to watch, he ran back in, shocked and totally excited. (You see, he didn't have any of the panic cuz there is no hospital with needles awaiting him.)  It was such a memorable Father's Day for us both.  Mike drove around for days with our decorated car until the rain washed all of the soap off.

I, meanwhile, feel as if I am living a different life.  I'm pretending that my belly fat is already the baby showing.  I can take naps whenever I want and people just smile at me.  I eat everything that the baby wants and I am fervently praying that I don't get sick! 

Each day is an opportunity for me to thank the Lord for the way that He has so richly blessed me, and to acknowledge His sovereign hold upon the little life that is growing inside of me. 

I can't wait for February!
      

Here are some shots of Mikey and the car...