The news is out!

I couldn’t wait any longer. WE’RE PREGNANT!

6 weeks was long enough for me to NOT share the journey with you all. And that’s just what it is a journey! I understand a lot of people wait to share their news, and for good reasons. But I’m such an open book with my life in pretty well all other areas, I wanted to share this journey with you now, even in it’s early stages!

So here’s how it happened… well sex of course. LOL, no but not that part.

making the decision to try…

So just about 1.5 months ago we decided that we were going to let ‘er loose & see if we could start our family. We had done some travel late 2019, and wanted to ensure that any risks had passed, and then start. So here we were, the doc had given us the O.K. I downloaded FLO, a great pregnancy app where you can log your periods & know when you’re most likely to ovulate etc… I also based on a friend’s recommendation bought “ovulation test” strips on amazon — super cheap but very helpful! They’re small, you pee on one in the morning & it will tell you if you’re ovulating within the next 24 hours! A friend of mine had shared that she’d been trying for a while, and then as soon as she started accurately knowing when she was ovulating BAM! It happened. So highly suggest both for all my gals out there looking to have a babe. So we were trying.

finding out…

With the flo tracker app, I was checking each day to the first possible day I could check to see if I was pregnant. I had the “5 days early find out first” test ready to go in my bathroom drawer. I knew that as early as 5 days before I was supposed to start, we could find out. So of course, 5 days before… I take the test. the same day we actually found out that an offer we had put on a dream house of ours hadn’t gone through. And then I took the test hoping for some GOOD NEWS, but unfortunately, it was negative. It gets hard seeing that single lonely line. Even if you’ve only seen it a few times, that’s still hard! So no house, no baby. But we got some ice cream, facetimed some family, and were ready for round two on the house and the baby! This was a Wednesday. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, SUNDAY.

In the middle of all of l this C19 self isolation, Josh and I have gotten into the routine of daily drives through neighbourhoods, looking at potential homes, visiting people from their porch & our jeep & the occasional local food pick up. BUT on all of these drives, I started feeling naseau come on. And I don’t usually. Josh said his shocks were just gone. But then, I started breaking out on my forehead with little pimples I had never seen before. Josh said, I was probably just not showering enough :P…. But SUNDAY came.

Okay so It’s SUNDAY and we are enjoying morning church on YouTube while FaceTiming my parents, we’re having our coffee, praying, worshiping, listened to an awesome encouraging message. Then afterwards, YouTube suggested Elevation / Kari Jobe’s new song (that I love) called The Blessing. So I put on the 12 minute live music video and stood in front of the TV and sang along as I was thanking God for his faithfulness, declaring to heart and spirit that I trust him, and I started believing that I could be pregnant, and that even if I wasn’t that it was coming! I remember putting my hand on my belly and praying for our future children.

Then, I cleaned the kitchen.

The day went on as normal, and fast forward to it’s time to go to bed. I was getting ready for bed, and I looked down at the two other pregnancy tests in my drawer. I had purchased the 3 pack where you can take the early test, then a confirmation test, and then a TRIPLE confirmation. So I thought.. why not, I have to pee! I took the second test from the pack and I left it on the counter to percolate for it’s three minutes. I hopped in bed and I said, “Babe, I just took another test… so I need you to go check it.” Josh hops out of bed, heads to the bathroom, and says, “so if it says NO - is that not pregnant?” (it was a digital test)… I was like, “Yes, a NO, would mean not pregnant…” Josh responds… “And YES is pregnant?”… Me: WHAT DOES IT SAY!?

Josh turns the corner of our bedroom in our cute little loft with a big smile on his face with the test turned towards me and it says, YES +. I was as surprised as I have EVER been in my life. I got the YES+! We hugged and cried and just drank in that moment, just the two of us, cuddled up in puffy duvet blankets with smiles stuck to our faces and this sense of just aw and wonder that almost just silences you in awe. Wow…. And then that turned to me jumping up and down saying, “Babe, we’re pregnant! We’re pregnant! Like there is a baby in here!”… So then we thought okay we should take the THIRD test to make sure. But I didn’t have to pee. But we wanted to make sure RIGHT AWAY. So I started chugging water. And Josh would just stand at the bathroom door and stare at me trying to pee. It took a little bit. Peed and then we both stood heads over the test on the counter waiting for the second line… come on… come on…. YES! There it is! We were overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness.

sharing the news

So if you know me, I can’t keep that in, I needed to share it with my family right away! We told our parents RIGHT AWAY! So we FaceTimed my parents in Newfoundland, there it would have been past midnight. No answer… I remembered they plug in their cell phones DOWNSTAIRS. I call the landline that I know is on their bedside. My mom picks up, “We’re in the BED Ashley!”…. Me: “Mom, I need to show you something, go get your phone!” … Mom: “No, no Ashley don’t be so foolish it’s after midnight we’re asleep!” … Me: “ Mom come on I really want to show you this!!”…. Mom: “Ashley call us in the morning!” … Me: “Okay well, I’M PREGNANT!” … Mom: “WHAT! YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE ME GET THE PHONE!” LOL. Mom and dad run downstairs get the phone & video chat us to celebrate. It’s such a surreal thing when you’ve never ever heard this news before in your life. That you’re going to be a mom, or you’re going to be a grandparent. The first time you hear that, it’s just surreal. We then got my brother to join the call from Calgary & he was equally as surprised & excited as he took a break from his MBA work to celebrate. We keep the calls going calling Josh’s parents. Lisa picked up all cozied in bed, and we showed her the positive test… “WHAT! I”m going to cry!” she wakes up Mark who is equally as surprised! YAY! Another grandbaby. Then we called Josh’s dad, Mike with the surprising news, shared the story of finding out and celebrated. We were on such a high it was hard to sleep! We both started thinking of names, looking up blogs to follow, (I saw Josh started following the hashtag #ExpectantFather ) Like HOW CUTE.

The next day we just woke up on clouds! We called our grandparents, soon to be Uncle Jesse and we received some thoughtful deliveries of cards & baby socks & flowers & teddy bears from family near & far. So exciting, so much love, so much fullness of life…

I had to tell my girlfriends too… so I FaceTimed them to share supposedly new about a house, but instead they saw a positive test on their camera screens! We also had a connect group with church that night. And it was a special one sharing the news with other married couples journeying together in life!

the takeaways…

All of that to say, you may get a “negative test” in whatever season of life you may be in, pregnancy related or NOT, but continue to trust in God, follow in HIS ways, stay ALIGNED with Him, and there’s a positive test coming!

Moments where you get a figurative, “positive” test are most special & full when you’ve positioned yourself in relationship with people who are on your side, cheering you on, and journeying with you through life.

XOXO