You’ve Got to be Kidding Me

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Right after Baby Girl’s evaluation for early intervention, she had her 2 month shots. She took her by herself for the first time and when they got home Baby Girl would not stop crying. This was very unusual as Baby Girl was a good baby. She fed her, walked back and forth around the house, walked around the block in the stroller and nothing calmed Baby Girl down. After hours of doing this, She finally called Mom crying and asked for help. Mom said ” Did you give her Tylenol?” She started wailing…”I DIDN’T KNOW I COULD GIVE HER TYLENOL! I don’t even have any in the house!!” Mom said “I’ll be right over.” The pediatrician had never said to give Baby Girl Tylenol. Was there some secret motherhood handbook that She had somehow missed?

After 12 weeks, it was time for Her to go back to work. She was a teacher so She only had to make it through 4 weeks before having the whole summer off to spend with Baby Girl. It would work out well because He was done with student teaching and would be able to stay with Baby Girl during the day and work at night. Of course that wouldn’t leave much time for Them, but they would just have to manage somehow.

Going back to work was torture, even with Him home with the baby. She missed Baby Girl so much She could barely stand it. She still had only told a couple of close friends at work so that made it uncomfortable too…like She was lying to everyone. But She just wasn’t ready to tell everyone yet. She wasn’t sure how to tell everyone yet. He did a great job of documenting all of the things that went on during the day while She was gone. Baby Girl smiled for the first time, was eating more and more things and was simply becoming more aware.

Before She knew it summer was finally here and it was time to spend every waking moment with Baby Girl. They spent lots of time with the early intervention specialist who came every other week. This woman was a lifesaver. It was so nice to have someone to talk to and someone who gave Her ideas on what to work on with Baby Girl. She felt so much better when She had a plan. They also went to therapy, swam in the baby pool and went for long walks.

She was trying really hard to lose the 85 pounds She had gained while pregnant. She walked, jogged and ate healthy. The first 35-40 pounds came off really quickly within the first 3 months and now She was at a total standstill. No matter what She did, no matter how many times a day She exercised, She couldn’t get the scale to budge. Not an ounce. She was getting hysterical about it.

She was so tired too. Beyond tired. She thought that this was because She had a newborn who didn’t sleep through the night and He was hardly ever home. She just didn’t feel very good. This whole “new mom” business was for the birds.

When Baby Girl was about 5 months old, they were getting ready to spend the weekend at His parents’ lake. They would be going kneeboarding and tubing and swimming. She couldn’t wait. But a few days before they were ready to leave, She felt sick. Coffee didn’t sound good and She loved coffee. Nothing sounded good. She was tired. And her breasts were so very sore.

But She was pumping…and not sleeping through the night…and had a newborn…so that had to be it, right?

But that dang scale wouldn’t budge no matter what She did. And coffee sounded gross.

Could it be?

She went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. She just wanted to be sure especially if She was going to kneeboard and tube over the weekend. He came home from work and She told him that She wanted to take it just in case. So She peed on the stick.

And they waited one minute.

And He stayed on the edge of the bed while She went into the bathroom to look at the stick.

Two lines.

Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant.

She walked out and looked at Him and said…

“Holy Shit.”

He went to the store and got 2 more tests. She quickly peed on both and both were positive.

Holy Shit.

Holy Shit.

Holy Shit.

That’s all they could say to each other for days. They couldn’t believe it.

She was pregnant and Baby Girl was only 5 months old. If the test was already showing up positive, that meant She had to be at least a month along. Which meant these two children would be 13 MONTHS APART.

Holy Shit indeed.