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You guys! We're preggo! Woohoo! After six months of trying, we're having a little Burchell! I've been wanting to share with you all since the day we found out but needed a few days to tell family and friends.
Thanksgiving Babies
What's so neat about this pregnancy is Kai and baby Burchell will be days apart! Baby is due July 26 and Kai's birthday is on July 31. I found out I was pregnant with Kai five years ago on Thanksgiving! It was completely unintentionally. This pregnancy, however, I took the test purposefully on Thanksgiving so I could say I found out I was pregnant with BOTH babies on the same day - Thanksgiving!
The Signs
When I missed my period by one day it came to mind that I might be pregnant. But I didn't want to disappoint myself (haha) so I just told God I trusted His timing. Then another day passed and another...then my boobs were tender and bigger (or less deflated - hahahahha), and I realized it wasn't just in my head. So when the breast soreness didn't subside and I still hadn't start my period, I decided to not say anything to Duke and wait a couple more days until Thanksgiving to take the test! I even went to a couple local stores to find something to surprise Duke and Kai with if the test was positive. I found the "Everyone loves a big brother" shirt for Kai man and a teether in the shape of a camera (because Duke is a photographer) and a "Daddy Loves Me" baby book for the hubs.
Come Thanksgiving morning, Duke, Kai, and me were snuggling in bed. I got up nonchalantly to take the test. Right before I sat down on the pot, I chuckled to myself and took a moment to tell God I trusted His timing and thanked Him for all He had done. I think I was laughing at myself about thinking something might have been wrong with Duke... again, so funny! I took the test, waited a few moments, anxious excited to see the results, I peeked over at the test and there it was a tiny faint pink line and one dark pink line. I held in my excitement and text Ila a screenshot of the test for best friend support and reassurance (cause that's what friends are for, right?) and to see it was positive because the line was ultra faint. haha! I then realized it was just because it was early on in my pregnancy, and I had a small amount of hCG in my urine.
SIDE NOTE: "Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a hormone normally produced by the placenta. If you are pregnant, you can detect it in your urine. Blood tests measuring hCG levels can also be used to check how well your pregnancy is progressing, including your baby’s development. After you conceive (when the sperm fertilizes the egg), the developing placenta begins to produce and release hCG. It takes about two weeks for your hCG levels to be high enough to be detected in your urine using a home pregnancy test." -pregnancybirthbaby.org
Once it finally settled in that I WAS pregnant, I went downstairs to get the gifts for Duke and Kai and hopped back in bed. I watched them open them happily, without sensing anything. Duke looked at the camera shaped teether and baby book and pondered a moment. I then read Kai's shirt out loud, "Everyone loves a big brother." Duke then said, and I kid you not, "What does this mean? What do we do..." haha! I laughed out loud. I feel like only Duke would say that - it was hysterical! I love him so much! It was such an amazing moment...at least for the two of us. Kai seemed more interested in his toys.. : ) We spent the remainder of the morning like giddy children (well, I did). Duke was more excited on the inside. haha!
We ended up telling our family later that day by having Kai wear his special t shirt. Everyone was delightfully shocked and so happy! Needless to say, we had a lot to be thankful for. : )
Also, please thoroughly enjoy D's creepy, stellar mustache.
Love,
Hayley, Duke, and Kai