My birthday weekend fell right around my 8 weeks pregnant mark. I usually enjoy going camping with the family or a small group to celebrate. This year, I believe we camped down at FDR by Callaway Gardens. Well Sunday, Eric and I had come home, unpacked and had just finished going out to eat at Red Lobster (one of my favorites). We decided to just chill out and rent a movie to finish off the evening. So I drop Eric off at Blockbuster and run home (we live close) to get our free movie rental coupons. I had started feeling very full and uncomfortable at Red Lobster but assumed that maybe I had enjoyed my lunch just a little too much =). However, when I got to the house and was going to just "jump out and run in" I had shooting pains in my right hip socket to the point that I could barely walk. So I tentatively made my way inside. This is embarrassing but I thought since I had to use the bathroom, maybe that was the problem. However, the pain was still there and actually hurt worse. I'm thinking I dont know how I'm going to be able to drive back to get Eric at blockbuster but he's standed so I have to go. So I drive back to blockbuster and call him to let him know that I don't feel well and won't be coming in the store to help pick out vidoes. When we comes out and tries to help me around the truck so he can drive, I get dizzy and almost pass out from the pain.

Needless to say, we're both very concerned right now. We're not sure if we're losing the pregnancy or if my appendix is going bad or what. So we start heading down towards Kennestone while trying to get a hold of my specialist. I was completely non-functional. I have never been in so much pain in my entire life. I was praying that God would let me pass out or something just so I could have some relief. Well, the specialists was not concerned for the baby but did believe that it could be kidney stones or something like that and they urged us to contintue the ER route and see what happens.

I learned a really great trick to be seen quickly in an ER, just start throwing up in the waiting room and they'll take you back really quick! I was in so much pain that my body couldn't hold down my dinner. And for the record, I really haven't enjoyed Red Lobster very much since then. The ER did a couple ultrasounds and a lot of labs and couldn't come up with a definite diagnosis. They did find a bleed of some sort around the amniotic sac and my white blood cell count was very high. Because my pain has lessened some after being in observation at the ER for about 6 hours, the doctor there recommended that I go to my specialists office in the morning and let him decide what needed to be done. The suspicion was that my appendix was going bad but the ER doc didn't want to make the call to have surgery because the chances of an 8 week pregnancy surviving the surgery were very slim.

When the doctor initially came in with all the test results and the diagnosis that it might be my appendix, Eric immediately prayed. We knew that God had given us this child and we were claiming His promises. That was the point I believe my pain started lessening. By the time I left the ER, I could walk again - although very slowly and tenatively. So we went home to get a few hours sleep and then headed to the specialists office. My doctor there did observe that either my appendix was indeed swollen so he sent me to a surgeon's office. However, at the surgeon's office, he didn't want to be quick to open me up just for the safety of our baby. He sent me to Northside for 24hrs of observation. Although they believed it was my appendix, they also noted that my body was returning back to normal so whatever caused the pain was righting itself. Eric and I know it's because we prayed and were believing.

We ended up not needing to stay in observation for more than a handfull of hours. By the time I had been completely checked back in to Northside, my levels were for the most part normal. I am completely amazed and honored at God's handiwork. I am also more blessed than I could ever put into words by this Godly husband that God has given me. He is such a strong leader for our family and especially when all this was going on, he never lost sight of the fact that God was in control and God has promised us this child. In the end, none of the doctors that we saw that week could explain or give us a definite explanantion. BUT that was okay 'cause we knew the real story =)

Yes, I broke the news to Eric in an email. Does that testify to the current technology age or what? Actually, Eric had been teasing me about taking the home pregnancy kits too early and too often (all the ladies understand). If you've ever done Basal Body Temperature Charting, you know there's a rule that says your temperature cannot be "high" for longer than 16 days without you actually being pregnant. Well, I was on day 19 or something of my temp being high and I just couldn't stand the suspense of not knowing if I was really pregnant or not. A girlfriend from church told me I should go ahead and take the test so I wouldn't fret about it.

So I waited until the next morning (in case you didn't know that's the best time to test) and took the test. After more than a year of testing at least every other month (very expensive by the way), the test actually said I was pregnant. I didn't know to do! I was shocked. AND I didn't have a second test to double-check the results! Aren't women crazy. Well my specialists office said that I could always call and come in for blood work as soon as I thought I had conceived. So I called them and they had an appointment early that morning.

I didn't want to just call Eric and tell him so I took a picture of the kit and emailed it to him. I was just going to send the picture and no words but I changed my mind. I was also going to pick up my mom and take her with me to get the labs done and I wanted Eric to know first. Right after I sent the email I called him so I was on the phone when he read the email. I believe his response was "no kidding" or something like that. I think it took us so long (or we felt it took a long time) that it took us a couple hours to sink in.

Needless to say, Eric was very excited. I had to call him as soon as the labs were done to confirm the pregnancy and Eric went to our 6 week appointment. The specialists' offices do things a little different and earlier than the normal OBGYN offices.

With mom, I made her think I was picking her up because "i needed to talk." I asked her to look for something in my daytimer and had hidden the test kit there. For dad, I hid the test kit in a starbucks goodie bag later that day after the doc's appointment.

Eric and I had always planned that we'd wait two years after we got married to start trying to have kids. So, December 2005 we started trying. It took us until March of 2007 to actually get pregnant.

We discovered in early 2006 that I have a condition called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). (Polycystic ovaries have many cysts covering the ovaries that are actually follicles that have matured but due to abnormal hormone levels, were never released.) Once we realized this, we made diet changes and even tried two rounds of lower level hormones treatments with the normal OBGYN office. When this didn't produce any changes for me, our OB sent us to a specialists office.

The specialists office put me on metformin, which although it is a diabetic drug, it was also proven to help women with PCOS due to the insulin/testosterone imbalance in my body. the goal was to use metformin to regulate my cycles enough that we could begin a more potent hormone treatment. Well, God heard our prayers and in March of 2007, we conceived - that's two months prior to when our hormone treatments would have started.

Now, don't get me wrong, Eric and I would have loved multiples (yes, we're crazy) but we also trust God's ultimate plan for our lives. Looking back, God did so much in our lives over those 16 months that we were waiting to prepare us for the rest of our lives that I cannot say I would wish it to be any other way. He is truly gracious, letting us work through issues that will help make parenting so much easier for us. Although, don't stop praying for us in that area - I know we'll still need all the help we can get =)

So that's how little Gideon came into our lives. We are so stinkin' excited about his arrival and cannot wait to hold him in our arms. I"m sure I'll put more stories on here once that happens.