Start Spreading the News!

We spent Brandon's Spring Break (March 29th - April 2nd) in Provo with Manda & Mat. Chuck and Brenda were visiting as well, so we got to see them while we were there, which is always a treat. We stayed with them in their hotel for the first couple of nights, and it was so nice to be able to talk openly about Little Richards, especially with Chuck being an OB and very willing to answer questions. We went to some of Mat's volleyball games (he plays for BYU) and that was fun. Even funner was Brenda's knee jerk reaction to protect my tummy from rogue volleyballs, when no one knew yet that I'm expecting.

Staying with Manda and Mat was nice because they don't have TV hooked up. It made me feel like I had a lot more time, since I wasn't channel surfing or watching shows just to have something on. We'll be travelling for the next 9 months with Brandon's internships (3 months in Louisville, 3 months back in Las Vegas and 3 months in Moscow, ID/Pullman, WA) and are considering not bringing our TV to Kentucky and seeing if we can make it. Manda and Mat are really good examples of good ways to live, and I appreciated the time we got to spend with them (even if we didn't eat meat :). 

Spending the week in Provo made both of us realize that the Provo we knew and loved is different now. We moved on, and so did Provo. We hardly have any friends left there, and those that are still around had difficulty finding time for us, which was sad. I did manage to see Tamara while we were there. Bless her face, she drove from Salt Lake to have breakfast with me. Normally we would run into all sorts of people we know, but it's just not the case anymore. SAD! Just another reminder that we're getting old.

There came a point in our stay that I was throwing up nearly every meal we ate. Since Manda and Mat are vegan at home I felt badly, as thought they might think I didn't appreciate their cooking. So I told them I wasn't feeling 100% to try and cover. Later we came clean with them and told them I'm pregnant. They were pretty pumped. We were going to the Park City Outlets for some shopping with Kelly, and since I really wanted to go to a certain store I told Kelly I'd like to pop into Motherhood Maternity and she caught on. She swore she knew - some kind of radar. It must go off a lot living in Provo!

We sent the cards to our families and had them open them Easter Weekend. 

Mum called as she handed the cards to Kristina, Daniel and Nicola. I had to pull the phone away from my ear to avoid going deaf from the impressive decibel level emitting from my sisters. The neighbours may have suspected that someone was being murdered, the way they were screaming. It was wonderful to hear them so excited about the baby. Daniel took it like a dude, playing it pretty cool, but he was excited too. Kristina said he may have seemed less than enthused because there's a chance he'll be on his mission at Christmas and won't get to see the baby for two years. Aww! Mum was kind enough to videotape the event and so I pulled some photos from the video. It took Daniel a while to see the ultrasound, so he was a few minutes behind my sisters in the excitement. Nicola said she didn't know how to respond, so she cried and Kristina chose squealing as her release of emotion. Their reactions were priceless. Love them!

 

Grandma and Grandad went over later and opened theirs and were very glad to hear the news. This will be Grandma's first biological great grandchild - Uncle Tony's son already has a little boy on Grandad's side. Grandma was a bit subdued, thanks to some new medications she's on. She's been diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing treatment. She's as selfless as ever. When I called her the day before her surgery, she informed me that she hadn't been able to mail Brandon's birthday card yet (two weeks out). And never fear, she's done her visiting teaching for the month. Bless her heart, she's such a wonderful example and I'm lucky to have a Grandma like her. 

 

Uncle Steve & Auntie Heather opened theirs with me listening and Auntie Heather sounded like a giddy schoolgirl! It was really sweet. They were all very happy for us, especially since Uncle Steve bugs me about when we'll be hearing the pitter patter of little feet whenever I see him.

Shawn hadn't read the "to be opened Easter Sunday" part on the envelope so heard the good news first - and considering the fact that he generally hears everything last, it was a good thing. Shawn and family were very excited for us, which was really touching because they are trying to adopt. Tiff and Tara were both over at Brenda's and opened the cards with their kids. We got to listen in as they opened them and it was really funny. We heard simultaneous gasps from Tiff and Tara, followed by squeaks and squeals. The kids were completely silent until their mothers pointed out that the picture of the tiny blob was actually a baby inside Aunt Michelle's tummy. They they got excited. It was awesome.

 

It was really fun to spread the news the way we did, and it feels great to have people know! I came clean at work too. I put a bun in the microwave and demanded "Who has a bun in the oven?" Everyone looked a little confused until I yelled "ME!" They were giddy beyond reason and are excited to see me grow.