The beginning of school started like most other years – excitement about which teacher each daughter would get, who’s in which class, etc., etc. By August 1st, I was ahead of the curve. Uniforms purchased – Check.  School supplies ordered -check. Monogrammed backpacks & new lunch boxes shipped – double check. It felt good to get the school year off to a great start.

All of these things turned out to be a total blessing in disguise. You see, it was around the last week in July that I realized I could be pregnant. Somewhat scared of the thought (the Oh Shit, what have I done mentality), I put off taking a pregnancy test. I can’t be pregnant, I’m too old. (FYI – I was 36 at the time…)  I finally decided that I needed to know – so I peed on the test- all the time thinking to myself- yea right, this is a waste of my time. Boy was I wrong.

I came out of the restroom and approached my darling husband of almost 15 years, who happened to be in the shower at the time. “Honey, how do you feel about a third child?”, I said.  Somewhat confused by the question, he responded with “I’m fine with it, but why are you asking me this question?”.

“Because I’m pregnant”, I announced. Slightly startled and in true husband fashion, he said “Ok, but are you sure?”.   Seriously?? Am I SURE??

Now, some background here. When I became pregnant with our first daughter, my husband did not understand nor trust home pregnancy tests. When I told him I was pregnant with our now almost 10 year old daugther, he responded with the exact same question as above. In fact, he then proceeded to ask me whether or not I had been to a doctor to “confirm” it.

So, hearing the words “Are you sure?” from his mouth was not surprising at all. He continued to shower, as thought I had announced we were having pancakes for breakfast, not that we were about to expand our family. He may have been sweating bullets on the inside, but on the outside he was cool as a cucumber. “I told you I didn’t want to be a new dad at 40, so if this kid is born in March 2011, then I’ll only be 39 – so we just made the cutoff.” Funny dear, very funny…

I called the doctors office that afternoon and booked an appointment to have an early ultrasound done due to some spotting I was having. I went in at 5weeks 5 days and there it was. The flicker of a beating heart on the monitor. Yep – definitely pregnant.

Since 2007, my wonderful husband and I had wrestled with the thought of having a third child. Some days I would think – heck yea, I want one! The next week, it would be – man would our lives change. Those words have new meaning to me now….

I missed being pregnant. I loved feeling the little squirt kicking inside my belly, poking its feet into my rib cage, and causing unbelievable heartburn. I was a “good” pregnant woman – only a little nausea here and there; tired for sure- but that was really it. Due to complications with my second daughter, I really didn’t get to enjoy the pregnancy like my first. I was on bed rest from 27 weeks on -and it wasn’t fun. So, being pregnant again really appealed to me.

One last time I thought. Just once.