Do you ever think of something, and shortly thereafter, it manifests? There are many theories about this, some of which I find interesting to try out. For the past several years, I’ve been a curious studier of such theories, specifically the Law of Attraction, although now more than ever in my life am I noticing more and more my desires and my life matching up. This next part of the #MakeMeAMommy adventure is one example.

As mentioned in my last excerpt, Ben had a plan and we were on-track. We had each established residency in Virginia and signed up for health insurance, mine of which would kick in starting February 2020. We did all of this knowing that Ben’s current work in Connecticut would finish in early February, but unsure when he would be starting back on the next season. It could very well be right away or there could be a break of an indefinite length of time. We got word at the end of January, the break would begin in a week and last at least two months. So, I (anxiously) made my arrangements with the open-ended information at hand, put in a full two weeks at my jobs before taking my (hopefully short) leave, and Ben and I moved back to Virginia just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Once in Virginia, I wanted to get to Step 3 as soon as possible, in order to get to Step 4! So, I found an OBGYN and set up the first-available well-woman appointment. Between the time I scheduled the appointment and the actual appointment, things changed.

I was late. 2 days, not unusual. 3 days, suspect. 4 days…Ben put his hands on my midriff with wonder and awe, “There might be our baby inside you!” 5 days? Time for a pregnancy test. That night, we had invited a few friends over for dinner, I was roasting a lamb shoulder, I took the test and…eeee!…called Ben right away! Luckily, I caught him just before he picked up one of our friends on his way home from work. If I hadn’t caught him then, I wasn’t sure when I would have an opportunity to privately tell him. And surely, he would be confused at my refusal of a glass of wine with dinner.

Our friends joined for a fun dinner, while all night, Ben and I secretly celebrated. Secrets, I’m no good at…as the evening started to dwindle down, and most everyone except one friend, Jessica, had disappeared, I started to feel hot. “Is it hot in here?” I ask, and start to turn down the thermostat. “No…” Jessica says and exchanges a look with Ben “…are you pregnant?” Needless to say, I changed my appointment from “well-woman” to “first prenatal”. It’s as though our little one knew exactly when to show up!