I knew how I’d tell my husband that I was pregnant months before we even began trying for a baby. One night, I was browsing the internet and came across an online shop; they sold onesies with hand-stitched college logos on the front. I immediately ordered one from his alma mater, and when it arrived, I tucked it in the back of my top drawer.

The day I found out I was pregnant, my husband left for work before I even woke up. I carefully followed the directions on the home pregnancy test and was disappointed to see one line, not two. The stick went directly in the trash. But then, about half an hour later, I felt compelled to look again – and this time, it was positive! The second line was very faint, but it was there.

The rest of the day went by in blur; I wanted my husband to come home badly, so I could make my well-planned pregnancy announcement!

Right before he arrived, I set up a video camera on a book shelf. When I heard his car pull into the driveway, I pressed record. My husband walked in the front door, and I practically dragged him to the couch – I couldn’t wait one second longer to tell him about our growing family!

“I have a gift for you!” I said with a smile. I handed him the wrapped onesie, and he opened it up. He didn’t get it right away; he looked at me in confusion. I blurted out, “I’m pregnant!” and I watched his face go from shock, to disbelief, to pure joy. He leapt off the couch and hugged me so hard, asking if it was really true.

Over two years later, we still love to watch the video of our celebrating our soon-to-be new addition to the family. It’s so wonderful to have a recording of the exact moment our lives changed forever. I can’t wait to show it to my son when he’s older!

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

It was a few days before my period was due, and I could hardly contain myself. Could this be the month that I was pregnant? I didn't feel any different, but I was optimistic.

My husband was already at work when I woke up. I practically ran to the bathroom and unwrapped one of the many pregnancy tests I kept under the sink. After reading the instructions, I followed each step carefully. I set an alarm for five minutes and put the test on the countertop , then, I waited. Would I be a new mom soon?

One line appeared, as it always did. But the second line -- the important line -- did not. I checked the alarm; it was about to go off. I looked at the test again and sighed. No second line. I tried to cheer up by reminding myself that it was pretty early in my cycle to be testing. This month could still be the month. I guess today just wasn't the day, I’d have to wait a little longer for our new addition to the family.

I tossed the test in the trash and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. A little while later, I felt this strange sensation come over me. "Go look at the test again!" popped into my head. I’ve double-checked tests before; this time seemed different.

Two lines! There were two lines on the pregnancy test. The second line was very faint, but it was definitely there. I was going to be a new mom!

I immediately ripped open another test...and another…and another. I took six more tests before I was convinced that I was pregnant! I remember sitting down on the couch, heart pounding, as I contemplated my future. A baby! I looked at my positive tests over and over again to reassure myself that it was real. Once it sunk in, I began to think about telling my husband and smiled as I realized that he’d be just as excited about our growing family.

Finding out that I was pregnant was the best moment of my life -- until our son was born, of course!

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

A baby was the furthest thing from our minds. We had just moved into a new apartment, and I was trying to get a promotion at work. We figured we’d have children one day, but not anytime soon.

We had a vacation planned shortly after the move. One day, when we were away,  I noticed my breasts were, well, huge! But I didn’t think much of it. That should have been my first clue.

A second clue came -- or didn’t come -- a few days later. I was supposed to get my period while we were away, but it never happened. “Don’t worry,” Ryan told me. “You’re just stressed out. It’ll come.”

I spent the next few weeks waiting for my period and searching online for explanations. I wasn’t even thinking about pregnancy. Unfortunately, the other possible causes made me more and more anxious and seemed much scarier than becoming a new mom. I finally scheduled an appointment with my doctor.

Ryan was sick the day of my appointment, so he couldn’t join me. I kept trying to reassure myself the whole time while traveling to the office, waiting in reception, and sitting in the doctor’s office after I peed in a cup. So, I was a little on edge when the nurse knocked on the door -- and even more on edge when dropped the supplies she was holding as she walked in.

As she picked up her instruments, she said, “Honey, you’re pregnant!”

“Excuse me?!”

“You’re very pregnant,” she repeated matter-of-factly.

I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I was. I spent the trip home panicking about how this would change our lives, what it would mean for my promotion -- and what in the world Ryan would say about becoming a new dad.

As soon as I walked in the door, I blurted it out: “Ryan, I’m pregnant.” Now, he was both sick and stunned. He looked at me, said, “OK,” and went right back to bed.

It took him about a week to process the news. I tried to let him adjust to this change on his own time, but of course, I couldn’t help but watch him a little more closely. He spent a lot of time online researching pregnancy and fatherhood. And I could swear he developed a slight sweating issue.

As we both got used to the idea, we became more and more excited. “I always knew we would have children,” Ryan told me. “It’s just a lot earlier than we expected.”

We’ve had to make a lot of changes since our daughter, Ava, was born, including moving from that one-bedroom apartment to a house and giving up the weekends we used to have to ourselves. But Ava is our angel and has brought new meaning to our lives. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

Photo by Meryl Spadaro on Unsplash

My husband knew I was pregnant about ten seconds after I did, when I woke him up holding the positive pregnancy test. But neither of us knew at that point that we would be welcoming not one, but two babies into our growing family.

When I was about six weeks pregnant, I wasn’t feeling very well with cramps and light bleeding, and we were a little worried that something was wrong. Because it was a weekend, the on-call doctor advised me to go to the hospital. We were really nervous but hoping for the best. My husband had to wait in the exam room while they took me down to get an ultrasound.

As the ultrasound tech performed the scan, I couldn’t see the screen. She was asking me a lot of questions, and it seemed to be taking forever. Finally, she flipped the screen around and said, “Here’s the baby’s heartbeat. And here’s the other baby’s heartbeat.” I literally began laughing and crying at the same time. I certainly did not expect to hear that! She then printed a picture for me to take back to my husband.

When I came back into the exam room, my husband knew it must have been good news, because I was smirking. I could tell he had an immediate sense of relief but had no clue about the surprise pregnancy announcement I was about to reveal. I didn’t say a word and just handed him the ultrasound print out. Since it was still very early, you couldn’t see the babies, but you could very easily see two sacs.

He took one look at the picture and then looked up at me for confirmation. I held up two fingers. “And they both have heartbeats,” I told him. I will never forget the look on his face as he took this all in. It was a combination of so many emotions ranging from joy, shock, confusion, bewilderment, happiness, excitement, and perhaps a little bit of panic. He was too stunned to even say anything! Once he regained the ability to speak, we began immediately talking about the craziness of having two babies on the way and planning for their arrival. We celebrated with a milkshake on the ride home and couldn’t wait to spread the news to everyone about our quickly growing family.

Photo by Cassidy Rowell on Unsplash