Trent and I have been spending every Friday evening over at our friends Justin and Catherine’s apartment. We eat dinner together and just chill out, relaxing and unwinding after a long week at school. It is always a highlight of our week. We have been really intentional about this time that we spend together every week. We both know that our time left together is short and that it will inevitably fly by much faster than we imagine it might.

Anyways, this night found us at the end of yet another busy week (when are we NOT busy?!?). As we were getting ready for dinner and playing with baby Elijah, Cat asked me, as she had for the past few weeks if I thought I might be pregnant. The funny thing was that the month before, I had been CERTAIN that I was… and I wasn’t. And that month, I was pretty sure I wasn’t. Anyways, it just so happened that when she asked me this time, I was two days late for my period. We’re pretty comfortable talking about these things. Immediately her face lit up- “Did you take a pregnancy test?” she asked. I told her that I actually had taken one at home before we had headed over, but that I didn’t think it had worked. Now I know that pregnancy tests shouldn’t really be that hard… BUT… when you’re in China and you can’t buy a pregnancy test with directions that aren’t in Chinese, you start to wonder if you did it right. Anyways, the test hadn’t done anything at all by the time we left, so I thought either IT was a dud, or I was the dud for doing it wrong.

Anyways, after telling her that, she offered without hesitation that I could take one of hers, if, of course, it wouldn’t be weird to take it at her house. I assured her that it wouldn’t, and that I was super anxious to know.

We headed to the bathroom and she pulled out one of the cheap pregnancy test sticks and set it on the counter. Then she laid out for me the pregnancy test “basics” (none of which I knew)- that the results are always clearer if it is taken in the morning, and that you shouldn’t take it after drinking a lot of water (it dilates your urine). Knowing that I had drank lots of water, I decided to postpone the test until after dinner.

We ate take-out for dinner, that night it was Korean food. Kimbap for me. We talked, laughed and watched some TV together. As the night was winding down and we were getting ready to leave, Cat asked me if I wanted to take the test before we left. I had secretly not stopped thinking about it or hoping for positive results, so of course I said yes. I went in there and, as classily as I can say it, “peed on a stick.” The five minutes we waited before checking it felt like the longest five minutes of my life! All of my hopes, fears, and dreams were wrapped up in two little lines!

Finally the time came. Trent and I both got up and walked to the bathroom, Trent leading the way. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I really had tried not to get my hopes up since I was only a few days late and because it was late at night. As we walked in, Trent saw the test first, but had no idea how to interpret it. I was shocked to see two lines… so shocked, in fact, that I must have muttered it out loud… “Two lines?” It was loud enough to be heard however, and two more sets of footsteps came bounding towards the bathroom. After Trent, Cat and Justin had also inspected it, we were all certain of one thing: I was pregnant!!! I was so shocked I don’t even really remember all that happened next. I remember looking at Trent and him hugging and kissing me saying, “We’re gonna have a baby!” And then I remember Catherine literally jumping up and down and crying with tears of joy. We embraced for a long time. She later apologized for being so “emotional,” but to me, it made the moment even more special to be able to share it with such good friends. Especially since we got to experience most of Cat’s pregnancy with her, it was really cool that she was there to find out with me. In her words, “You’re going to have a little Elijah growing inside of you.” After a lot more hugs and excitement, we waved farewell. Even as we left, the high sure didn’t, and hasn’t even until now.

When we got home, I looked again at the pregnancy test that I had been so sure was a “dud” and it too had two clear lines. I guess I didn’t mess up a pregnancy test after all! We couldn’t have been happier.

We are pregnant!!! I’ve never ever been so excited to see two lines!