The FOG

So Stacey and I have been attending the "Newcomers" class at this new church we've been attending for the last month or so, which basically introduces us to the many, many opportunities they have for involvement (small groups, sunday schools, community outreach, volunteering, etc etc).  This week we all split up into areas of potential Sunday Morning (sunday schoolish) involvement based loosely on life-stage.  Of course, in keeping with typical church programming everything is creatively named...and by people much more sensitively natured than myself.  For instance, what I might call "The Overthehillers" they call "King's Pilgrim's"...and so on.  As we are the proud expectant parents of an aspiring "Infant to Toddler", we fall into the group called, "Families on the Grow".  Representatives from the class were there to tell us what the group is like, what they cover, what they do outside of church...blah blah blah (no really, it was really fascinating... really it was... truly fascinating)  where was I...oh! 
BLAMMO. 
It hit me:  Families on the Grow.  F.O.G.  Well, FOtG really, but that's not quite as epiphanizing and brain shattering.  Seriously?  FOG?  Do they all know something we don't know?  I know, all of you parents previously initiated into the fraternity of parenthood are shaking your head at me and thinking, "oh you just wait!"  We have stories (from most of you).  We have books (apparently from ALL of you...we have the entire Baby isle from Barnes & Noble littered throughout our house).  I'm learning none of this really and truly prepares you for the sobering reality of new-parenthood.  Much like someone who has heard descriptions from friends and read the manuals and books on driving stick...and then shoving them into a tiny 4-speed Yugo and turning them loose in a rural North-Florida town with his older and much more experienced brother who learned like two whole years before.  ...what could go wrong?!  ...not that I know what that's like...but you know what I mean. 

In 30-ish long weeks we will experience the FOG of parenthood as most of you have...whether we're ready or not.  So thank you all for the books, the maternity clothes, the stories, etc.  ...but thank you mostly for the bushwacked paths you've all blazed for us to follow, and for the battlescars you've revealed.  I'd say we couldn't do it without you but that's not true...we could do it, we just might kill each other first.

Here's to finding 1st gear on that hill.

Are you kidding me?!

We have always wanted children. In our minds we would have both biological children and adoptive children. But, after 18 months of trying to get pregnant we started to think that we might not have biological children. At first that was a really disheartening thought but throughout the process in our last month of trying we really came to terms with the idea and were very glad to be heading down the road to adoption. We decided on a country and filled out applications and were just waiting on the final verdict of our last month of trying. I took a pregnancy test and it was negative so we sent off our application (forgetting to include the check)
TWO DAYS LATER:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

So I called the adoption agency and said "we sent in our application but forgot our check but then two days later took a positive pregnancy test so I guess we'll get back with you in a couple years!" After that it was still really hard to believe that we were actually pregnant. It hasn't worked for so long so why would it this time. It was also really early so it is common to have something bad happen this early on. But today we went to the doctor for an ultrasound!

Everything looks great. We are 7 weeks along. The heartbeat is good. The doctor said we can get excited...so get excited with us!!