A Very Special Announcement!!

Hey Ya'll! I would like to start out this post with saying that the hubs and I...WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!! We found out on April 1st, the day we left for California, and we've kept it to ourselves now for about two months (family and close friends excluded). We are due December 5th and we could not be more excited!!

We had been trying to get pregnant for a couple months now and a couple months ago, on the day we were set to leave for California, I ran down the stairs that morning to go to the bathroom and noticed that my chest hurt when I ran, so I decided I would at least give the test a try. I had taken the test before in previous months with no positive results, so I wasn't too attentive to this test this time as I didn't want to get my hopes up and I thought it still might be too early to tell. However, it didn't take long, certainly not the 3 minutes they tell you to wait, before I saw the two pink lines on the stick. In disbelief, I take the test and show it to the hubs who is standing in the kitchen. Now, when you think of most husbands when they find out that their wife is pregnant, the typical response is a big smile followed by a bigger hug and kiss, and in some cases, a look of pure love for their significant other. In my case, I got an arrogant head nod, a high five, and a very calm, "Good job, babe! We did it." What? Who does that? Does my husband have a soul? Anyway, he's more excited than he lets on. I would post a picture of the positive stick, but I hate when people post pictures of sticks that they peed on. I will, however, post a picture of the inside of my uterus so you can all see my little baby/fetus/monkey.

We wanted to try to keep it from our parents until they all came to DC for hubby's graduation, in which case we would tell them in a special way and they could all find out together. However, we were going to spend an entire month with the hub's family and keeping this kind of secret was going to be a challenge, one I thought I could keep. I was wrong. I didn't last a week before I started feeling super nauseous and had to continually tell his parents that I couldn't go places with them. His mom had flat out asked me if I was pregnant and I lied, but after the tenth cancellation on her, and the thought of going to a baseball game in the city with hot dogs, hamburgers, and popcorn, not to mention the hub's constant pregnancy innuendoes, I had to come clean. Everyone in CA was super excited and promised to keep it from my family so we could tell them in DC.

My mom and her husband, and my dad and his wife, along with my husband's mom and dad all came to DC a couple weeks ago to see the hub's graduate from medical school. It was then that we decided to tell my parents. I already had my ultrasound and was in my 11th week and wanted a creative way to tell them as it was their first grandbaby. Before they came, I went on Etsy and had little handmade, personalized gifts made for them. For my dad, I had a guitar pick that said "Grandpappy B Rocks," for my stepmom, I had a keychain that said "grandma," for my mom, I got her a charm for her Brighton charm bracelet that said "Grandmother," and for my stepdad, I got him a coffee mug that said "Grandpa." For the hubs' parents who already knew, we got them small gifts with their grandparent names on them (they already have 20 grandkids so this is not their first time at the rodeo). My mom arrived on Thursday and it was SUPER hard not to mention anything to her for a whole day. When my dad and the hubs' parents arrived on Friday, we immediately sat them all down in the tv room and gave them their gifts. We told them it was a thank you for coming and a mother/father's day gift for them. When they opened them, no one got it. My mom and dad could not read the writing on their gifts and thought they were just getting a charm or a guitar pick and my stepdad, he is 37 years old, thought he got the wrong gift and tried to give it to my father-in-law. My stepmom, who actually read her keychain, got it right away and told my dad that she "thinks they are trying to tell us that they are pregnant and we are going to be grandparents!" Finally, everyone took a closer look and their eyes shot up and the hoots and hollerin' began. When they looked up at me, I had the ultrasound picture in my hand and I was jumping up and down with it so they couldn't see what it was. I guess I was defeating my purpose. Everyone was super excited and was yelling and hugging. It was a very special moment. I wish I got it on tape or took a picture, but I was too excited to think about that. Dang it...

The next day was the hubby's graduation. He graduated at Constitution Hall in DC. His parents and I got seats right behind the graduates and my family sat in the balcony seats with the other non-VIPs ;) When the graduation music finally started and I saw hubs walk down the aisle in his little cap and gown, I could not have been more proud of him...or more attracted to him ;) The ceremony took FOREVER as there were nurses and other types of students graduating that day too. Ten hours later, when he was next in line to receive his diploma, his name was called, "Dr. J. Giffhorn", and another graduate walked to receive the diploma. The room became very quiet in its confusion and the ushers on stage were attempting to tell the announcer that he skipped a name, but the announcer kept going and announced the hubs name again in a more awkward, timid voice, "Dr. J....Giff...horn?" The hubs then goes up to receive the award as the crowd awkwardly claps, not sure who Dr. J. Giffhorn is except the poor family whose son's name was not announced as he received his diploma, and my family whose graduate's name was announced twice. We felt so bad for that guy whose name wasn't announced, but luckily, at the end of the ceremony, the announcer had him stand and we all cheered for him under his correct name. After the ceremony, we all went back to our house and had a luncheon in the hub's honor. There was cake and lots of gifts in which he received a stethoscope, his medical books, some decorative plates, and what I thought was a Montblanc pen. We later came to find out that the pen I got him was a fake off Amazon. Luckily, Amazon paid us back, but now I owe him a nice pen that isn't a knock-off.

Me and Hubby before the ceremony

 
Me and dad and step mom and me and my mom. Notice how most of these pics are of me? Well, this is my blog, so I can.

The hubs is somewhere in this picture walking down the aisle. 

Here he is in line to receive his diploma. He is the 4th one back. 

This is a pic of the Air Force graduates taking their oath. You can see the hubs in the distance on the left under the screen. 

 And I couldn't help but add just one more pic of me :)

A couple weeks ago the movers came and packed up and took all of our stuff to Texas. We had been living downstairs on an air mattress for over a week with nothing but a couple boxes and our iMac as a tv. Our house looked so depressing without any evidence of inhabitants there anymore.

Ralph Otis living in the dregs of poverty. Someone call the Humane Society! 

I'd be lying if I didn't say I cried a few times thinking about leaving it to the new tenants, never to return again. We did, however, get to spend a lot of time with all of our friends before leaving. On Monday for Memorial Day, we went to our friends' house for a BBQ and croquet party. Croquet is awesome and I highly recommend everyone play it. On Thursday we went with friends to the Zac Brown Band Concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. It was so much fun, and we saw a lot of drunk/high rednecks come out of the woodwork ready to party.

Oh yeah!! He's hott!

I'm so glad that we got to spend so much time with all of our friends before we left, and I am so grateful to all of them for all of their kindness and generosity for letting us hang out at their places and always making sure we had dinner plans. All of them will be missed and I hope they come visit me in Texas!!

Our whole group!

Me and hubby and his new shades. It was his birthday by the way. 

This pic is funny because her husband (behind us) saw that we were taking a pic and this was his I'm-not-invited-in-this-pic-but-I'm-going-to-quickly-look-like-I'm-candidly-having-a-good-time face. So funny. I guess you had to be there. 

Me and my friend. Notice how I don't have pics of Zac Brown? We couldn't see them on stage. We were too far back. 

We stayed a little while in Georgia last week before our apartment was ready. It's always good to go home and see family. I wish I had some fun stories to tell about Georgia, but I have to admit, I did absolutely nothing. I think I saw a movie or something...Anyway, once our week in Georgia was over, we packed up our car and headed to Texas. But not before stopping in New Orleans for a good time. And a good time it was not, unfortunately. I'm not a drinker, a gambler, a smoker, or a hooker, so I didn't exactly...fit in. Our hotel was in the French Quarter and was actually pretty nice for a Best Western. Our room had brick walls, which automatically made me think...HAUNTED!! But it wasn't. I  googled it. It was just a Best Western with brick walls. We went to dinner at a really nice restaurant on Bourbon Street where we fine dined and listened to live Dixieland music. Very authentic. And there was even a real New Orleans wedding going on outside our window while we ate. We watched as the bride and groom, along with all of their guests, and a New Orleans band marched down Bourbon Street with white handkerchiefs and beads. It was pretty cool to see. After dinner, we went to the famous World Cafe and ate beignets (which I found out just taste like funnel cake in a bag) and looked out at the oldest cathedral or something in New Orleans. We then went on an awesome ghost tour where the guide took us to some of the most haunted places in the French Quarter and told us stories. One place he took us was to a bar that was once the home of pirates who sold slaves under the table and killed people and stuff. He gave us a ten minute break to go get a drink in this bar and take a bathroom break, but not before telling a scaring story about the bathroom. When the hubs and I went inside, it was completely pitch dark, except for candles and a guy behind a piano playing "Piano Man." I, of course, did not go to the bathroom, but I took a picture of it for the memories.

Our creepy hotel room. There were bars on the windows. 

The band at the restaurant we ate at. Very authentic!

The hubs on Bourbon Street. This is the last time you will see him there.

The cathedral we watched as we ate beignets. Yes, it does look like we are in the Magic Kingdom. 

The pic I took of the men's bathroom where a supposed ghost boy is seen. If you look close enough, maybe your mind can fashion you up an orb or something. Let me know and I'll send this off to Ghost Hunters. 

When we got back to the hotel, Ralph Otis was in there and had not peed in over 12 hours. The hubs took him out to pee, but Ralph Otis, being the pretty pretty princess he is, would not go on any surface other than grass. Well, there is no grass in New Orleans, just pavement, so Ralphy had to hold it for like 10 more hours. I didn't feel bad for him. The next morning, the hubs tried to sneak Ralph Otis out the front door so the front desk wouldn't see and we wouldn't be charged a pet fee. He thought he got away with it until she saw me leave a few minutes behind him with a couple cheese pastries from the continental breakfast in my hand. She stopped me and asked me if I was with him and told me she saw the dog and is charging it to our bill. Dang it!! Stupid hubby! That's what you get for trying to be sleazy, I guess.

The main perpetrator of our massive hotel bill. Thanks, Ralph Otis. 

We are now in Texas. Our apartment is huge!! I just wish we had furniture to fill it with. We have been here almost a week and half and still none of our stuff has arrived. The hubs has my car during the day, so I'm stuck here in this empty apartment blogging and watching past episodes of "Pretty Little Liars." Good show by the way. This post is now way too long, so I will update soon with what I've observed so far with the Texas people, at least I will if I don't die of heat exhaustion because it's so FREAKING HOT HERE!!!!