Monday, November 9, 2009

Keeping the Secret

When it comes to other peoples secrets they are as good as locked away. But when it comes to holding my own secrets, that’s other thing. It doesn’t help that I’m as readable as a book.

1st Person (23rd Oct)
Personal training day. My personal trainer is Busters best mates wife, so she knew that we had been having tests and I had told her that we had been feeling positive a few weeks back. When I turned up that morning she asked if I was pregnant. I couldn’t lie….

2nd Person (23rd Oct)
The neighbour who I’ve become good friends with popped over as I was cooking lunch for the next day (she was 20 weeks pregnant, which is a story in itself). She asked how I was going, I said that I was cooking lunch for tomorrow and didn’t think I could eat it as it had soft cheese in it. She started jumping for joy and hugging me.

3rd Person (24th Oct)
I run a craft group and one of my closest friends came along and before sitting down she said that she had to go for supplies. I told her that I would join her, she was a little confused but let me wounder down the road with her. We started chatting as normal and out of nowhere I blurted it out. More jumping for joy and hugs.

4th Person (24th oct)
Dinner party with John’s friends who knew that we have been trying for a while. The wife noticed straight away as I turned down wine for a glass of water. She quietly asked a little latter does that mean what I think it means? Quietly replied yes and filled her in on our story, she was very happy for us and kept telling John to look after me. I’m sure she later told her husband, but no one else picked up on it that night.

5th Person (29th Oct)
With more sleepless nights I spent the week looking tired and somewhat grumpy apparently. At the end of my week the boss called me into her office and asked what was wrong as she had noticed that I wasn’t myself. I didn’t want to answer (but at the same time I did, I had been feeling guiltily), so I gave a look that she knew to keep pressing on with questions. She proceeded to ask if I was pregnant, to which I replied yes. She congratulated me and said that next time she noticed that I was tired/grumpy that she wouldn’t take it personally.

6th & 7th Person (31st Oct)
Girls weekend with my sister and brother’s girlfriend. It was always going to be hard to keep it a secret from them. I arrived Friday exhausted from the long drive, after a rest we went to the supermarket for supplies. My sister in-law asked if there was anything that I didn’t eat, I replied cold meat and soft cheeses. I knew she knew, but she said nothing. My sister arrived following day and after lunch she asked what was wrong as she had noticed that I was out of breath and tired. I had bit my tongue earlier in the day and over lunch and when she directly asked I just had to say. Never the less the girls were excited and there were smiles and hugs all round. My sister was very excited about the prospect of being an auntie (younger than me by 10 years).

8th Person (1st Nov)
Thought it wasn’t fair that my brother’s girlfriend knew and he didn’t, so over dinner Sunday night I asked if he could keep a secret. He clearly didn’t understand the question but went along with it and advised me he could. He congratulated me but I think he needs some time for it to sink in, to understand that he will be an uncle (younger than me by 2 years).

9th & 10th Person (2nd Nov)
On the way home from the girls weekend I visited my oldest and dearest friend. I had been keeping her posted on tests etc, so not long after I arrived she asked how’s Busters test went. I said that we didn’t need to get the results. That response needed a minute or so to sick in and then there were hugs all round. Her husband was told a little later that night, more congratulations and hugs. They knew how badly I wanted my own little family (they have just had their 3rd).

11th Person (5th Nov)
Busters best mate found out as his wife (my personal trainer) read an email I sent, out load. By email he congratulated the mamma and pappa to be.

So at the start of 7 weeks pregnant 11 people know. Now that some of our closest friends know it will be easier to keep the secret, as long as I can keep the morning sickness at bay and hide the fact that I’m no longer drinking alcohol (that may be hard to do at work, now that the morning sickness is starting to set in).

I have spoken to my parents a number of times and had to bite my tongue, especially when dad asked if I had any news (did he know? How could he?). I really want to tell them together in person, lucky for me I can keep secrets much easier over the phone than in person.

Buster’s Mum is celebrating her 82nd Birthday on Friday 13th. We’ve decided to tell them for her birthday, as well as giving her this cute little book called “Good Grandparents, Bad Grandparents”. It gives examples of things that good grandparents would do and then what the bad grandparents would do, far too cute not to buy it.

After the parents know our lips are sealed until 3 months.
Okay, I will try, but I can’t make any promises.

Me and LP – Weeks 5-7

Week 5
Just found out I’m pregnant the only real thing that I’ve noticed is that my breasts are tender and slightly bigger, missing period and sleepless nights.

Showed Buster what LP looks like, said it looks like a seal. I replied poor little penguin has been eaten by a seal.



Week 6
Have been feeling uncomfortable and have had morning sickness three times (twice without vomiting & once with). Needed a sports bar or something similar to wear to bed to help me feel more comfortable sleeping. While there I brought a few day bras, had to take them back and get the next size up.

LP - has grown to 1/8 inch long—about the size of a chocolate sprinkle on a cupcake. Buster still thinks he looks like a seal.

Week 7
Morning sickness on Saturday, good thing Buster and sister were around to help clean the house ready for the girls coming over that night. Taken Monday off work as I had no sleep and feeling unwell, if I had gone to work they would all know now, but means that I now have work Friday, grrrr.

LP - is between 1/3 and 1/4 inch long—about the length of a Tic Tac and as heavy as an eyelash. Buster and sister have taken to calling him Tic Tac now. Not sure how long this will last.




Temporary name

It seems that most people these days gives the growing baby a name. Most common ones I’ve heard are bean and bump.
We have named ours LP short for Little Penguin.

As normal there is a little story behind the name.
Buster and one of his work mates call each other Penguin after a they read/heard a pick up line joke (best not to ask to many questions).
So it was inevitable that I would be called Mrs Penguin, and when they found out that we were trying to have a baby Busters mate asked how things were going with little Penguin. Hence the nick name.

I’m Pregnant

In some people’s eyes it hasn’t been a long wait.
But for me, being a mum is all I have wanted to be. So after a year of trying and still no sign of being pregnant I stared the ball rolling for the preliminary testing and started seeing a naturopath and reflexologist. The tests were just to put my mind at ease as it was quite obvious that I was stressing about it and you could also say there was a bit of stress on the work front.

In September we were sent to see a Gynaecologist as my tests came back with all boxes ticked while my husband, (who I will refer to as Buster) who ended up having to do 2 tests, were quite different to each other. The Gynaecologist wasn’t really worried about Buster’s but it did raise questions so he sent him for his 3rd, while he sent me for more tests (one of which was painful and I wouldn’t want to subject anyone to) and put me on put me on Clomiphene.

It was the perfect month for us to conceive, my boss was going away for 2 weeks, which left the office quite and less stressful.
One of the tests that the doctor sent me for, had an effect that helped women fall pregnant, plus I was on Clomiphene which helps ensure you ovulate. Both of has had commented that we were very positive this month, but as we hadn’t had much luck in the past we suppressed these feelings as I didn’t want to be up set yet again at the end of the month.

My tests again came back with all boxes ticked so we just had to wait for Busters. However on the 23rd October, the day that I was to ring the doctor for the results, I had yet other sleepless night. While I was laying there at 3am unable to fall back to sleep, I started wondering if the sleepless nights was because I was pregnant. So before Buster left for work I was waiting for that all important 2nd line in the home pregnancy test. It was there, it was a little fait but it was clearly there, I excitedly told Buster who gave me a look that I’ve never seen before. The finance update came on after the news with reports that the share market was up over 100 points, I turned to see Buster jumping around excitedly with arms punching the air. To this I said “Your more excited about the stock market that being a Dad”, his reply “I need the stock market to go up to be able to afford to be one”. By the end of the day, he informed me that he was excited, just had to let it sink in.

I never did get Busters results, but I guess they must have all been okay as I was 5 weeks pregnant.