You Just Need To Read The Whole Story

I simply have to tell you this story in its complete timeline in order for you to get the full effect! Brace yourselves though, some of you might think it has TMI.

November 2008 – I get sick with a really nasty flu bug for the entire month. Every time I rest for a day or two and then think I can get back on my feet, I fall ill again. “Wow, this is one crazy super virus!”

December 2008 – I get sick with what I think is the flu again – also spanning the entire month. “No way! How can I still be this sick?” I also notice that certain undergarments are suddenly way too small. “Oh my goodness! I must have gained a lot of weight. I need to watch what I eat and exercise.” My girlfriend Michelle gives me a gym membership for Christmas, I begin attending various gym classes with her five times a week.

January 9th 2009 – It’s my 28th birthday. Michael George Stephens proposes to me – YEAH!!! We are getting married!!! Despite still feeling completely ill, I decide to just be a trooper and go to a delicious sushi dinner at a nice romantic restaurant with my darling fiancé to celebrate. At 10:00 pm we are home from dinner, word has spread through the neighborhood, everyone comes over to congratulate us.

Girlfriends: When will the wedding be?
Beth: We need to do it sooner than later because we are moving to a new duty station this summer.
Mike: Let’s get married in March.
Girlfriends & Beth: What? We can’t pull it off that fast.
Beth: Ladies, if you help me plan it, do you think we can pull it off by the end of April?
Girlfriends: Definitely, but we must find your wedding dress right away so that there is plenty of time for alterations.

January 11th 2009 – I am trying on LOTS of wedding dresses. I am leaning towards an empire waist style because I still haven’t lost any of that extra weight and I have more belly fat to cover than usual. While trying on dresses I keep saying, “If I stand this way, I really look pregnant, don’t I?” No one disagrees, my girlfriends just remind me that if I lose the weight I can get the dress fitted again just before the wedding. I purchase a dress.

January 12th 2009 – I am working out with Michelle at a strength training class. I am very focused, staring at myself in the gigantic mirror because I want to make sure that I have good form. I start a whisper conversation with Michelle.

Beth: I really need to lose these extra pounds, my sport’s bra just isn’t cutting it anymore, the bouncing in this exercise actually hurts.
Michelle: Really?
Beth: Yes, and I can’t believe how much belly fat is on me, it almost looks like a round ball. I’ve never looked like this in my entire life!
Michelle: Do you still feel sick? Like the flu?
Beth: Yes, I need to get healthy again. I can’t believe I’m still fighting a flu bug.
Michelle: You need to take a pregnancy test.
Beth: Very funny, that’s impossible. Between Mike’s motorcycle accident and my polycystic ovarian syndrome I highly doubt it. Not to mention I get the depo shot just to be on the safe side. Really, it’s completely impossible.
(BTW – if you haven’t heard the motorcycle accident story – picture two egg shaped indentations in a motorcycle fuel tank. If it still doesn’t make sense, ask one of my siblings or my mother. I think they all know the story.)
Michelle: I’ll buy it for you.
Beth: Fine, but you are just wasting your money.

After class Michelle and I stop at the store, pick up a few things and head home. After I walk in the door I mention to Mike that I picked up his favorite toothpaste on the way home. I don’t even mention the pregnancy test because obviously it will come out negative, why even bother him with it?

I take the test… it’s positive. That’s right, 4 additional tests later, (just to be sure), we are having a baby! I was in shock for a long time, I think I still might be. Mike is nothing but super, super, super happy though. Apparently he is skipping the shocked stage.

We decided not to have an April wedding anymore. Reasons: Well, because we really don’t have any money at all. We were going to try and stick to a small $2000 wedding budget and use a credit card to cover it, making payments on it over the rest of the year. However, after finding out we have a baby on the way, we quickly realized that a nursery, car-seat, stroller, bassinet/ play-pen, clothes, diapers and everything else could end up costing just as much. I managed to return the wedding dress – that was an adventure in itself.

We were married on January 26th, at city hall in t-shirts, jeans and sneakers. Yeah!!! We are married now!!! My new name is Bethany Amber Glenn Stephens. Besides new financial priorities, we also got married much quicker so that I could get on Mike’s health insurance plan in order to get prenatal care as fast as possible.

According to the doctors, our baby is due on August 30th. I actually have my doubts about when the baby is really coming, but this blog post is now too long to continue explaining anymore of the story. Tell you what, if you want to know, just give me a call.

We are having our 20 week ultrasound next week, so hopefully we will be able to announce if the baby is a boy or girl soon.

There you go Mom – it’s finally posted. (If anyone was wondering why I took so long to post this it was because I was VERY sick for a really long time and then... I didn’t want to steal the thunder from baby Teo. So, please keep showering lots of love and affection on Candice, Gil, Tanner and Teo!)

TTFN!