Baby names and telling everyone!

Jan. 4, 2019

I started looking up baby names and thinking about the due date, which would be Sept. 6 . I texted several names to Danielle and Jo. Some of my baby names ideas included: Briana, Jade, Jena, June, Joy, Hailey, Lorelai, Ella, Isabella, Jackson, Jericho, Luke and Samuel. Danielle said she loved the names, except for Joy and Lorelai, but she had been thinking of my baby as “Gracie.”

“Gracie! I love it! Why Gracie?” I asked.

   

“Because she’s a little miracle,” Aunt Danielle said.

   

That name instantly felt right. We knew her name even before we knew if she was a girl! I went in for the next blood test Wednesday morning. My hcG levels had doubled like they were supposed to. I downloaded an app, which put me at almost five weeks pregnant. Gracie was the size of a sesame seed! It all felt very unreal, like it couldn’t possibly be happening to me.

   

Symptoms started to show up. I got sporadic nausea, followed by occasionally throwing up. Other than that, I lost my breath if I walked up stairs too quickly and I woke up in the night to pee once or twice. I’ve never needed to do that before.

March 8, 2019

The weeks flew by more quickly than I expected. I never got anything more than random nausea. I had coffee cups with lids stashed in the car because occasionally I would get VERY nauseous on the hour drive home from work. Old food and gross substances at the bottom of refrigerators also disgusted me to the point of throwing up, but more about that later (I know you’re excited).

At exactly 12 weeks to the day, Friday, Feb. 22, I told my three administrators (principal, assistant principal and dean). My principal was excited for me and said there is just something so special about babies. He said he was excited to hold her. He was completely supportive, and it surprised me because I was nervous to tell him! The dean practically cried. She has kids of her own and was so pleased for me. And our assistant principal had a million questions about the process. He was curious about everything, and I loved it because I like telling people how it all happened if they’re interested.

   

The following Friday, March 1, we had a day free from kids and my teacher partner and I led a CLD (cultural and linguistic diversity - it's what I teach - might also be known as ESL) professional development session that morning for the staff. At the end of our talk, I put up an additional slide of my ultrasound. I could hear an audible gasp, and then people started clapping and cheering. I briefly explained that I hadn’t just got knocked up, that I planned to be a momma. And that’s how I told all the staff.

   

The next Monday, March 4, I told my students. We played “two lies and a truth” first, and I went last. Each student in groups had to think up two lies and one truth about themselves, and the others would guess the truth. Then I played with them. I told them: I had eaten cow's ear, that I was moving the following week to another house, and that I was pregnant. There were only a couple in each class who guessed I was pregnant.

The students in first period refused to believe my news! I had to show them the ultrasound picture. Second and third period had mixed reactions - excitement and apathy. I brought in my partner teacher's group for that class, because I’ve had many of them as students. I also told them that I was having a gender reveal party on Saturday, so one student started planning a class gender reveal for the following Monday. My fourth period was most adorable. They actually all cheered and rushed me to give hugs. Several of them also started planning a baby shower. 

   

They all had so many questions. They wanted to know if I had a husband (nope!), what insemination is (ask someone else) and if I could be pregnant from something else.

   

The nurse called me on Feb. 28 to tell me that the blood test from my appointment revealed nothing wrong with the baby’s genetics (down’s syndrome or the like) and then she asked if I wanted to know the gender. Sadly, I said no, and she put the gender in an envelope for my sister to pick up. We were going to have a gender reveal party the following Saturday. My sister planned to bake the color blue or pink into cupcakes that we would dig into when my friends and family could meet. We had decided to meet at Beau Jo’s in Longmont.

   

At week 14, my baby was the size of a lemon. The very next day, March 9, I would finally find out the gender after a week of torture! Was I having a boy or girl? Would the name be Samuel or Gracie?