Surprise!

Carrie had been acting particularly crazy. When we met on July 1st, 2007 I knew that I had a very "spirited" woman on my hands. However, she was my type of crazy and I hoped from the moment we met that I would be dealing with her brand of crazy for the rest of my life. Since we met, we had done everything with the pedal down, never tapping the brakes. She moved to Austin from Illinois in September of 2007. She had her own apartment, but we never spent a night apart. We moved in together in January of 2008, we where engaged in March of that same year, and married on June 1st, 2009 in an awesome Texas wedding with countless friends and lots of booze and BBQ in attendance.

I learned quickly with Carrie that there were certain times that I needed to just keep my head down. Name, rank, and serial number were all that was required. Often times it was best to just go outside and play fetch with the dog. The only problem I could foresee is that we were both hotheads. I had been known to flip out and totally lose it on many occasions. I have no fear of confrontation. Some say that I welcome it. However, with my wife this all changed. She had the ability to completely render me speechless. I learned that I had met my match. Confrontations with her never ended well for me.

December of 2009 was not shaping up to be our best month together. We argued frequently, and I felt like I was simply in the way of some sort of master Carrie plan that I was not involved in. We made it through Christmas. All through that month I found myself singing "If We Make it Through December" by Merle Haggard. On New Year's Eve my band was playing at the House of Blues in Houston. Carrie drove to the show separately. We had to head to Oklahoma the next day and she was going to head back to Austin. I was excited. A New Year was a new start. I was hoping that we could figure out what had been making her so agitated, sick, and generally in a bad mood. She showed up to the venue and looked stunning, as she usually does. We played the show and then we just had a great time with our friends. Before the party really kicked in, Carrie told me she was sorry for how she had been acting. She didn't know what was wrong, but she wanted to let me know how much she loved me and thanked me for being patient with her. I almost cried. I felt such hope. I told her we would figure out why she had been sick in the morning, in a bad mood, and tired all the time. We would figure it out. Why could this be? What was the deal? As you can tell, I am very very slow. Painfully slow. It was right there in front of us. Oh well. We kicked the party up several notches and had the best time we had had in a long time. The next morning I left very early for Oklahoma. Carrie was still sleeping in the motel bed when I kissed her goodbye.

The next day was New Year's Day, and we talked several times. I was looking forward to getting home on Saturday the 2nd and doing some work around the house and yard. Carrie had planned to start cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and we were planning on remodeling the whole house one room at a time. I had been in the backyard for a few minutes when she came outside.

Carrie: I'm really tired. I slept all night, but I can barely stay awake. I was working in the kitchen and I just have no energy.

Me: We have to figure out what's going on. This has been going on for a while. You can't live like this.

Carrie: I know! I just need to lay down for a while.

Me: Okay.

Carrie: Hold on! I could be pregnant.

Record Screeches to a Halt.

Everything comes into focus.

Ton of Bricks.

Hit me.

Hard.

Me: Oh. Oh my word.

Carrie: That would explain it.

Now, here it is. We both wanted to have children. We had decided that after we were married we would just let whatever happened, happen. We weren't trying, but we weren't taking any precautions.

Me: Damn. I'll go get some tests.

I jump into the pickup and head to the pharmacy for two pregnancy tests. Clear. Blue. Easy.

I went back home and put them on the end table.

Me: Take one of these.

Carrie: But I just went pee.

Me: Well, wait until you have to.

I went back outside, but my mind couldn't focus on anything. I would start one project and then stop in the middle and start something else. My mind raced. This made perfect sense.

The mower wouldn't start.

Bad spark plug.

Head to Auto Parts Store for Spark Plug.

Standing in Spark Plug Aisle. Not really able to focus on anything.

Phone Rings.

It's Carrie.

Me: Hello there.

Carrie: I'm Pregnant. (crying)

Me:

Me:

Me:

Carrie: Well....

Me: What do you want me to say?

This was not the thing to say, and was the first of many many things that I said and did wrong in the next 72 hours.

Me: I'll be right home.

I left the store and went straight home. I ran into the bathroom. Yep. Pregnant.

We waited a while and she took another.

Pregnant.

Should have seen this coming. The signs were ALL there.

I laid in the living room floor for a while. We talked a lot about things. We were both stunned, excited, and scared at the same time. If we only knew what was in store.

Carrie and I have done several smart things in our time together and one was when she became self employed, we bought her a really good health insurance policy with Scott & White, which is a Texas based insurance company that has a brand new facility just North of Austin in Round Rock. Carrie called her Doctor on Monday and made an appointment for Tuesday January 5th.

We were both very nervous when we went to the hospital for the first time. We went into the office and Carrie was quickly taken away, apparently for a urine test. Neither one of us knew that they were giving her a pregnancy test. I am not sure why we were both so slow with this whole thing. Anyhow, a very nice nurse or something took us into an office.

Nurse or Something: Well, Congratulations!

Me: For what?

Nurse or Something: We have a positive test.

This just added to the "Mike Saying the Wrong Thing" list.

Carrie starts to cry. I wasn't sure if it was because she was happy or the thought of actually carrying my child made her cry. Then it occurred to her. She had partied really hard on New Year's Eve.

Carrie: Oh MY GOD!! I drank on New Year's Eve.

She instantly felt like a horrible mother. I rubbed it in.

Me: On Christmas too. You drank Jim Beam at your Dad's.

The nurse or whatever came to everyone's rescue.

Nurse or Whatever: It's no big deal. It happens all the time. Don't worry about it. Alcohol is often the cause of the pregnancy. Just make sure you stop right now.

Carrie quit drinking on the spot.

We listened to the instructions of the nurse or whatever, made several appointments, and took off. The nurse or whatever told us that it was often best to wait until the end of the 1st trimester to tell anyone.

We didn't make it out of the parking lot.

We were both very excited at the prospect of becoming parents.

Our families were very excited. We had to wait until January 22nd to go the the "heartbeat" appointment and have the first sonogram.

That seemed like a long way off.