Sydney's Story Begins
August 20th, 2005
Today’s the day!
I wake up, certain that I’m not pregnant. I’m feeling crampy. I go downstairs, yell at Paul for something stupid and he looks at me and says, “I guess you’re not pregnant!” Meaning that I’m being moody. I agree and calm down. We eat breakfast then work in the yard most of the day. We meet up with a pet sitter who is going to watch Stoli for us next week while we are in Santa Fe for Em’s wedding. Afterwards, we decide to go get a pregnancy test. Paul has been asking me for days if I’m prepared for a negative reading. I say yes, because either way I’ll be fine with it, it’s not like we really tried this time. We were going to wait until after Emily’s wedding to start trying.
Before we head out the door, I open a bottle of wine, saying one of us is going to need a drink after we do this. So we go up to Eckerd, Paul drops me off while he runs down to Blockbuster to return a movie. I stand in the aisle staring at them, they are expensive, maybe I shouldn’t get one, I know it’s going to be negative. Will it be a let down? I grab one that has two tests in it, so I can use it next month too, when we really start trying.
I stand in line for the cashier and hide my purchase. When it’s my turn the credit card swiper won’t work; I had to do it 3 times! Paul has arrived and is standing behind me, the cashier is talking about her wisdom tooth or something, I’m not listening, I’m in my own little world.
When we get homeI pour two glasses of wine, Paul comes in seeing this and says, “So you’re not pregnant?” I said, “I don’t know, but I’m going to need something to toast with!” We both go into the bathroom before the 3 minutes is up and bright as daylight are 2 pink lines. I start shaking and run for the directions, rambling, “it does say 2 lines, right, that means I’m pregnant, right?” Paul is in total shock. I read the directions with Paul looking over my shoulder, then we run back into the bathroom to stare at it again, then I begin sobbing uncontrollably. Paul is still in shock, and so am I. I’m scared and excited as well. I cried for quite some time on Paul’s shoulder and almost start hyperventilating. When I calm down a bit, we cheers each other with the wine, still I’m shaking and am afraid I’m going to drop the glass. I sit on the couch and Paul brings the laptop over, we start doing research. We are both very excited and want to start planning for our little bundle of joy. When’s the due date is the first question we have. I know it’s going to be near our 2nd wedding anniversary. April 28, 2006 is the due date.
The Chinese lunar calendar says it’s going to be a boy, but I secretly hope for a girl. For a boy, he would be named Kyle Roger Newnham and if she’s a girl, Sydney Elizabeth Newnham.
Sharing the News
Thursday September 8th, 2005: Telling Mum
We were driving home together from work when Paul wants to call his Mum and tell her the good news. She’s in the car driving to Elizabeth and Heather’s. He asks her if she’s going to be around in early May next year and would she like to come down for a while then? She asks why and he says to visit your new grandchild! She is very excited and has to pull off the road so she doesn’t crash the car! Paul continues to tell her the details that we have so far and then hands the phone over to me. Mum sounds flabbergasted and out of breath. She’s very excited to say the least. She asks about how I’m feeling and tells me congratulations.
Friday September 9th, 2005: Our trip to HHI
We drive down to Hilton Head excited to tell my parents the good news. When we arrived, Mom was ironing new chair covers that she had gotten and Dad helped us with our stuff and getting food and drinks. We walked around while they showed us the new things that they’d done to the house and etc. All the while, my heart is pounding in my throat and I have to tell them. Finally Paul and Dad are in the kitchen and I’m able to get Mom to the doorway of the kitchen and dining room, where we just have to blurt it out! I say, “Well we have some good news……” Mom smiling yells, “What!!! I’m already guessing!!” I say, we’re going to have a baby. They are ecstatic and give us hugs. They start asking questions, how far along, how are you feeling, etc. We sit in the kitchen for a while discussing everything.
Saturday, we went to Palmetto Dunes and took a nice walk on the beach, collecting sea shells for our nursery. That morning Paul called and told Elizabeth. She was very excited for us and is looking forward to a cousin for Jaden. I have to wait to tell Emily until after she gets home from her honeymoon and she's in the car driving to Florida. She and Mason are very excited for us and quite surprised that we kept it a secret throughout their wedding week in Santa Fe. I tease Emily that she's going to be called Auntie Em-she's always hated that name. Both Paul and I know that our son or daughter will be loved greatly by our whole family-we are so lucky.
Sydney's First Pictures and Movements
December 7, 2005
Wednesday the 7th of December, Paul and I found out we are having a little girl! Seeing Sydney on the ultrasound screen was amazing. At one point it looked like she was waving at us. We both found it quite fascinating. We were also shocked that it’s a little girl and not a boy. The Chinese Lunar Calendar is wrong! But my dreams were correct. I had three different dreams where we had a girl. I guess I should listen to my dreams and not the lunar calendar. We came home with 13 pictures of Sydney Elizabeth.
December 27, 2005
During my 20th week in England I started feeling little Sydney! I wasn’t quite sure at first, it felt like bubbles popping in my tummy. But then it seemed more localized and continuous and I was able to feel the little kicks with my hand as well. That’s when I knew this is Sydney saying hello! Paul felt her for the first time at his Nanny and Grampy’s house. He was quite pleased. What a proud daddy!
January 12, 2006
Sydney has been moving around a lot, she's a very active little girl. I can feel her all over my belly and I love it. Paul likes to sit with his hand on my belly or later in the pregnancy he could just sit there watching her move inside of me. Sydney also starting getting the hiccups around her 30th week, she would get them several times a day.
Stoli, our cat, liked to lay on my stomach at night when I would lay on my side, I like to think she was purring Sydney to sleep while keeping us both warm.
The Nursery
January 12, 2006
Mom and Dad came up this past weekend and we painted the base color of the nursery. Well Dad and Paul painted the nursery, mom and I went out playing. We also got our dresser/changing table, it looks great. We are both quite pleased with it. In a few weeks the artist will be here to paint the mural. That will be amazing. Then we can do real decorating! I think we are going to do a sage/pink theme with the blue, but it’ll depend on the mural and what colors are on the wall.
February 8, 2006
The nursery has been creatively decorated by Paul and myself. We decided against doing the mural, so we went to an educational store and bought sea life cut outs, had them laminated and stuck them up on the wall. Then we bought a border from Babies R’ Us and put that up. It has sailboats riding on waves. It all looks cute. We had a tough time putting up the border though, part of it falling down on us, glue dripping down the walls everywhere, including the new curtains, it was a mess. Then the next day we came home to a piece of it hanging from the wall. Paul replaced it and it looks much better now.
Sydney's First Party
February 27, 2006
On February 10th, Paul and I went out to dinner at Carrabus Italian restaurant for what I thought was going to be an early Valentine’s dinner. I was in a grumpy mood that day. Paul keeps saying that’s why hormones are called what they are and not hor “happies”. It makes me laugh when he says that. But anyway, I was quite grumpy and emotional and we were standing at the bar waiting for our table when Paul said, “I think there’s something behind me that will cheer you up.” In walked Emily, Mom and Mum! I couldn’t stop crying. I was so surprised and quite excited to see them all. They flew down to throw me a surprise shower. Saturday was the shower, Elena and Jen also flew down to surprise me. And my friend Mandy came over as well for the tea party. It was a great day, nice and quaint with lots of laughs. Jen and Elena both got stuck at our house due to a snowstorm up north. It was wonderful. We all had a great weekend. 7 girls and Paul! He was such a trooper. We got a lot of great things, and we were able to organize some of it. The nursery is really coming together now. There’s not a lot left to get.
My Last Pregnancy Journal Entry
March 28, 2006
35 ½ Weeks-Sort of… Yesterday Paul and I went to the doctor’s for the ultrasound, we found out that little Sydney is not so little, she’s an 8 pounder so far! We got some great pictures of her chubby face (looks just like mommy’s when I was born.) They say I’m measuring in at 38 weeks and she’s full term now. They won’t induce me now, in case they are wrong, but if I went naturally now, they wouldn’t stop me. Hopefully Sydney will come out on her own within the next week or two, otherwise I’m getting another ultrasound in two weeks and then they’ll figure out if they are going to do a c-section or not. I guess it depends upon how much weight she gains between now and then. Maybe I should cut out some of this chocolate.…. Sydney is in the right position, head down facing my right side, she just needs to turn a little bit to face my back side. I’m already effacing somewhat and 1 cm dilated.
We had our tour of the hospital last night as well, which was good, we saw babies in the nursery and where we’ll be and what the procedures are, so it’s a bit comforting. We also practiced breathing techniques. All in all, good news here.
