It took 5 months to conceive Liam. 5 months and a total of 3 (three) pregnancy tests. I usually just found out I was not pregnant the old-fashioned way, with 2 negatives and a positive thrown in the mix. I always said that a positive is a positive, and there's no need to take any more to confirm.

I was at the Suwanee town square with Abby J. on September 30th, at which time I informed her (though I think she already knew) that we had been trying for Baby Number Two since the 4th of July (or as soon after as possible). I said that technically, the first day I could test was October 4th, but that I was going to take an early-detection test on my birthday, October 2nd. She was like, "why are you waiting 2 more days? If you can test '5 days sooner,' why aren't you doing it now??" So, bowing to peer pressure, I got home and thought "hmm...I haven't peed in 4 hours. They say that as long as you can hold it for 4 hours, you don't have to do it first thing in the morning. What the heck?? I have 1 CVS test and 2 First Response tests. I'll just waste the CVS one for fun."

So I did. With Liam, it popped up FAST. I was still getting the instructions back out to confirm what a positive looked like. So after 45 seconds and no line, I thought "eh, that's what I thought." Then I look down and see this:



I mean, talk about indecisive!! What would YOU think? I mean, I knew that the presence of ANY line was a positive - in my head I knew this. But enter reality. I didn't even have a chance to react one way or the other as I ran down the hall and started Googling "faint line pregnancy test."

So the next morning, I did this:


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And on my birthday, this:



A couple of these:



Then I decided that what I needed was a clear progression in the color of the test line, so I went to Publix and got a couple of these:



I did not like the faintness of the control line, so enter my trip to Rite Aid. I referenced this vaguely on Facebook. This would be my shining moment where I said to myself, "yes, I am embarrassed to buy pregnancy tests, and yes, I always add some decoy purchases to cover it up in the basket, but today I am going to hold my head high, and I am going to walk in, carry it in my hand, plop it on the counter, and whip out the FSA card!" So the clerk was a guy in his 30's who looked like he could have been a drinking buddy in college. As he was ringing it up, he looks at me and goes "good luck! I hope it turns out the way you want it to!" I was like, "is that allowed?!?!" I was suddenly embarrassed.

But anyways, I took a couple more First Responses over the next couple weeks, all positive. But - good thing I was paying attention because if you take those too far into the pregnancy (a couple weeks, even), apparently the test line starts "stealing" dye from the control line (believe me, I Googled the heck out of this when I got a really nice test line and practically no control line).

On October 20th, at 6 weeks, I got the ultimate positive pregnancy test - an ultrasound with a heartbeat. Of course, I was going to post this, but my in-laws have it.

So there you have it! June 12th is the due date. I'll be 10 weeks tomorrow.

I have to pee.