Life Update: So you wanted an adventure?

   Let me just start by saying this month has had so many surprises that I feel like shock therapy would not even be shocking to me at this point. I mean it.

   To begin, we spend a week traveling leisurely across the U.S. enjoying our vacation and seeing some amazing parts of the country. We get to Redding, CA late Monday night (June 6^th), find an apartment and move in June 7^th (hallelujah) and wake up Thursday June 9^th and realize we have had a month for the story books. Yes, Thursday the 9^th a pregnancy test confirmed Baby Lanphier is on the way- “Puffin” as we affectionately call him/her.

   Let me just say, that finding out this joyous news is a little daunting when you have been sleeping for two nights in an empty apartment on a defective air mattress. We would get up multiple times during the night to inflate our mattress and still wake up hours later sleeping on the hard ground.. We had gotten rid of all our furniture and possessions only weeks before. Coming to Redding we had not secured jobs or housing and yet, parenthood was only 9 short months away...

  But none of this mattered to me. You see I was joyously happy to realize there was an excuse for why I had been so tired on our run in the Black Hills (if you remember I kept faking altitude sickness so Paul would walk with me). I was also incredibly relieved to realize that a certain outburst I had had only days before about my FRENCH FRIES not being fresh enough must be due to my new pregnancy hormones (I probably didn’t talk to Paul for an hour in the car because he hadn’t gotten me new french fries- Keep in mind the normal Emily doesn’t even LIKE French fries). I also was pleased to note my maternal instincts seemed to be ramping up because I had successfully watched a mother elk give birth in Yellowstone National Park without feeling like I was going to pass out. It was a miracle! The new pregnant me was going to rock!

   So we found a doctor and made an appointment. Luckily, we really liked him and the nurse. However, I was a little disillusioned when they informed me that I would have to have a blood draw AND didn’t get an ultrasound until 2 days later. I was none too pleased. I told Paul that I refused to get a blood draw, but he and the Dr insisted. To be fair, I did warn the lab technician of my tendency to pass out cold whenever needles were involved. I tried to be extra nice to her so she would take it easy on me. I made small talk and asked her how she liked her job. She made me sit in a chair and Paul had his arms around me trying to distract me. Let me just say it didn’t work… 10 seconds later I was out and Paul had to carry me out the room and to a bed a few doors down (bad day to wear a skirt). Needless to say I was a little embarrassed to wake up and find my concerned husband, lab technician, nurse, and doctor all checking in on me- great first impression. And for the record, I don't think I made any friends with the lab technician. She will probably call in sick for my 28 week blood draw...

   My parents called me minutes after my appointment to see how it went (they were so excited). I was crying so hard that my dad handed the phone to my mom who knows how I get about needles. I was sobbing “they took TEN GALLONS of my blood and I didn’t even get to see my baby!!!” Poor Mom, poor Dad, poor Paul, poor ME!

   We were going to wait to announce it to the world until after I had my ultrasound. My parents were chomping the bit to tell people and Paul and I decided to let them tell their close friends since the news was killing them. What happened next can only be described as a communication breakdown because Paul and I were innocently out to eat for our 3^rd anniversary dinner and I get msg of my phone saying my dad has tweeted “Tell the world!!!!! I’m going to be a Grandpa! Emily is pregnant! Thanks Pablo (son-in-law).” We both choked on our Chinese food and quickly called my parents. Long story short, my mom had told my dad it was ok to tell their friends and he thought that meant he could tell they entire Western world. :)

First baby shot...