My husband and I decided to start “trying” in February of 2008.

And we did. For three days, I think. But then we reconsidered. We were putting our house on the market that spring, and I’d only been at my job as a copywriter for a few months. Why add something else to our already very full plates? It just made sense to put our efforts to start a family on hold for a little while longer.

Too late.

On March 6th, as I sat in my office, tip-tap-typing away on copy for one website or another, I realized something was amiss.

I’d spent the night before yelling at my husband about…I couldn’t even remember what. I could smell everything. Nothing was salty enough. I was very aware of my breasts.*

Feeling a little frantic, I pulled up the calendar on my computer and started doing the math.

25…26…27…28…29…30…

Two days late. Ever since high school, I’d basically been able to set my watch to my period and it’s true-blue, 28-day cycle. I didn’t “do” late.

So I left for my lunch break. At 10:30 in the morning.

I hopped in my car and zipped over to the nearest grocery store. Even though my husband and I had made the decision to hold off on our baby-making plans for a bit, the prospect of actually being pregnant sent me back to the other side of the fence, if you will. I so, so wanted this to be happening for us—right then, right at that time in our life together.

“Please-please-please,” I whispered throughout the three-minute drive.

“Please-please-please,” I whispered as I scanned the shelves in the pharmacy section.

“Please-please-please,” I whispered as I stood in the checkout line.

“Please-please-please,” I whispered as I ran through the parking lot, got in my car, drove back to my office, marched into the ladies room, and peed on my recently-purchased pregnancy test.

“Please-please-pl…”

The second line popped up almost immediately. I stopped whispering. I stopped breathing.

“OMG,” I said. “O…M…G.”

Then I started laughing. I laughed at the absurdity of my response. I laughed at how God probably heard our “plans” and did some chuckling of his own. I laughed because I simply could not wait to meet this kid who I knew—so suddenly but so certainly—was meant to be here with us.

And he’s kept me laughing pretty much ever since.

(Featured image by Daniel Lobo.)

*That’s the only way I can describe it. They weren’t tender at first–just very there.