Hello, my name is Kiley and I'm 23 years old. I found out I was pregnant
on November 12, 1998. I was already three weeks late with my period and
was feeling a bit nauseous. Going to the doctor's for a urine test just
confirmed what I had already suspected.
I had mixed feelings about being pregnant. I have been with my boyfriend,
Will, for four years and we had plans of a wedding on June 26, 1999.
Finding out this news changed things quite a bit! My initial reaction was
to cry uncontrollably, so I did - right there in the elevator of the
clinic. I don't know if I was upset, shocked or scared (perhaps a
combination of all three!). This was a total surprise and totally not
planned. But hey, some of the best things in life aren't planned, right?
Will had been calling me "Mommy" all along, even before we confirmed the
pregnancy. I think he was hoping to jinx me somehow and that I wouldn't be
pregnant. After the initial shock was over, we were both ecstatic. We had
to sit through a business meeting directly after we found out, so needless
to say, our minds weren't quite focused on the meeting!
We live with Will's sister right now. She's about 7 years older than me,
single and not really wanting children. I was worried about her reaction
because we would have to live with her for the duration of our lease, which
would last until about one month after the baby was born. I think we
caught her at a good time because she looked very relaxed and was drinking
a glass of wine (which is very rare!). Will basically just sprung it on
her as soon as we walked in the door. I don't think she believed him at
first because she just sort of sat there. Then she started saying "Oh my
God" and that's all she said for the next half hour. Then, we immediately
got on the phone with our parents. Our entire family lives on the east
coast and the three of us live in Colorado. So, besides myself, my
boyfriend and his sister, we don't have any immediate family support here.
Will's sister is very happy for us though and has no problems dealing with
a baby for a month or two. She's already spoiling the baby by buying it
gifts!
Our parents were thrilled, especially my mom. I think deep down, she has
been wanting me to have a baby for quite some time. I kept telling her
that it wasn't going to happen any time soon, so get off my case! I guess
she got the last laugh. She's coming out right after the birth, so I'm
excited about that. I also have a nine year old sister who is very excited
about being an aunt! She'll also be coming out to visit me and the baby.
It's funny, I was 15 years old when my sister was born - old enough to
know what was going on with my mom. But I don't remember a thing about her
being pregnant. She had a somewhat complicated pregnancy because she was
over 35 years old and also had gestational diabetes. I wasn't a help to
her at all. I was basically a bratty 15 year old who didn't want a baby
around the house. I'm so glad she's forgiven me and wants to be supportive
of my pregnancy. We e-mail each other every day and I tell her how I'm
feeling. Now of course, I love my sister with all my heart and can't
believe that I was once resentful that she was coming into the world!
I think Will is a bit scared and nervous about the whole thing. He's very
excited, but he just doesn't seem ready to talk about it yet. I have
already immersed myself in books and read everything I can on the internet.
I'm not quite sure he'll pull through in the delivery room, but I know
he'll do the best that he can. He's not exactly good at dealing with
things like this and doesn't like hospitals at all. He's broken so many
bones and gotten so many stitches that I think he's had enough of the
hospital thing. As long as he doesn't pass out, I think he'll be OK. He
can't even watch surgeries on The Learning Channel because they make him
sick. We'll see how he deals with it!
With all of these changes, our lives have changed drastically. We have
moved our wedding date from June 26, 1999 to January 23, 1999. Ironically,
I forgot to mention that our baby's due date is June 26, 1999 - our
original wedding date! We won't be getting our dream honeymoon to Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico now because we just won't be able to afford it in January.
One day we'll get there and I'm sure we'll appreciate it much more because
we'll be taking a much needed vacation!
All and all, I feel I'm very lucky to have a great boyfriend, a supportive
mom (even if she is 2,000 miles away) and an understanding boss. Not only
did I get a raise (not because of the pregnancy - but because I deserved
one!) but they gave me 6 weeks paid maternity leave, which was GREAT! So,
Will & I are VERY pleased about this whole thing. It just seems so far
away now! It's only December and we have to wait until JUNE! I'm sure
time will fly by though.
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