One year ago we were just a little over a week away from flying to Italy for 3 weeks to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Our minds were pre-occupied with packing lists, flight plans and dreaming of Tuscan wine tours and Venetian Gondolas rides. It was tough to think of anything else with our departure date creeping ever so close. That is, until I took a test. I’d taken them many times before, but this time the answer would change the course of our lives forever . . .

POSITIVE. Usually that word is pretty straight forward. It means good, clear and definitive; with no possibility of doubt. But in this case, it was the most unexpected and slightly terrifying thing I’d ever seen. “That can’t be right,” I though to myself. “That’s what I get for buying the cheapest test in the store. I bet it’s expired or something. I mean how long had that box been in the back of our bathroom cabinet anyway?” So off to the drug store I went, confident that it had been a mistake. This time, I was going to be sure. I bought the most expensive test in the aisle, with a digital display. This one would leave no shadow of a doubt; no double or single lines to decode. I would get the answer I expected to see. And just for good measure, I bought a four pack.

A few hours later, I was staring at a word that was far more definitive than a plus sign. The small digital display said, “Pregnant, 3+weeks.” Hard to argue with that. Especially since I’d taken all four of them.

Then suddenly the panic set in. How did that happen? We weren’t even trying to get pregnant. Could the timing BE any worse? We’re leaving the country in a few days! And we have a super busy wedding season starting as soon as we get home. My brain was screaming with a thousand questions, until a single thought overcame all the others. I’d gotten exactly what I had asked for.

I had literally been joking for years that it was going to take an act of God for us to finally decide to have kids. Not because we didn’t want them. We had always planned on having kids someday, but “someday’, just never felt like “today.” We were so busy with our work and living life as entrepreneurs that there didn’t seem like there was room for anything else. As I stared at those tests, it became clear that God had decided that we’d waited long enough. He’s really great at that kind of irony. In spite of my shock, I still couldn’t help but laugh that He had answered my prayer in the exact way I had asked Him.

So now what? My next instinct was to call Ryan and blurt out this crazy news the second he picked up the phone, but something stopped me. I had always imagined telling him we were pregnant in some special way. Even though the news was a complete surprise to me, I still wanted it to be special. So I devised a plan.

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As soon as I got home, I told Ryan I had a present for him and handed him a small blue and green box, wrapped in a white ribbon. The tag read, “For my Hubby!” On the back it said, “The last time we were in Europe, we were just starting our lives together! (our honeymoon) I’m so excited to spend our trip to Italy celebrating another milestone!”

Ryan assumed that the milestone I was referring to was our ten year anniversary. When he opened the box, he pulled out a small rolled up fabric object. He looked at me, a little confused, thinking that the gift must be something for the trip, but having no idea what this tiny object was. He unrolled it to reveal a white onesie with an Arizona Cardinals logo on it. “Wait. is this what I think it is?” he asked, looking at me wide eyed.

My throat felt tight as I managed to choke out the words that had been filling my head for the past few hours, “I know the timing is terrible and we weren’t planning on it right now, but we’re going to have a baby!” My heart was racing as he stared blankly at me for what felt like an eternity, trying to process what I had just said. And then, out of nowhere, his eyes welled up with tears. Mine quickly followed as we hugged and laughed about our crazy surprise.

Sometimes the moments that shock you the most, are the ones that make the most beautiful memories.

Wanna read more? You may also enjoy:

• It’s A Boy! | Our Gender Reveal Adventure
• And Then There Were Three . . .
• Our Italian Adventure | Positano, Italy