The entry I NEVER thought I would write

Greeting to everyone out in the world on this lovely Monday morning.
I must first apologize to all on my lack of posts as of late.
Lets just say things have been more than busy and even crazier than normal -- and for me that is saying a lot.

So lets get down to the good stuff and we will go from there.
I am pleased to report that the majority of Des Moines has gone from being uber-saturated to slightly damp and getting a little better each day. Keep in mind, that is Des Moines. A number of areas in Iowa are still in pretty bad shape.
But I am pleased to say that everyone I know managed to get through the great floods of 08' with minimal damage. There were a few that were out of their houses and offices for a few days, but were able to find other places to crash. More than a few wet basements and a few days of wondering how crazy things were going to get, but we made it.
Big shout out to my friend Mike for the loaning of 4 industrial fans to help speed the drying process in my basement along. Although at this point, I am not sure if that basement will EVER truly be dry. But that is another battle for another day.
Now we face the scourge of mosquitoes. Yay summer!!

Work continues to be slightly insane with a dash of ridiculous. I suppose that is why they call it work. Or so they tell me. I just need to get through July and things should be better. Either that, or another project of insanely scheduled proportions awaits me on the horizon. But we carry on in the salt mines and keep dreaming of the day when that lottery ticket will actually reap some benefit.

On to other news. And this is a big one.
Might want to be sitting down for this one.
Ok -- that is sorta a silly statement as you are more than likely SITTING and reading this at your computer -- but its that kind of news.
And for the record, this will teach me to throw little nuggets of goodness like
"I just want a drama free year" out into the cosmos. Yeah, that crap will bite you in the ass if you are not paying attention.

So without further ado kiddos...
My eggo is preggo.
Translation for the non-Juno aficionados: I am pregnant.

No, that wasn't a typo.
Yes, you might want to read that again.
One more time, just to make sure.
Now pause.
No, I am not shitting you.
Nor am I making it up.
And I think you all know exactly how it happened. No need to recap 5th grade health class.

10 weeks in fact.
Due January 19.
Yep.

Feel free at this point to blurt out your expletive of choice. Mine for the first two minutes was a series of resounding "Oh, fuck."
Down to the million dollar question...
And the award for Baby Daddy goes to .... Joe.
Good work out of me.
Let's just say that the combination of the Drake relays parties and a few phone calls/texts back and forth and viola.....
You get the idea.

For your next round of questions, he is totally supportive, we are working on what this all means for us and are both excited, scared to death, freaked out, nervous, and excited again.

In brief the big build up went something like this; roughly 6 weeks ago I was over with Martine, hanging with her and the boys (who are growing like weeds, BTW) and we went for a walk. Came home and I made an off-hand comment about how flipping sore my boobs were. Her immediate response was "maybe you are pregnant". I basically laughed it off and chalked it up to some heavy PMS. Except when I got home that night, I started thinking about what she said and looked at the calendar. A few seconds of counting and I sorta went "hmm. that seems a little odd". I will wait and see what happens tomorrow (denial is a beautiful thing for the record).
So the next day, I had a dentist appt. and headed home after that with the intent of well, peeing on a stick.
So I did.
I had no sooner turned to start the timer and that line was already showing up. So, what does a girl do when she has two pink lines staring her in the face? She gets in her car, goes to the drug store (the one no where NEAR my usual one) and buys two more types of tests, of course.
Went home, and sure enough those little buggers were lighting up like the Vegas strip at sunset within seconds.
At that point, I believe the aforementioned expletive stream began in earnest.
Yep, that sealed the deal.
Telling Joe was not easy but went really well. Like I said, he is supportive and we are working on all that -- along with the answers to the 18,435 questions that now need answering. One day at a time is what I now firmly believe.

Within about a week of the test, I figured out I needed to start telling some peeps. If only for the reason that I am NOT an inconspicuous non-drinker. The one event where I wasn't drinking was met with a few WTF's? and more than one raised eyebrow. And frankly, I don't like lying to friends so decided even though it was early to let the cat out of the bag to a few people. Award for one of my favorite responses goes to my sister Courtney who knocked this one out of the park... "Meghan, if you wanted us to come to Des Moines more often, you could have just asked"
Classic. She has been taught well.
Telling my dad -- whew. That was a good one. I was pretty nervous. He was great. There was of course the initial shock and awe. Followed by total excitement on his part. He did get a "you are doing thing out of order" in there, but that was the end of that. He is now totally getting into the being a grandpa mode.

Now for the TMI section of our broadcast:
As this is the first time I have done this, I have learned a few things over the last few weeks. And been amazed at what is going on with my body without any real input from me. A few examples.

My boobs are gi-normous. And I have been told this will continue. I know people pay good money to have them this size, but frankly the idea of lugging around two freaking watermelons on my front -- not cool.

Morning sickness. For me, it is really only mornings. I know I am lucky in that regard. I will caution this: brushing teeth and flossing, a sure route to tossing cookies. So every morning is a little adventure. And I did hit a personal low last week when I got sick IN the shower. Yeah, couldn't make it the 2.5 feet from tub to toilet. Good times.

Fatigue. This is the biggest one for me. I didn't ever imagine you could be this tired when you are (at least on the surface) not doing anything. Imagine lugging a Mack truck behind you all day. That is what I feel like at the end of each work day. Naps are my new best friends. And getting to work before 9 AM isn't really happening any more these days.

Funky taste in my mouth. I feel like I have been sucking on pennies all day. Yum. Lots of lemon drops and ginger flavored Altoids are helping that along.

Crazy ass dreams. CRAZY ASS dreams. Vivid and more than one has been disturbing. For a girl that doesn't ever remember dreams, this is all new.

And my personal favorite: Has it been an hour? Oh, then I probably need to go to the bathroom. And just wait, I will need to go again in another hour. Yeah, the little leprechaun pressing against my bladder just won't let up. Woo.

As for me overall -- I am doing well. Excited and more than a little scared. Seems really weird that there is something inside me and that isn't a BAD thing. And for the record, any woman that has ever claimed that they didn't know they were pregnant -- LIES. Either that, or lives in a world where her physical state is just crap.
And of course, I have learned that really this is just an exercise in taking everything you love -- wine, Brie, beer, sushi, wine, coffee, did I mention wine? and basically telling you no for 9 months.
The single upside at this point: haven't touched the cat litter boxes in 6 weeks. I now have people to do that. And a big thanks to them for that. As that is just gross work that only a pet owner should really have to do.

And that kids, is what I have been up to. Aside from that, nothing else new to report :)
So stay tuned. Suffice it to say, this will be a hot topic here for quite a bit. 6.5 months to be exact. And then, of course, there is the whole kid at the end thing. Now that is the part that will need some dealing with.

Oh - I have added a new ticker at the bottom of the blog. You will see the countdown between the new one and the existing one are basically one in the same. Yes -- about the time this little leprechaun decides to make his/her arrival, Barak Obama will be taking his oath of office. Coincidence? I think not.

Now Listening: Let It Die by Feist