It was March 14, 2004. As we sat in the kitchen, the silence began to thicken. I had just mentioned to my husband, John, that I seemed to be late with my monthly cycle. He replied to my casual demeanor by saying, “We should go get a pregnancy test today.” I smiled softly with delight. Had my prayers to start our family been answered? What about our search for a new home? Is it even possible to move with a small child? My mind continued to race with questions. We drifted to other topics, trying to stay unaffected by the possibility of being pregnant. It seemed surreal.

Later that morning, we went out to run some errands, including buying a pregnancy test. I felt like the other errands were only extending the discomfort of not knowing our fate. I just needed to know one way or the other.

We finally made it to the drug store. I looked over my options thoroughly as John browsed through the store for other necessities. I chose a pregnancy test that had a bonus stick—just in case.

We came home, and as I started to retreat to the bathroom with my box of two sticks, John retreated to his safety zone, the garage. There were so many butterflies in my stomach that I could hardly stand up straight. My heart raced with anticipation, and my body shook. I took a deep breath…did my duty…and almost immediately the answer revealed itself. Positive! I didn’t know whether to rejoice, cry, or both.

I ran to the garage. Without a word from my lips, John, who had his back facing me as he was focusing on a project on his workbench, said, “We’re pregnant.” He never looked up, never turned around to see my face, but he instinctively knew that we were, in fact, pregnant. I exclaimed, “Yes!” But John’s reaction was less than enthusiastic as he replied, “That’s great.” I could hear John’s concern in the tone of his voice. The possibility of us moving to our dream home was slipping away.

John was less sure of starting a family than I was. He had already set his sights on a relocation to the mountains of North Carolina, so the news of a pregnancy meant that we would have to re-think our direction in life. He was fully aware of the possibility of us becoming pregnant, I just don’t think he expected it to happen so quickly. Quite frankly, neither did I.

I closed the door, and then I sat in our living room in my own state of disillusion. I said softly to myself, “How can I be happy about this without John’s happiness?” I began to cry. John came in and hugged me. Then, we retreated to the backyard. This is when we got our first sign from Luke, “Have you ‘Met-Life’ today?” It was written out on the side of the Met-Life hot air balloon. How appropriate, Luke. He always has a way of showing us hope in our times of need. John looked up to the sky and said aloud, “Yes, we have! ” Finally, there was a sign of acceptance on John’s part, which gave me a sense of relief. It was all happening so fast.

John’s immediate family lived within walking distance of us. His parents and sister moved a few blocks away from us about eight months after we made our original move to Florida back in December of 1996. This close-knit family has always been there for us. Having everyone together for a good meal and fun conversations are memories I’ll always cherish.

However, one topic John and I would not bring up during these family gatherings was when we were going to try to have a baby. So when we decided to come off birth control a few months earlier, we didn’t tell anyone. We enjoyed being with our family, but we also relished our privacy. We felt it was important for us to keep our focus on each other when it came to intimate matters, such as our birth control use, or lack thereof. We felt it was better that this kind of news comes as a surprise when the time came, if ever, with the blessing of a pregnancy. It made it a more genuine surprise, and it kept my mother-in-law from constantly asking if we were pregnant yet!

We went over to John’s parents’ house first. His parents were approaching the age of seventy, and they had longed for a grandchild of their own. They were absolutely thrilled with the news and exclaimed out loud, “Oh, God bless you both! How wonderful this is!” It truly warmed my heart to see and hear their delight. John was starting to relax, which helped me to relax. We were both beginning to breath deeper.

Then, ironically, John’s Aunt June and Uncle Chal called my in-laws’ house almost immediately after we shared our wonderful news. It seemed as if they were drawn to call at that exact time. I believe this was not a coincidence, but what I like to call “divine timing”.

John got on the phone and told his aunt and uncle that we were pregnant. Happiness and joy poured through the phone with their enthusiasm. After hanging up with them, John’s face started to glow. “Let’s call Felicia and Greg,” he said. His sister and brother-in-law were ecstatic. “I know, let’s call Sean next!” beamed John. Sean is Aunt June and Uncle Chal’s only son, who is not just John’s cousin but one of his closest friends. Everyone was overwhelmed with excitement for us. My face actually hurt from smiling so much. This is exactly what we both needed. Our hearts were feeling lighter already.