Letting the Secret Out

I’ve always thought I was good at keeping secrets but it wasn’t until this fall that I was really tested. Ben and I found out we were expecting at the beginning of November and despite being uncontrollably excited we decided to wait until Christmas to tell our friends and family. I’m convinced, however, that my family was subconsciously doing everything possible to get the secret out. My parents were offering to take us with them to the Philippines in July and were waiting to hear our answer. Even though I’ve heard the glorious stories from my sister about Filipino hospitals (like having to buy your own IV bags and drive 20 miles to pick them up) I decided taking a trip in July just wasn’t going to work into our 2010 summer plans, but we couldn’t let them know this until Christmas. After being asked several times if we knew whether we would go on the trip Ben and I decided we should just spill the beans early and let them know that Little Baby Lewis couldn’t make that trip in July so we would have to go another year.

So the weekend before Thanksgiving on the spur of the moment we decided to let Mom and Dad Lucas know they were going to be grandparents. We rushed to the store and bought a little outfit that says, “Who needs Santa when you have Grandma” and we bought a Happy Thanksgiving Grandpa card for my dad. So that is how Grandma and Grandpa Lucas heard the news.

It was so tough to keep the secret from my sister, as we would Skype every Wednesday morning and I would be ready to expel my breakfast due to morning sickness but couldn’t let on. One Wednesday however I decided it was time to tell. My sister often give me a mini language lesson and teaches me a few words in Tagalong. So after a quick review I told her I wanted to pick out the words this week. So I proceeded to ask her how to say baby. Her eyebrows raised and she answered bata. I said no…infant. She then looked up the word and gave me a reply. Did she get it yet? I wasn’t sure so I went for the grand slam and asked how to say aunt. A big smile came across her face and we celebrated over Skype.

Ben was in charge of how to tell his family, all eight of them. Knowing his family’s love for word games, he came up with his own. Before we all sat down to Thanksgiving dinner we wrote up name cards in code for each person. We took the first letter of their first and middle names and then added a prefix. So there was A.L.R. and A.B.L. and A.G.L. and A.H.L and so on with the A’s all standing for aunt of course. Then there was G. De and G. Do, being Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Doug. Ben was D.B. for Daddy Ben and M. N. for Mommy Noelle. We told them they couldn’t have dinner until they figured out the code. After a good while (especially when tummies are hungry) Ben’s mom finally gasped “I know it…you’re pregnant.” Eyebrows furrowed around the table as the sisters still couldn’t put it together how A.H.E. and A.H.D. meant their sister in law was pregnant, but it quickly came together for them too.

Well if you’re exhausted reading this just think how exhausting it was keeping a secret for over a month. Thankfully there will be no more secrets for a while, with the one exception….is Baby Lewis a boy or a girl….and only God knows that one.

Here's a picture. I'm 13 weeks in that picture but I think I'm cheating a little because my back is arched.

Dishwasher Story - (posted by ben)

our ancient dishwasher was on the brinks of dying, so i couldn't resist the $125 rebate and 10% off coupon for Lowes to get the Dishwasher down from $400 to $215. if you're observant or have met me for any length of time you'll likely have realized that Noelle calls me a money nazzi for a reason. i'm cheap. so i wasn't about to let Lowe's sell me their $99 installation.

7pm last night a $200 installation fee even was sounding pretty attractive after i was drenched with water.. I had shut off the waterline under the sink as the directions said, but didn't realize the water supply line wasn't coming from the sink (as normal dishwasher supply lines do) but from the basement. so as i became a human sponge Noelle ran down stairs while I frantically tried to guide her to the main water shut off to.. you guessed it, shut it off. once everyone's mind cleared, and i successfully got my thumb wedged over the spurting pipe as the human sponge had been filled to capacity, i was able to give coherent instructions to Noelle as to where the water shutoff is and which direction to turn the handle... then i asked her to bring a bottle of shampoo up - can't waste all that water i was holding!

3 hours later and one trip to home depot and back, i'd gotten the tubes and fittings i needed to finish the job, the instructions that accompanied the dishwasher long since discarded and replaced with a walking and talking fix-it genious - my sister in law, Holly. when all is said and done, i got a bath a day earlier than i would have otherwise, saved $99, got a high that no one should get over installing a dishwasher, but i'm still overflowing with a sense of accomplishment, and most best of all, had a great time working next to my sister in law - the brains and COUGH brawn COUGH of the operation. hey, i have to give credit where credit's due :)