1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? I was at home and Ben was at the gym.
2- Who was with you? I was alone when I actually took the test. My mom dropped off a package of tests. I did not think that there was any possible way that I could be pregnant. So, when the test said positive I called my mom, made her turn her car around, and come back to my house immediatly. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I was reading the test wrong.
3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? I felt HORRIBLE!!! Yeah I was late, but I had just had major surgery, and I just chalked it up to that. Good thing Momma knows the difference between the flu and morning sickness right?
4-What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? We had been trying to start a family for a year and a half. I was recovering from my shoulder suregery at that time. The Dr had said that we should wait about 3 months before we started trying again. So since we weren't trying, I was in total aww!
5- What symptom sold it for you? Maybe the fact that I was so sick I couldn't lift my head off my desk...or maybe that package of positive pregnancy tests. 6- Who was the first person you told? Well my mom was her with me, so of course she was the first to know. I then called Ben and asked him when he was going to be home. I told him that I had some good news, but he had to come home to get it. He didn't even hesitate or need a hint, he said "you're pregnant aren't you?" I was so excited! I didn't want to tell Ben via cell phone, but I couldn't lie to him either. After I told Ben, well after Ben guessed, I immediatly called Missy to tell her the good news. That was when I got the second biggest shock of my day. I found out that she too was pregnant, and that we had the same due dates. We had always talked about getting pregnant at the same time, but seriously, what are the odds of that?? Neither one of us were trying to get pregnant and that cannot be a coincidence.
7-Did you plan to get pregnant? Kinda. We wanted to get pregnant, but not in the particular month that we did
8-Was everybody happy for you? Definitely. We had been trying for what seemed like a very long time to have a baby. Everyone was even happier once I made it through my first trimester without any problems.
9- Did you want to find out the sex? 100%- defintly- yes! I wanted our child to have a name that we could call them by even fbefore they were born. I also wanted to decorate the nursery and I refuse to decorate an entire nursery and buy an entire wardrobe in yellow.
10-What was the sex? Everyone but Ben, and his brothers, thought that it was a girl. I too was convinced that I was having Gracie Marie Sullivan. However, I wanted to start off with a little boy really bad. So when Joy said there was outdoor plumbing, I was both pleasantly surprised and definitly shocked. I had to call Ben at work, on his brake, and tell him the good news. He wanted a boy SOOO bad. I don't think that I have ever heard Ben so excited as the day that I told him he was having a son. I only wish that he could have been there with me for the ultrasound so that I could have seen the look that went along with the sound of excitment.
11-Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes.
12-If yes, who? One of my bestest friends Rachel, my momma, and my sis threw me one giant baby shower. It turned out so cute, so many friends and family came, the food was delicious, and I got just about everything that I needed to finish getting ready for Max's arrival.
13-How much weight did you gain? 33 lbs.
14-Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? Yeah, I lost all of my baby weight within the first 3 months and then lost and additaional 20 pounds.... Yeah Yeah I know. I am working on that.
15-Did you get a lot of stretch marks? Nope. I got a couple of them on my left butt cheek. Right where my bad shoulder can't reach to lubricate. haha. They are hardly visible anymore...thank goodness.
16- What did you crave the most? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, orange juice, and then in my third trimester Hawaiian Punch. I would go through 2-3 gallons of orange juice and Hawaiian punch in a week.
17-Did you crave anything crazy? I hadn't eaten a hot dog since the 9th grade (This was due to an unfortunate pig dissection in biology class). Anyways, I was driving home from work one day, and I had this sudden craving for a hot dog. I was kind of ashamed that I wanted one, but if you know how pregnancy cravings are...there wasn't the option of not eating a hot dog. I stopped at the gas station, and before I could even get to the cash register, I had already bitten into my delicious hot dog. That was when I saw my father-in-law taking my picture with his cell phone. I was stuffing this forbiden hot dog into my mouth, and I was mortified. Obviously I didn't want anyone to know about it, and it was clear that he had every intention of sharing those pictures.
18-Did you ever resent your husband for "putting you in this situation"? Resent him...No. But I will say that in my first trimester I was the wicked witch of the west. I can now say that I was a mean wife for those first few months and he put up with a lot. I am surprised that he didn't ask for a divorce. lol.
19- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Nothing major. I had awful morning sickness through my first trimester and into my second, which is unfortunatlely common. There were also some concerns about a possible miscarriage in the first trimester, but obviously everything turned out fine. I had some gallbladder problems in my third trimester, but those went away once I delivered. So I think I am safe to say I was a very lucky lady, and I didn't have too bad of a pregnancy at all.
20-Where were you when you went into labor? At home in my bed. I woke up having contractions about 5:30 am. By 6:00 they were coming every three minutes, and they were very strong. I knew in my gutt that this was the real deal, and that I was going to have my baby that day. Even knowing that I was still so affraid of going to the hospital. I didn't want them to tell me it was a false alarm, and then have them send me home. I called my mom and she said exactly what I thought she would. That I needed to go to the hospital immediatly, and to make sure I was timing my contractions. So reluctantly I woke Ben up around 7:00 and said, "I think I'm in labor, and we need to go to the hospital. We should probably leave by 8:00." Ben got up really casually, shaved his head, got in the shower, and even got all dressed up for the day. I packed my bags, straightened my hair, and called the families to let them know what was going on. Neither one of us said much, or hurried much for that matter. You would think that we would have been a bit more rushed or worried, but we most certainly were not. We still giggle looking back at now casually we left the house that morning.
21-Did your water break? No. About two hours after I was admitted one of my nurses came in to check my progress. She discovered that I had gone from 4cm to 10cm in about two hours and that the baby was down where he needed to be to start pushing. They called Dr Savage and she had the them brake my water about 12:00.
22-What were you feeling when you knew your baby was almost here? I was so ready to see this amazing miracle. After nine months of carrying him and bonding with him inside of me, I wanted to meet him. I wanted to see his sweet little face, and see who he looked like. I was also really freaking out that Shelly (Dr Savage) wasn't going to make it to the delivery. Things progressed so fast, and no one was expecting me to deliver so quickly. I was very relieved that she made it there in time.
23-Did you go early or late? 2 days late. I was walking through Home Depot the day before I had him, and that was when I knew that I was done being pregnant. I was so miserable and uncomfortable that I sat in the middle of the store, on the lawn furniture, and sobbed.
24- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? The resident doctor, Dr Savage, my two nurses, and of course Ben. My mom, dad, and big sister were waiting for us outside the door.
25-Was it video taped? Are you kidding? Ben was already close to passing out. That for sure would have him on the floor. Plus that is just disgusting.
26- Did you have any drugs for the pain? You bet ya! As soon as they admitted me they sent the anesthesiologist in. Boy was I happy to see him.
27-Did you have to have a c-section? No. Thank goodness!!
28- What was your first reaction after giving birth? The first thing that I said was, "He is huge!"
I was shocked at how big he was, and at how much he looked like his daddy. It is such an emtional and amazing moment, and I am not sure that words can explain the feelings that are rushing through you at that time. It is the weirdest thing to love someone so unconditionally, so suddenly. One part of you feels like you know this tiny being so well, and then the other part of you is grasping the realness that you dont. It is an amazing thing to know that you and your husband made a child. This little gift from God grew inside of you, and you nurtured it in your womb for nine long months. It was sureal to think that just a few moments prior he was perfectly protected inside of me, and now here he lays in my arms. I could not help but think of how people cannot believe in God, especially after being parents and seeing the mirracle of life. I was so greatful that I was able to see the vasteness of the situation, and to be able to share that with my best friend and husband. Then seeing Ben with Max for the first time was priceless. And finally, the family that we had been trying to start for so long, was together as one. I felt so close to God and so blessed as I stared across the room at my son.
29- How big was the baby? 8 lbs 7 oz and 18 inches long (Way too large for me. He takes after his dad with his size)
30- Did your Husband cry? No, but it was the most emotional that I have ever seen him. He didn't need tears to show me what an amazing, spiritual, and emotional experience it was for him also.
31- What did you name the baby? Max Mason Sullivan. Max was Ben's maternal grandfather's name. Mason is Ben's middle name, as well as his fathers first name. We wanted to name our son a sturdy name with some meaning behind it. Max means "best" which fits him perfectly :)
32-Was it difficult coming up with his/her name? Boy names were more difficult for us to decide on than girl names. We has already picked out our favorite girl and boy name before our ultrasound. As soon as we found out it was a boy, we knew what his name would be.
33-How long were you in labor? I was in labor for a total of 10 hours (start to finish). I was in the hospital for about 6 hours before he was born. It actually was not as bad as I had anticipated. I had a really fast and easy delivery.
34-Did the baby(s) have any complications? The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, and it was pretty tight. Beacuse of that, his heart tones would drop with every contraction. They had me laying crazy and acrobatically to help releave pressure from the umbilical cord. Once he was crowned they cut the cord from around his neck. They did this before he was all the way out, so Ben wasn't offered the chance to cut the cord. He never had any intentions of cutting the cord to begin with, so it's safe to say that he was not heart broken about it. Once they got the cord untangled from around his neck, he started breathing and screaming. That was the best sound that we could hear. His way of saying hello, and telling us that he was okay. Other than that he was a happy and healthy baby. We were SO grateful and fortunate that we had such a good delivery.
35- How old is your baby today? 9 1/2 months! Holy cow... time has flown! I cannot believe that he is almost 1 year old. He is a dang good baby, with such a great temperment. He is so smart, and so handsome, and the older he gets the more fun we have with him. Being a parent is so rewarding. I have never felt so proud as the day that he rolled over for the first time, then the day that he learned to say momma and dadda , and then the day that he decided to start crawling. I never knew that my heart could be so full of love and joy for one (not so little) guy. To see him grow, and learn, and take the things that we have taught him is an awesome gift.
36-When is the next one(s) coming? I hope to be pregnant within the next year. I want my kids to be close in age and hopefully close friends too. I have to get healthy first however, so i won't be getting knocked up anytime too soon.
37-If you could, would you do it all over again? ABSOLUTELY!! It sucked being pregnant, but it is so worth it!!!
This is what I find every moring when I open his bedroom door. What an awesome way to start my day! You can't help but smile when you see his happy face :) 
