then comes a baby in a baby carriage.”
That basically sums up my life from ‘02-’04.
My parents threw me a graduation party on January 26, 2002. Everyone important in my life was there to help me celebrate my accomplishment. Little did they, or myself for that matter, know that they would witness something big happen to me that night, something that would lead me into the next chapter of my life.
That’s right, the gym teacher proposed!! He got down on one knee in front of all of our friends and family and asked me to marry him. A handful of people knew, and it truly explained the extra hustle in my moms steps that day. Soon after our engagement, we set the date: March 29, 2003.
The rest of ‘02 was busy….busy planning our wedding, busy adjusting to engaged life, and busy trying to figure out what exactly I was going to do with that life. I graduated with a degree in Communications, but only survived 2 months commuting to a nearby city to work as someones slave in an Advertising firm. I. HATED. IT.
DaddyMac & I decided to buy an embroidery business that my aunt ran for many years. She was getting ready to go back to work and built herself a nice, little home-based business. To me, there was no job more ideal–being my own boss, working from home, being creative with the actual work, and yet taking care of everything from the books to the customer service. After hiring a flatbed to move the ginormous machinery into our basement, I was officially in business (with a few extra “odd” jobs along the way–substitute teaching, and coaching a local high school cheering team!).
For the rest of ‘02 and straight into ‘03, I did what any normal bride-to-be does: workout, diet, and workout some more. Life was great, and we were happily married on March 29, 2003 (and I was happily 108 pounds to boot!).
The months following our wedding and honeymoon were elating. And on October 31, 2003, it got even better. On a whim, I took a pregnancy test. We weren’t trying, but we weren’t preventing, and I was a few days late. That test was positive! I was a wreck–every emotion went through my entire body in like .5 seconds. I had to wait to tell DaddyMac ’cause he was at work, and since I couldn’t bare to keep the secret, I called my stepmom & a close friend of mine right away.
I didn’t have the easiest pregnancy, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. And even though Buckaroo spent 10 days in the NICU because he was born 6 weeks early, I brought home a healthy, handsome baby boy in the spring of 2004.
Adjusting to life with baby was exactly as you’d expect–no need to elaborate there! We got the hang of it, but it took some time. Getting decent sleep took time. Getting back to a routine took time. And getting back to my pre-baby weight took a lot of time. Heck–that really never happened! But none of it mattered because being a MOM to Buckaroo was all I could ask for.
The fall of ‘04 is where my hypochondria veered its butt-ugly head. I always knew I was a worry wort, but being a Mom sure brought out the “best” of it. I started to worry about all sorts of stuff, all day every day. Obsessing over things. Mainly my health. I just wanted to live forever to spend every waking moment with my bundle of joy. I didn’t want to die of a heart attack, or cancer, or some other fatal issue that an otherwise healthy 24-year old could suffer. I went for big time blood work, echo cardiograms and stress tests to rule out all the “crazies” in my head. And when they all came back normal, and my anxiety was still there, I had to turn to professional help and even had to go on medication.
But, you know what? By that Christmas, I was feeling much better and was certain that ‘05 would rock!!!
Want to know why I am writing about ‘02-’04? Read HERE.
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