Entry 025
If I could relive any day of my entire life, it would be this day two years ago. July 24, 2021 is a day I play over and over in my mind when I need a reminder of the goodness and purity in life. It was the day I saw two pink lines for the very first time.
It was a Saturday. I woke up before my alarm to our sweet dog, a 15-year-old black lab mix I got for my 11th birthday, needing to go outside. Abbie had to be let out every few hours at that time (we lost her about 6 weeks later). While she was outside in the early hours of Saturday, July 24th, I decided to take a pregnancy test. We’d been trying for a couple months and my period was due soon. I didn’t dare turn on the bathroom light because I didn’t want to wake my husband, so I peed on the stick, waited a few minutes, then watched from the sliver of light coming in the living room window as one dark line appeared. I thought, “I’ll try again tomorrow.” and threw the test in the garbage. I slid it down the side of the bag so it wasn’t in plain sight—I didn’t want Braden to see the negative test. I helped Abbie inside and went back to bed.
A few hours later, we got up and ready for the day. Braden had an appointment to get the oil changed on his truck, so off he went. That happened to be the morning of the North Dakota State Fair Parade—which is a pretty big deal around here. I had plans to meet my mom at her company’s float to take pictures. But before I left, something told me to check that pregnancy test I threw away. I slid my hand down the side of the kitchen garbage can and pulled out the test. To the left of that dark pink line was a blush pink one. I couldn’t believe my eyes. So I took another test and bam, two pink lines. I took another. Still positive.
I barely had time to process what was happening before kissing Abbie on the head and leaving to meet my mom at her float. I took the some pictures, made small talk with people while keeping the biggest secret I’ve ever kept, then ran to Target to buy a box.
I already had the items to put in the box—a hat with “dad” on a leather patch, a box of dad jokes, and a onesie that said, “little Lindquist.” I bought these things as soon as we decided we were ready for a baby because I knew I would want to tell my husband the minute I found out we were pregnant. Since he was at his oil change appointment, I had time to get the final touch—a pastel colored box decorated with cute little images from Noah’s Arc. If you read the blog about the box in the back of our closet, this is that box.
I beat my husband home, rushed inside to fill the box with tissue paper and the items, then set one of the positive pregnancy tests on top before closing the lid.
A short while later, while he was in the garage loading up his truck with bag chairs to take to the annual family reunion for my dad’s side, I was inside staging the perfect shot to record him coming in, seeing the baby-themed box and finding out that he is a dad.
My heart raced and butterflies fluttered around my stomach as my husband came inside. He paused when he saw the box and looked at me for a second with anticipation on his face before pulling off the lid. He said, “You’re pregnant?!” And with the biggest smile, he adoringly looked at each thing inside box. He gave me a big hug then questioned why I told him right before we were going to spend the afternoon with my dad’s entire family—but I couldn’t keep that news to myself! The moment was special. There was so much love and happiness. I just wish I had remembered to push record on my phone.
The drive out to the family farm was full of conversations about when we would be due, what gender we thought baby was, all the things we needed to do to prepare, and how we’d be bringing an almost 4-month-old to next year’s reunion.
The afternoon, evening and week following were perfect. Just the two of us knew about this little blessing who was already changing our lives. The week was spent Googling things only first-time parents would and we had no fears aside from wondering when my morning sickness would start. We were oblivious to the things that could go wrong and everything just felt pure. We were truly happy and naïve and innocent and preparing to bring a baby home in 8 months.
July 24, 2021 was the perfect day. It was the day we became parents. It is a day I would live on repeat if I could.
Emily Lindquist