A few days before the party at my mom’s house, we went to visit with my mom. Since she’s a NICU nurse and I’ve worked in the ER and at 911 so we chat about medical stuff. I asked questions about babies and NICU and viability in weeks of pregnancy and Rh factor. I thought Ryan was going to die. He was still pretty new to the family so he didn’t know that these were normal conversations for my mom and me.
We ended our visit and got in the car and he mentioned how nervous he was that I would let it slip. I laughed. Nothing could keep me from the glee and tears that would come by telling my family on December 21.
I decided that since my dad was the last to know everything, he’d be the first to know this. I would be honored if I were told something like this before everyone else. It was the least I could do. The day before the big party, I called him up while I was making dinner.
“So, dad, do you want your Christmas present now, or do you want it later?” He was planning a visit for New Year’s, but I was hoping he’d want to know now. “Um…Are you pregnant?”
This was not the first time my dad asked me this question. Being a Christian girl that eloped, it was considered that I might be trying to cover up an accidental pregnancy. When I called Dad on the phone to give the news that he now had a son-in-law, I was received as follows:
“Dad, you know Ryan and I have been dating for a while and on Friday he came down to visit me. He proposed and I said yes.”
“Oh! Congratulations.” He actually sounded fairly happy for never having met Ryan.
“…And then on Saturday, we drove to Las Vegas and we got married.”
Silence. Complete silence for maybe the longest thirty seconds of my life. Then, “Hmm.” Pause. “Hmmm…” Pause. “Are you pregnant?!”
“No, Dad!”
“Oh. Okay then. Congratulations. Now you have to tell Grandma.” He handed the phone to my grandmother who with the last question had become quite suspicious. You can imagine the rest.
Back to the original story. “So, dad, do you want your Christmas present now, or do you want it later?”
“Um…Are you pregnant?”
“Yep. I am.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Now do you want your other present now, or later?”
He was stumped! “Um. Now, I guess.”
“It’s twins.”
Twenty minutes of hysterical laughter ensued. Then, “Does your mom know yet?”
“Nope. I wanted to tell you first.”
It wasn’t as sentimental to him to be told something first as I expected, but I still felt better about it. He asked permission to leak the news to my grandmother and aunt. Not a problem as long as no one tells the rest of the family. Not a worry since Dad’s side didn’t speak to Mom’s side, and vice versa.
Less than 24 hours until my family would be ‘in the know.’ I couldn’t wait.
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