How did you know? PART ONE

"How did you know? How did you know something was "wrong" with Ethan?"

Believe it or not, I get asked this question all the time. And truth be told, I didn't know. At least not right away.

Let's go back to the beginning. My husband & I married in August 2002. Being only 22 years old, we wanted to wait 5 years until we started our family. We thought we were being smart....planning it all out. HaHa! Two years later, I was having some noticeable health issues, so I decided to see a new OBGYN. Dr. Michelle Pepperell, who now lives in Texas (sad), ran some test and discovered that I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I was told that there was a strong possibility that I would have difficulty conceiving a child. And to be honest, at the moment, I was more concerned with my sudden weight gain & strange facial hair that having a child. I was only 24 at the time, and I was still trying to land a teaching position. Starting a family was the last thing on my mind.

Now, fast forward a couple more years. After doing long-term substitute teaching for a couple of years, I went back to work at Morton Buildings as an administrative assistant (I call it secretary). I loved it! And Corey's career was taking off as well. We were both doing well & in stable careers...the time seemed right. So, I went off my birth control pill in May 2007. Why was I on birth control if there was a low chance of conceiving? It was to help with my PCOS. Anyway, knowing that this was probably going to take years of trying, we weren't in any hurry...we were both very happy with our life, careers, family, etc. We would just leave it in God's hands. Then, in November, we got the shock of our life....we were pregnant. We couldn't believe it! We hadn't planned on it happening that quickly! We were so happy! God had blessed us with a miracle!

Right away, I started with the typical pregnancy experience....morning sickness. Only, mine wasn't morning...mine was all day sickness. After 12 weeks, I was hoping it would subside...like everyone said it would. It didn't. It got worse. I was losing weight, becoming extremely fatigued, and it was becoming impossible to work. So, my doctor put me on short term medical leave. She told me if I didn't start taking care of myself, my symptoms would get worse. And if I didn't start gaining weight, she was going to hospitalize me.YIKES! So, I took a leave from work & rested as much as I could...and I was still getting sick. During this time, my husband & I discussed our future. Baby names, nursery colors, college funds (hey, I'm a planner!), etc. We also decided that we wanted one of us to stay home with our kids. Since my income was half of my husband's, it was clear who should stay home. So, after my short term leave was over, I gave my 2 weeks notice. I was still sick, and I didn't know how I was going to make it through 2 weeks of work. And some days, I couldn't.

Shortly after that, my husband's grandfather passed away. We made a road trip to North Carolina. I packed lots of root beer & chicken noodle soup....the 2 things that I could faithfully keep down. Halfway through the trip, I noticed I was swelling. My shoes no longer fit, and it hurt my legs to walk. When we got back, my doctor put me on light bed rest. A month later, I was placed on complete bed rest. My blood pressure was rising, and I was already having contractions. I remember celebrating my 28th birthday with all of my family in my bedroom...that was hilarious.

The next day, Sunday, June 22nd, I woke up and realized that my water had broken....3 weeks early. Ten hours later, Ethan was born. I don't remember the first time I held him. We have pictures, but I don't remember it. They tell me that it was because of exhaustion and my extremely high blood pressure. Ethan was given formula right away due to his blood sugar being low, and he had to be in an incubator for days in order for him to increase/regulate his body temperature. They kept him in the nursery most of the time. By the time I was aware of things again, I went to see him. I remember wheeling into the nursery (I was in a wheelchair), and not knowing which baby was mine. That was overwhelmingly scary. Then, they led me over to his "bed". The nurse gave him to me, and we practiced "skin-to-skin". To me, that was the first time I remember seeing my child. He was perfect.

Ethan responded well to treatment, and he was able to go home with us. They said he was fine. He passed his hearing test, his car seat test, he was maintaining body temperature, and eating very well. Not too bad for 3 weeks early. But neither of us were out of the woods just yet.