The Tumor, Reader's Digest Version (or not)

Before I start posting about everyday things, I MUST get a few things down in writing. This memory is a foggy one... not because it was so long ago, but because I tried to block it.  Forgive me if a few details are out of order, and forgive me for trying to block it.  Brinley is one of the biggest and best blessings in my life! 

I was around 5 months pregnant with Brinley before I knew it! Now- before you sign me up for the show, 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant' take heart that MOST (surprisingly not all) of those individuals are morbidly obese. I'm not quite ready to classify myself as morbidly obese just yet! (Check back with me in a few months. If I don't get rid of the infamous 'muffin top,' I might be ready to categorize myself then.) Anyway.... One of my college roommates was planning to get married in October. Keep in mind, it is July when all of this is happening and maintaining weight AFTER purchasing the bridesmaid dress is KEY! No matter what I did, every couple of months I noticed a couple of pounds creeping on. No big deal right?? I asked Matt what he suggested and (being the ever observant husband that he is) he commented that it was only in my stomach and I should consider doing more crunches!!! I took his suggestion and stepped up my workout routine. I also walked a mile with Cayden on my back three times a day. (One of those times was right before nap time at 12:00 in 104 degree heat!! Crazy, I know.) If nothing else, I figured I could sweat off the extra pounds! One day, after walking for an especially long time on an especially hot day, I collapsed on the couch and decided to feel my stomach. After feeling a definite MASS, I convinced myself that I had a tumor. I told myself not to panic, and I began exploring the mass. I poked all around it and tried to get a feel of how large it was. Finally, I left my hands over the mass and started praying and thinking about the worst case possible when all of a sudden, my hands were kicked! I felt a kick!! How is this possible? This ISN'T possible! WHAT?!?!?! So what did I do?? I had a breakdown with my neighbor down the street, and I did what any normal individual would do... I called my doctor and told her that I thought I had a tumor, but that the tumor was kicking! I then made an appointment for first thing the next morning and hung up. Who should I call next? Of course.... Courtney! I told her I needed counseling immediately... and it couldn't take long. Matt was on his way home, and I needed answers! Should I tell him and risk ruining the interview he had been preparing for, or NOT tell him until his interview was over? We decided it was LESS selfish for me to keep this to myself (only for a while). That would ensure that he focuses ONLY on his interview. After all, trying to get an ounce of sleep while thinking about your interview and the possibility of your wife having a tumor (or a baby) was NOT going to happen! I hung up with her as he walked in the door and clasped my hands over my mouth with a gasp! "What?" he said... "Oh nothing... Courtney just told he the craziest story!" And that was that! The secret did not leap from my lips. It was safe... for a while.  I went to bed pretending this was NOT REALLY happening.
Matt called me on the way to my doctor's appointment to tell me the interview was over when I broke the news. "I have a mass and I am going to have it checked out. It could possibly be a tumor...or a baby!" Matt laughed. Who is this person?!!!? My husband would NOT be laughing about this matter! But, it was my husband, and he WAS laughing hysterically.
In the doctor's office, nurses scurried from all around to see this "kicking tumor" that had been rumored about! "Oh, Christy, I can definitely feel the mass... OH, and yes, it is kicking!" Dr. King did an ultrasound and to my disbelief, there indeed was a baby... who was waving!!! "Hello Mommy!! I fooled you!" "Christy, would you like to know the gender?" "UH.... NO!!! I can't really be pregnant and my husband isn't even here!!!"
And so the journey began. It wasn't that I didn't want to have a baby... Okay, maybe it was- a little! I thought I might want another baby YEARS down the road. Cayden was SO active. Could I even take care of another person? No! If only he was older...if only he wasn't such a BUSY boy!! What am I going to do with TWO busy boys!!!???
God had different plans. His plan was SO much better than mine. I am SO thankful for my sweet Brinley. She completes our family; It is a precious thing.