Growing up, I have ALWAYS wanted to be a mom...

I remember praying as a little girl to one day bless me with a family of my own when the time was right.

I knew at a young age that I wanted to settle down in my mid-20s, get married to the love of my life, and have a family. 

Now let's fast-forward to Nov. 2016 when God answered those prayers-double time!

On the 5th of Nov., I said "YES" to my best friend and soulmate. We were on cloud nine and had no plans of coming down. By the 28th of that month, while my new fiancé was at work, I awoke bright and early to take a pregnancy test. I knew my body like clockwork and could tell that something was up. 

I couldn’t believe my eyes when the test read positive. I remember making the loudest gasp and smiling from ear to ear… that smile soon turned into ... look of confusion. Not because I was unhappy or disappointed, but because I was SCARED OUT OF MY MIND! Here it was, the moment that I had been waiting for my entire life was finally here and I couldn’t help but think of all the things that could go wrong. 

I immediately snapped out of it, said a prayer, and got dressed! I wanted to surprise my fiancé before he came home from work that day. I practiced “reveal ideas” by watching literally hundreds of YouTube videos of women surprising their partners with their pregnancy, and by noon I’d had plenty of ideas running through my mind. I opted for the sneak-attack approach. I went to Target, bought a onesie, and folded the test inside of it and stuffed it into a shopping bag from his favorite apparel store. 

Once he got home from work, he was in such a good mood. I could barely contain myself. I tried to play it cool, but I knew that once I handed him that bag, his life would change forever. I took deep breaths, sat on the couch and turned on my Canon camera to record the moment. As he walked over to me, we locked eyes and he just stared at me and smiled. He told me he loved me, and I replied by asking him to “hand me that bag over there.” I’ll never forget it. He didn’t know it yet, but my reply was equally as sentimental because it would lead him to the greatest gift he’d ever received. 

“Can you get my shades from out of there,” I said. 

As he reached into the bag and pulled out the onesie, I could see the look of puzzlement on his face. 

Yet, he went with it. 

He unwrapped the onesie and his eyes met the positive test. 

My heart was racing. 

He instantly started jumping up and down and broke into his celebratory “touchdown dance”. 

“Oh my God, we’re having a baby,” he exclaimed, as he picked me up from the couch and we embraced one another for what felt like an eternity but in reality, it was probably about 10-seconds. 

The next nine months were filled with so much love, joy, emotional rollercoasters, and preparing. From planning a wedding to working full-time, to enjoying our final moments as a squad of two, life was beautifully chaotic. 

On August 9, 2017, our baby girl was born! After praying, and trusting that this moment would come, we were truly elated and grateful to be holding our greatest blessing in our arms. 

Today, I’m two and a half years into motherhood and I must say it’s a journey filled with ups and downs. I’ve learned so much about myself and my now-husband throughout this ride. Though we aren’t perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. 

#MommyMoment:

1. How did you find out you were pregnant?
2. What were your initial thoughts?
3. How did you share it with your partner?

Thoughtfully Written by: @ashwillwroteit