Who knew a heartbeat would be so exciting?

And they said it might not happen!

Well, I suppose it's time to share with the blog-o-sphere our unexpected, yet thrilling news! Lookout world, we are expecting a baby December 1st!

I guess I should start with a snapshot of history. 4 months before we got married, in January 2007 Robbie was on a snowboarding trip in Colorado. That particular day Robbie had a pretty nasty fall down the mountain, so he decided to turn in early and meet his friend back at the hotel. While in the shower he found a lump in his testicle. He called me later that day to tell me, and thank God he didn't listen to me for once. I thought he may have herniated something during the fall, but his instinct was that it was something else. So he went to see the doctor as soon as they returned from Colorado.

Super long story short: it was stage 3 testicular cancer, and it had also spread to the lymph nodes near the kidneys. (the same cancer Lance Armstrong had, which is ironic because Robbie is a cyclist) It is never enough to express how blessed we were to have his Aunt, because she is a very high ranking employee for our most prestigious medical center here in St. Louis. Robbie didn't have any health insurance so she told us about all the grants and scholarships available through trust funds. Robbie couldn't have been blessed with better care at Siteman Cancer Center.

Testicular cancer is a two-sided coin. Because it spreads sooooo quickly, it is very vulnerable to chemotherapy--making it very treatable. So unlike all other cancers, the chemo for testicular cancer is very intensive because you have to attack it with great quantities in a short amount of time. 1 chemo cycle: 8 hours a day, everyday for 2 weeks in a row; with only 1 treatment the 3rd week. Robbie had 3 cycles of chemo in 9 weeks. Plus, surgery to remove the cancerous testicle. And he still wanted to marry me on our original date! We got married 15 days after his last chemo.

Writing this is hard for me because I hate to make it sound like our story is this huge miracle because thousands of couples struggle with fertility, and I don't want to diminish that. But it really is a huge miracle, and I say that with the most humble of hearts. The doctor and nurses told us that the chemo may render Robbie sterile, and on top of that he "lost one fella".

Let's fast forward to now. This week we went to the doctor and heard our baby's heartbeat! It was the most fantastic sound ever, and I guess only those who have experienced it can know what I'm talking about. The doctor used a hand held doppler and pressed it against my abdomen. At first it sounded like when you put a seashell up to your ear....and then....duh-dunk, duh-dunk, duh-dunk!

I will be 12 weeks pregnant on Tuesday, and I CANNOT wait for the sickness to be over with! I've never puked so much in my life. (sorry if TMI) I'm hoping that I'm lucky enough to be one of those ladies whose sickness ends with the first trimester, but I've heard that some women are sick the whole 9 months. I just have to remember that heartbeat and it's all worth it!

All the Praise to God! Even when I'm sick! :)