Diane

Jeremy and I got married July 31, 1993 and exactly ten months later, on May 31, 1994, I found out I was expecting our first baby!  We were not really planning to have a baby so quickly after getting married.  We had gone to our hometown the weekend before May 31st for my best friend's wedding, which was just beautiful, by the way!  I was the Matron-of-Honor and I woke up that Saturday morning feeling like I was going to be sick.  Jeremy and I were staying with my mom and step-dad, Bill, and that morning when my mom asked me if I wanted any breakfast before leaving to get ready for the wedding, I declined her offer because I felt so sick to my stomach.  She insisted, as moms do, that I eat at least one piece of toast, so I hesitantly did, really just to make her happy.  Jeremy and I got in the car to leave right after I ate the toast, and I remember telling him, "That's odd.  I feel better now that I ate that toast.  Usually when your stomach is upset you feel worse when you eat.  I guess my mom was right.  I just needed some food on my stomach."

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of wedding festivities and fun.  We drove the 2 1/2 hours home late that Saturday night, and we were up early the next morning to take the newlyweds to the airport to leave for their honeymoon.  Yep, they scheduled their honeymoon early the morning after their wedding the same way we did.  I remember getting up that morning and feeling so exhausted.  I mean, I was tired!  Since being an adult, I have never really been able to sleep in the car much, but as we were driving home from taking them to the Tulsa airport, I laid my head back, closed my eyes and almost fell asleep.  I was that tired.  And, Jeremy and I did think it was strange, but not really knowing the tell-tell signs of pregnancy like I do now, I didn't think that much about it!

So, on Monday I was pretty tired and I didn't have to work, so I just rested.  I was thinking maybe I should get a pregnancy test done, but we didn't have a doctor yet in Broken Arrow, and I was convinced that an over-the-counter pregnancy test would not be in the least bit accurate, so I wanted to get tested by a doctor. 

There was a Planned Parenthood really close to our house.  Now, don't be angry at me about the Planned Parenthood thing.  I am totally pro-life, but I was very young and I really didn't know much about Planned Parenthood and their organization at this time.  All I knew was that I wanted to get a pregnancy test, and I thought maybe they could help me with that, since I didn't have a doctor of my own.  So, I just rested on Monday, but Tuesday morning I woke up and decided I needed to get that pregnancy test.  I didn't want to wait any longer.

So, I called the Planned Parenthood in Broken Arrow, OK and asked if they did pregnancy tests.  They said they did free pregnancy tests on Monday!  What?!?  It was Tuesday, and I was going to have to wait a whole six more days to find out if I was pregnant!  The lady I talked to mentioned that the Planned Parenthood in Tulsa did pregnancy tests for free on Tuesdays, if I wanted to drive all the way over there.  Well, Jeremy had to work that day, but I decided I would drive over there and get that test done.

I did, and I walked into the Planned Parenthood in Tulsa, and it didn't seem to be in that great of a neighborhood.  I still remember it so clearly.  I walked in, filled out the paperwork and nervously sat down next to this very skinny black girl, who looked younger than me, and had 2 or 3 young kids with her.  She looked at me when I sat down and said, "How late are ya?"

I was so surprised by her question, no "hello" or anything, but being caught off guard, I simply responded, "Two weeks."

She shook her head, and said, "Girl, you pregnant!"

By this point, I really just wanted to dart out of there, but I just sat quietly until they called my name, did my test, and informed me that I was indeed pregnant.  I didn't see that girl again, but I remember thinking, "Well, she was right.  I am pregnant!"

We didn't have cell phones back then, and Jeremy was at work until 10:00 that night, and it was late afternoon at this point.  I was so stunned about the news.  I felt so young to be a mommy, even though I was 22.  I wasn't sure what to do until Jeremy got home, so I went to the store and bought some baby wet wipes and a bar of Ivory soap, because what else are you going to do when you find out you're pregnant?  I debated about buying some diapers, but when I saw how much they cost, I decided on the baby wipes instead.

Then, I drove to Name Brand Clothing where Jeremy worked and found his vehicle in the parking lot.  I opened the bar of soap and wrote all over his car windows things like, "You're going to be a daddy!" and then I stuck the wet wipes in the front seat of his car for him to find after work.  I thought this would be a fun way to tell him we were going to have a baby.

However, soon after I got back to our little one bedroom apartment, the phone rang.  We didn't have Caller ID, I don't even think there was Caller ID in 1994, and so I answered the phone.  It was Jeremy!  I was so frustrated that he had called and ruined my surprise.  Of course, he was calling to see what the test had said.  It completely makes sense that he would call, because of course he would want to know.  But, I didn't think it seemed very exciting to tell him the news over the phone, so I wasn't very happy with him for calling!  Poor Jeremy!  I wanted him to find the decorated car after work with the wet wipes in it, but too late.  Here we were on the phone, so I told him the news over the phone, and I think I told him about the decorated car, too!

So, Diane was a bit of a surprise for us at the time, but I am SO thankful we had her when we did!  She has been such a joy and blessing in our life, and God knew we needed her then, not later!  His timing was perfect!  It just took us a little time to get used to the idea!  And, I remember we looked up the following scripture in Psalm and meditated on that a lot in the days that followed!  I'm so thankful to God that He gave us Diane!

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."  Psalm 127: 3-5