What did I expect?

I had a lot of dreams about what the pregnancy journey would be like. I imagined sharing our news with family in some fun--possibly elaborate--way. Heck, I thought I'd surprise Mike with the news in an exciting fashion. I expected to drive around the city picking up various kinds of mashed potatoes (or some other random food) trying to satisfy an intense craving. I envisioned myself waking Mike up in the middle of the night saying, "I think this is it!" and rushing to the hospital, getting there just in time, and delivering a beautiful baby girl.

But it wasn't like that at all. The news leaked before we got a chance to share. Mike was the one who held the flashing pregnancy test until it read PREGNANT and actually gave me the news. Cravings? What cravings? I had one. And rather than getting to drive to the hospital because of waves of contractions, we waited for the doctors to call us saying they were ready to induce.

But what I didn't expect was how instantly I would fall in love with my baby girl; how instantly I would feel like a mother; how instantly I would feel peace and contentment in just holding her close. It has been a truly incredible day.