Week 36: The moment of truth (week 5 of pregnancy)

The pregnancy test was bought. My stomach was doing somersaults at warp speed. (Nerves or pregnancy nausea?) And I had to wait until tomorrow!

As a young woman living in South America, far from family and friends, all I can say is, thank God for google. In the days leading up to the pregnancy test, I found a number of pregnancy websites explaining everything I could possibly want to know about pregnancy, and I focused on the parts about pregnancy symptoms and how to know if you are pregnant. Of course, once you have the missed period that will get your attention, and then as the other symptoms start showing up you start to get more sure. But everyone knows that the only way to be sure is the pregnancy test. According to my google research, I was supposed to wait until I was 7 days late, and I should take the test in the morning when I first woke up. So that was tomorrow morning.

I went to bed restless, while Jairo snored on as normal. Eventually I fell asleep, only to be woken up around 5am by my new constant need to pee. I looked at the time on my cell phone. Was 5am too early? I layed in bed for a few minutes deliberating. Some people wake up at this time to get ready for work, so it must be okay, I reasoned. I staggered drunkenly to the bathroom where I had dutifully laid out everything I needed for the test. I waited for the haze to pass from my eyes before I started reading the directions, even though I had read them about ten times the night before. I did everything to the letter, exactly as I should. According to the directions, it could take up to four minutes. According to the internet, it could take up to ten. And if it was negative I didn´t need to worry. I could repeat the test in a few days. I told myself all of these things as I used the very unsophisticated dropper to put my ¨sample¨ on the little test mechanism. I was to enthralled to do anything except stand there like an idiot, staring expectantly at the device. It turned to two pink lines so quickly that I thought the test was broken. My heart was beating too fast now, and that nausea was getting worse. I read over the instructions again. Then I smiled and sighed a sigh of relief. I was not dying from some South American illness. I was pregnant. And here was my proof! I was not crazy and I had not imagined those symptoms! Aha!

Now much too awake for 5am, I grabbed the camera and started taking pictures of the positive pregnancy test. Then I cleaned up the bathroom and ran to the bedroom, camera and test in hand. I flicked on the light and forcefully woke Jairo up. Exultant I smiled and held the test in front of him. He waited for the blur to clear from his eyes before smiling and saying something like, yeah I thought so.

We took pictures...pictures of the test, pictures of me holding the test, pictures of Jairo holding the test...and then we went back to sleep.