Riding the High

In the first post on our Roll-Acosta Life blog, I talked about how life is a rollercoaster, with twists and turns, ups and downs.  Life seems to have been a series of a lot of ups for our family recently.  Looking back to this time just one year ago, things were a little different for us then. 

Julian and I were trying to get pregnant.

We were in our first year of marriage still (that pivotal first year...if you're married, you know what I'm talking about). 

Julian had finished his degree, but was stuck at his old job, and he felt like he was wasting his life away while waiting for the next step.

We were contemplating a move to Virginia, and we were both actively seeking jobs, which is very stressful all by itself.

Needless to say, I think we were in a valley at that point...but then the first ray of sunshine came through. 

On May 26th, 2010, I woke up anxiously at 6:30 AM (which was early for me then).  Julian and I had been trying to get pregnant for 8 months already.  And though I had taken lots of pregnancy tests over those 8 months, I woke up that morning feeling...ummm...cautiously optomistic.  I went into the restroom and peed on a stick (yup, the ever so glamourous way that women check to see if the miracle of life has started inside their bodies).  I put the test on the counter, washed my hands, and swore not to look at the results until my husband was looking at it with me.  So I woke him up and dragged him to the bathroom so we could see the results together.  As we saw the lines forming into a little blue "plus sign," I instantly started to tear up and my husband said the absolutely sweetest thing he could possibly say at that moment...

"Congratulations! You're going to be a mommy!"

For good measure, I took another test just to make sure (hence the photo with 2 positive tests above).  As my parents will tell you, I was never any good at keeping secrets.  And as much as I knew we should wait until I had gotten further along in the pregnancy, I just could not hold the secret in.  I called my friend, Meredith, who lives down the street from me, and asked her for a ride to work (I didn't really need a ride, but I needed some reason for her to come to my house).  When she pulled up in my driveway, I ran outside, waving my pee sticks with joy.  After all, she had come over to show me her pee sticks on the day they found out they were having a baby too!

Then I sent my mom a text with the photo above.  And she called me soon thereafter filled with joy!  When I got to work, I had to tell my supervisor/friend Katy! And that night, we Skyped Julian's family to let them know...the look on their faces was priceless! And we told the rest of my immediate family over speaker phone that night, too!

That was just the beginning of the high.  A week later on June 2nd, our niece Lauren was born! 

And soon thereafter in June, Katy's baby Emersyn was born and Meredith's baby Jackson was born.  We celebrated our first wedding anniversary on June 12th.  In August, Camp Acosta took Lakeview by storm for Fish Camp 2010.

In late August, on my 28th birthday, we found out we were having a baby girl! 

In September, Julian landed a job with Verizon.  He loved his job right from the start and things were finally starting to look up for him, so he got a new truck!

And with the arrival of our little girl on February 3rd, everyday is a good day, made so bright by the little sunshine in our lives.  Add in our home being built and this coaster is definitely at the top!

It's been great riding this high, even if there have been a few lows along the way.  My great-grandmother passed away on August 28th, 2010.  I love my Grandma Pauline so much and I miss her everyday.  The holidays were particularly rough, with a personal family tragedy and being away from family since I could not travel while pregnant.  Just recently, I found out that my Grandpa Chief has cancer. 

Through it all, I am reminded that life is a rollercoaster and that we can squeal with delight at the peaks and hold on and pray through the valleys.  Either way, I wouldn't trade this ride for anything in the world!