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The cat's out of the bag and I finally told him I'm pregnant.
It was by far, the LONGEST week and I could barely keep it in!
Monday, October 20, 2020 - Found out I was pregnant at our Airbnb in Park City. Quickly come up with a plan to pretend that I am not pregnant with James (he usually knows me better than I know myself).
Tuesday, October 21, 2020 - Come up with the plan to share the news during a photoshoot that we had already started talking about
Wednesday, October 22, 2020 - Reach out to a local photographer and share the plan with the photographer on how to surprised James
Friday, October 24, 2020 - Start a 3-day white rim mountain biking trip in Canyonlands (more on this later)
Tuesday, October 28, 2020 - Our scheduled shoot where I broke the news...
After I found out about the pregnancy, I was determined to keep it a surprise from James. I've never successfully kept a secret from James before but if there was a time to do it, this was going to be it.
From the moment we got to Park City, he knew that my cycle was already late. I jokingly told him that I was going to go get a pregnancy test if my period still didn't come by Monday. Come Monday morning, I was still late so I swung by the local Walgreens and brought back a pregnancy test. James was on a call and I thought that the chances were very slim that I would be pregnant anyways so I took it on a whim only to be completely floored with the news. Because he knew that I had gone out to buy a pregnancy test, I quickly drove back to the Walgreens to buy a new box so that I could pretend I never took the test in the first place and got my period that morning. James bought the story as my heart raced a million miles an hour :)
Before the trip, we had talked about taking a few fall photos for our holiday card tradition. He knew I was planning to find a local photographer within the week to capture the fall foliage so it didn't seem out of the norm. It was the perfect chance to capture the moment and share with our little one someday :)
I scrambled to find available photographers within a weeks notice and managed to find an awesome local photographer who was available to help us shoot at Arches National Park. My plan was to bring a sign that I would somehow sneak in as part of the shoot and have the photographer capture his reaction on the spot. Throughout the rest of the week, I went back and forth coordinating with the photographer and sneaking out to buy the props (a lot harder than it seems in a touristy town with few shops!). The nerves were settling in and I could hardly contain it!
We had booked a 3-day mountain biking trip on the White Rim trail in Canyonlands before our road trip because I wanted something adventurous. The fact that ... 1.) I never rode a mountain bike for more than 10 miles 2.) I'm pregnant and 3.) James had no idea at the time made me very apprehensive to actually go through with the bike trip. After Googling whether mountain biking is safe when pregnant (I know...) and pep talking to myself that I could do it, we carried ahead. The morning of the trip, I pulled the tour guide aside and told her about my pregnancy (and the fact that James did not know) in the event of an emergency. She was both shocked and excited for me, reassuring me that everything would be fine given her previous experience riding with a woman who was 7 months pregnant ... !!
The mountain biking trip was an experience of a lifetime and so, so worth it. I'll admit that I heavily contemplated quitting and joining the SAG car after the first day but knew that James wouldn't give me a break since I was the one who wanted to do the trip. Each day offered beautiful landscapes in such a remote and untouched area. The weather was perfect and what wasn't rideable (to me) was at least walkable. That is... up until the last day when our luck ran out and it started pouring rain for the last hour on the steepest uphill climb.
Despite being the slowest one of the group (literally slower than 60 year old participants which was very humbling), I was so proud and relieved to just finish the 70+ mi journey (with only one minor accident)! It was incredible and our guides were fantastic. Highly recommend doing this for anyone seeking a little active adventure (even if you're pregnant!) :)
After the trip, it was showtime!
We got ready earllllly on Tuesday morning to beat the crowds and met the photographer at Arches to get ready for our shoot. It was cold (like.. snow on the ground cold) but the knots in my stomach offset the thin dress I smartly chose to wear ;)
The photographer recommended breaking the news at the first location so that we could enjoy the rest of the shoot and play into the pregnancy announcement. After clumsily handing her the sign and props I had, we started taking a few photos. About 20 minutes in, she tells James to look out into the horizon as she hands me the sign and the rest is history...
I nervously laughed.
He cried.
We hugged.
It was all just perfect.