My 4 a.m. wake-up call

Last night, for kicks, I took a home pregnancy test. I was really sure that it was too soon to show up on one of those, but I figured it wouldn't hurt since I knew the real results. There on the strip were those two pink stripes...TWO. For the first time in 3 years, it was actually positive. You'll never know how many times I've taken that same test, just to see the lone single line. We went to bed soon after that, relishing in our day and our discoveries. It was around 4 a.m. that I woke up. Wide awake. And it was at that moment that the realization hit me about what had taken place the previous day. I tried to stifle my sniffles, but the sobbing shook the bed and woke Michael up. The only way to explain it was a tremendous release. It's as if I'd been running a really long, grueling race with obstacle after obstacle and finally, I made it to the first mile marker. I've never made it to any mile marker before. I never went back to sleep. But it wasn't so bad. I spent the rest of the night in thought about the milestones ahead.