Before I even thought of getting pregnant, I knew that when the day came I wanted to surprise my husband with the news in a cute and original way. However, that’s not exactly the way it played out – with either of my pregnancy announcements!

We had only been trying for a month when I became pregnant the first time, and I was completely caught off guard. After a bad workout and some helpful advice from my sister, I decided to take an at-home test. On my way from the store – test in hand -- I called my husband to come home right away. My message must have had him concerned, because he made it in record time!

When he walked in, I had already taken the test but couldn't muster up the courage to check it myself. I'll never forget him saying "Are you serious?" when I asked him to take the first peek. He sat beside me for a second, as if to let it all sink in, and then with a flash, he jumped up and said, "Let's do this". Once he took a look, he immediately began celebrating like he won the Super Bowl – I knew then that we were pregnant!

When the opportunity rolled around for my second chance, I once again dropped the ball when it came to a cute and original pregnancy announcement for my husband. After several months of trying, I was having trouble getting pregnant. I had seen my doctor, and after some testing, he felt I had a good chance of getting pregnant in the following month. So it really wasn't a surprise to my husband when I told him I was going to take a test. After six months of getting negative results, I didn't want to find out alone. And just like before, we sat for what felt like an eternity, until the timer went off.  For the second time, my husband checked the test first, it was positive! We had done it again.

In hindsight, it wasn't the most creative way to make a pregnancy announcement, but it was perfect for us. Being pregnant in itself is one of life's greatest surprises, and I'm glad I got to share that moment with my husband.

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When you've been married for almost five years, your family has a tendency to ask you if you're pregnant on a regular basis. So when it finally came time to make the big pregnancy announcement, I knew it had to be good.

With my first pregnancy, things didn't quite go as planned, but we still were able to have some fun with it. I was really sick one day and on the urging of my sister, I went and bought a pregnancy test. I didn't tell her I was going to do it, but she swears to this day, "she knew" before I told her by just looking at me.

For the rest of our family members, however, I told my husband I wanted to wait until I saw the doctor before sharing any news. So imagine my surprise when, as my mom is walking through the door the next day, my husband just blurted out "Hi Grandma." After her celebration dance, we had to swear her to secrecy and came up with the plan to reveal the big news at brunch on Mother's Day, a month later. I bought all the women Mother's Day cards and signed them from the baby. It took a minute for people to notice, but when they did, it was perfect.

When it came time to make the next pregnancy announcement for our second baby, I had a secret weapon: my 2½ year-old daughter. I purchased her a 'big sister' t-shirt and then took a picture. I really liked seeing everyone's reactions in person the first time, so I literally carried the photograph around and would show it to members of the family. After they'd look at the photo, I'd have my daughter tell them she was going to have a baby brother or sister. She loved getting to be the one who got to tell the big secret!

Though my ideas weren't anything over the top, I truly enjoyed them, because they allowed us to be with the people we loved while sharing some of the biggest news of our lives. Seeing everyone so excited about our new additions to the family let us know that our little ones would be so loved when they arrived.

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I knew how I’d tell my husband that I was pregnant months before we even began trying for a baby. One night, I was browsing the internet and came across an online shop; they sold onesies with hand-stitched college logos on the front. I immediately ordered one from his alma mater, and when it arrived, I tucked it in the back of my top drawer.

The day I found out I was pregnant, my husband left for work before I even woke up. I carefully followed the directions on the home pregnancy test and was disappointed to see one line, not two. The stick went directly in the trash. But then, about half an hour later, I felt compelled to look again – and this time, it was positive! The second line was very faint, but it was there.

The rest of the day went by in blur; I wanted my husband to come home badly, so I could make my well-planned pregnancy announcement!

Right before he arrived, I set up a video camera on a book shelf. When I heard his car pull into the driveway, I pressed record. My husband walked in the front door, and I practically dragged him to the couch – I couldn’t wait one second longer to tell him about our growing family!

“I have a gift for you!” I said with a smile. I handed him the wrapped onesie, and he opened it up. He didn’t get it right away; he looked at me in confusion. I blurted out, “I’m pregnant!” and I watched his face go from shock, to disbelief, to pure joy. He leapt off the couch and hugged me so hard, asking if it was really true.

Over two years later, we still love to watch the video of our celebrating our soon-to-be new addition to the family. It’s so wonderful to have a recording of the exact moment our lives changed forever. I can’t wait to show it to my son when he’s older!

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It was a few days before my period was due, and I could hardly contain myself. Could this be the month that I was pregnant? I didn't feel any different, but I was optimistic.

My husband was already at work when I woke up. I practically ran to the bathroom and unwrapped one of the many pregnancy tests I kept under the sink. After reading the instructions, I followed each step carefully. I set an alarm for five minutes and put the test on the countertop , then, I waited. Would I be a new mom soon?

One line appeared, as it always did. But the second line -- the important line -- did not. I checked the alarm; it was about to go off. I looked at the test again and sighed. No second line. I tried to cheer up by reminding myself that it was pretty early in my cycle to be testing. This month could still be the month. I guess today just wasn't the day, I’d have to wait a little longer for our new addition to the family.

I tossed the test in the trash and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. A little while later, I felt this strange sensation come over me. "Go look at the test again!" popped into my head. I’ve double-checked tests before; this time seemed different.

Two lines! There were two lines on the pregnancy test. The second line was very faint, but it was definitely there. I was going to be a new mom!

I immediately ripped open another test...and another…and another. I took six more tests before I was convinced that I was pregnant! I remember sitting down on the couch, heart pounding, as I contemplated my future. A baby! I looked at my positive tests over and over again to reassure myself that it was real. Once it sunk in, I began to think about telling my husband and smiled as I realized that he’d be just as excited about our growing family.

Finding out that I was pregnant was the best moment of my life -- until our son was born, of course!

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