And then...

Taking a test at 6:00 a.m. in the morning is not exciting, much less in a foreign country when part of the procedure is not just releasing fluid onto a stick, but actually putting it in a cup and then using a dropper to gather exactly five drops (or six, can't remember, I was barely awake) on the strip and wait for more than one line.

My husband was in the other room, still sleeping and in denial that we were getting ready to go to the floating market outside of Bangkok, an excursion we had by-passed last visit because we were exhausted. This time I managed to convince one of our accompanying friends to also head out to the market and take photos, despite the early departure.

I got dressed and headed out the door with the two men, my mind reeling from what I had seen. I hadn't worked out a plan for how to tell my husband that the experience he was so excited about was upon us. If he asks me, I'll just tell him, my weary mind reasoned.

The whole day went by as we shopped with a newlywed couple from New Jersey and snapped away like crazy. The clandestine trip to the pharmacy next to the hotel seemed to have disappeared from my husband's mind; I was still gathering my own thoughts - like Mary, treasuring them up maybe - when in the bus on the way back from the market he turned me to me said: "What did the test say?"

He is a practical joker so this is one moment he couldn't trust the smile that spread across my face. After all I'm always trying to 'punk' him but never succeed because I'm such a bad liar and break into a hysterical fit of giggles. The shook his head because he didn't believe me; asked me again.

As the news settled in we came back to Qatar and started the round of doctor's visits, nervous about seeing people we knew at the hospital since this is such a small community. Inevitably we did. But that, we were soon to realize, was when the real adventure begins.