The Word is Out...FINALLY!

As of Friday the world, or at least those on Facebook, officially know about our big news! It's such a relief to not have to keep that bottled up anymore. Thanks to all those who did though! The immediate response from our friends as been amazing! My heart feels so full and Erik and I consider ourselves truly blessed to have such incredible support. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing "you'll be a great Mom". Hands down the BEST compliment ever! I've added new songs to my playlist in honor of this great occasion. The first one is cheesy but I couldn't help myself. The words are too cute!

What led to this wide release of information you ask? Our first ultra sound also happened on Friday. Erik and I headed to our second doctor's appointment with no expectation of having one since my office doesn't do ultra sounds without a medical reason until 20 weeks. I thought I would go crazy if I didn't have one before then! We were however supposed to hear the heart beat at our visit with the doppler thingy. (Yes, that IS the technical term.) I guess I tugged at the doctor's heart just enough because she kind of faked not hearing the heart beat and ordered me to have an ultra sound done "just to be safe". I love her! I nearly jumped off the table when she told us. And basically the smile never left my face for the rest of the day. Even when I had to do my blood work! Here's a picture of what I've been calling our little gummy bear since that's how the ultra sound tech described the size of our baby right now. She also said our baby was really moving and shakin'! It's little arms were moving all around and you could see it's legs kicking up a storm! The MOST AMAZING thing I've ever experienced. Of course, I cried the whole time.

I already consider myself a religious person but even if I wasn't, there is no way you can witness an ultra sound and not believe in an amazing creator. It is LIFE CHANGING to watch your little baby moving around inside of you. Seeing the teeny tiny heart beat just reminds me of how incredible our Lord is. I am so lucky to be married to the man I love and adore, have the fantastic friends and family that I have, AND be able to bring another life into this world.

The Big Green Monster/ The Greatest Pillow EVER

I feel like our doctor’s appointment will NEVER get here! I usually can’t wait for the month of October and hope that it lasts forever but it’s a little different this year. You know it’s bad when I’m actually ok with having more blood tests done. On a more positive note, we have LOVED telling our friends and family our good news. I could drag that part out forever! Our cousins on the Duane side were SO excited for us! The kids have all started picking out names already. Caroline literally got out paper and wanted me to write down all the ones we were thinking of using. It’s funny how kids minds work…their big concern was mostly that I don’t name our baby after the kid in their class they don’t like. Jackson said he wanted to tell his whole class the next day at school-like they would care. Robert just kept looking at us like “I know how that happened!”

Fortunately, I’ve still been feeling pretty good. So tired still…slept for 12 hours last night however the night before that I didn’t sleep much at all. I loaded all the pillows up and then ending up throwing them all off. But I still don’t regret buying my huge pregnancy pillow. It’s AMAZING! It was a treat for myself since I have to sleep alone most every night while Erik is at work. (I’m great at rationalizing.) My food cravings are pretty broad. I basically want anything that doesn’t come from our kitchen. If I know that I have to fix it, it just doesn’t sound good. And not just because I’m being lazy…it literally makes me nauseous to think about the ingredients that go together. I’ve had quite a few grilled cheese sandwiches and cereal. That usually always sounds good to me. I’m usually only really sick a couple days a week which is nice. But man when those days come, they come with a vengeance! My sense of smell is fierce too. I made spaghetti last night and could still smell it in the kitchen this morning. Not a good thing. Ok next blogger goal, write about something other than pregnancy. But seriously, my pillow is incredible.

Breaking the News and Our First Doctor Visit

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I updated! Since my last entry we’ve told a few people our big news! First we told my Mom and Dad, now named Granna and Pop, and Robyn and Parker. (On September 20th) They were floored! I was pretty nervous about telling them since I felt sure that Mom and Daddy didn’t know we were trying to get pregnant. So nervous that I actually took another pregnancy test the day before just to make sure I still was! But they have been super supportive and excited! We told them by wrapping up little onsies that I made for them. Mom and Dad’s said “Kickin it with Grandma” and “Kickin it with Grandpa”. Robyn’s said “If you think I’m cute, you should see my Aunt Robyn”. I think she may be still in shock. And she KNEW we wanted to have a baby! She had also requested that we start on it now since our kid will need to be 2 years old when she gets married so it can be in the wedding. What Robyn wants, Robyn gets! On our way home from Mom and Daddy’s that night Erik couldn’t wait to tell his parents so we called them to tell them the good news. He had originally wanted to wait until after our first doctor’s visit but I think after actually getting to say the words “we’re pregnant” it’s too exciting to stop with just once! His parents were so excited!! It was raining so hard on our way home we called them again once we got in the house to make sure they heard us correctly. Again, once you’ve said it once, you just can’t help yourself from saying it again. After that Erik called his brother Richie and sister Leah who were both thrilled for us! Even after all that, it still seems surreal to me. Since my girls at Ideal Image know me so well it seemed impossible for me to keep from telling them. Especially since we see each other at least once a week and they knew we were trying to conceive…down to “the day” actually. We are a pretty tight knit group. J I avoided them as long as I could. So much so that they actually thought I was mad at them! I decided to plan a visit to the office for “lunch” (on September 23rd) so I could tell all of them at once. My friend Julie was in town from Louisiana (who by the way is also pregnant!) so we grabbed a little lunch and a dessert surprise for the girls. We had the lady at the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen write the word BABY on a Grasshopper Pie (my fav!). I sat it on the counter once we got to the office and took off the lid. Tiffany was the first to see it and she literally jumped out of her chair! Thank goodness no one was in the office because the jumping and squeals that came next I think only dogs could hear. They are such a supportive group of friends and it was amazing to share the news with them.

We had our first doctor appointment on September 25th and everything went great. I felt like they drained all the blood from my body and rearranged my uterus but I guess that’s normal. I had a list of questions for the doctor however I was so overwhelmed and nervous I didn’t ask any of them. Fortunately, Dr. Wilson is good enough that she answered most of them without my asking. Erik went with me but I think it was less exciting than he had hoped it would be. Once we left the office he looked at me and asked “So what exactly just happened that confirmed you are pregnant?” See…surreal. As we were leaving the office we happened to run into some friends of ours. Naturally, you are trying to be sly and NOT tell anyone and then you run into friends of yours in the elevator. And let’s face it, it’s not every day that your husband accompanies you to your Gynecology visit. Plus I was so floored to see them my words were all over the place. We didn’t tell them then, but they knew. We have pretty intelligent friends. The list of people in the know is growing. It’s been great sharing the news! Tonight we are planning on telling the cousins and Aunt Peggy and Uncle Don. We are doing impromptu drive bys to say hello and tell them we’re having a baby! I’m still feeling pretty good. There’s only been a few days that I’ve felt really nauseous. But it comes with a vengeance when it does. Mostly I’m just REALLY tired. It’s weird to think that I don’t really do anything during the day but my body feels like it’s been going for 24 hours with no sleep. Naps are my best friend right now. I’m definitely looking forward to my second trimester for several reasons. Hopefully I’ll have more energy and I’ll be able to shake this anxious feeling of “Am I REALLY pregnant still?”

Yup, Definitely Pregnant

Yesterday I ran into Leigh Bakken Borraga at Walmart and felt like I was wearing an “I’m Pregnant” t-shirt! I feel like it’s written all over my face all the time! I have literally been dodging calls from people for fear that I’ll spill the beans. I haven’t even talked to my mom since Friday!! I also went yesterday and picked up Lilly from mom and dad’s house while no one was there so I wouldn’t have to face anyone. Now today, I feel like some possessed woman. Apparently I’ve been really snippy with Erik on several occasions and I have had no idea that I was doing it. I think most of my frustration is stemming from the fact that I can’t tell anybody. It’s like you have this great moment when you realize you are having a baby but then you aren’t supposed to share it with the people you love and who love you. So far I’ve only told Ashley, Mike and Jenny. It’s also scary knowing that we haven’t put our house up for sale yet and we desperately need to unload it. It’s hard to truly prepare for the future when there are so many things up in the air. I just keep reminding myself that it’s all about God’s timing. All things will work to glorify him! PS…I just cried uncontrollably during the movie Raising Helen. This should come as no surprise since I actually got choked up when Beyonce called Taylor Swift on stage at the VMA’s the other night. Let’s hope this is a phase.

We're Pregnant! What?!

We’re pregnant! It’s unbelievable to me still but after several tests it’s true. I thought I should start journaling about our new great adventure so we can relive the story with this tiny seed one day. We’d been “trying” as they say, since June of 2009. I had actually just woken Erik with the news that we hadn’t gotten pregnant again this month on Thursday (September 10th). I had recieved the wrong monthly gift. (or so I thought) As I lay in bed crying he assured me that it would happen sometime and that just because we weren’t pregnant this month didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen for us. The next day we were set to leave and head to Lake Cumberland with Ashley and Mike. I realized that afternoon that “something” was missing. Erik and I had bought a few pregnancy tests just in case so I figured it couldn’t hurt for me to take one before leaving for the weekend….just to make sure. A few minutes later, there appeared a pink line. It was faint, but a line none the less. I ran out into the living room where Erik was holding the test in my hand frantically asking him "Does that look like a pink line to you?!!!" That led to an immediate trip to Wal Mart to buy more. This time I bought the test that actually used words so as not to have anything open to interpretation. We made a quick stop at Thortons for ice before we went to pick up Ashley. I had chugged water on the way there but still had trouble taking the test. Nothing says class like taking a pregnancy test at a gas station. Sadly, I read the words “not pregnant”. I was so upset! We went on, determined to have a fun weekend. On our way down to the lake we stopped at a place called Family Affair and ate a fantastic catfish dinner with the Bryants and Ashley. Before we set off for the rest of the drive I slipped into the restroom and took another test. I waited anxiously for the result….PREGNANT! I could hardly believe my eyes! I walked out to the car to show Erik. He gave me a big smile and a huge hug. It was hard to get really excited since we were in a public place. I immediately asked if he cared if I told Ashley and he said sure. I couldn’t even speak the words I just showed her the test. She literally jumped up and wrapped her arms (and legs) around me! As the news sunk it on the rest of the ride we talked about baby names, how we would tell our parents and when we could tell the rest of the world. We also agreed that we needed to stop before the boat and pick up another test. So….after 6 tests and 5 positive results here we are. I only felt a little sickish today but who knows if that’s because of the pregnancy, something I ate, the rocking of the boat or just nerves. Regardless, I am OVER THE MOON excited! It still hasn’t completely sunk in. I think until you can start telling people it almost seems like a dream. So my little one…I will do my best to give you a healthy start. Just know, you are already loved.