Welcome Second Trimester!

Good-bye anxiety and nausea; Welcome growing belly and maternity clothes! I have reached one of many milestones in this pregnancy- completing the first trimester! I am so excited to have finally reached the second trimester- when the risk of miscarriage drastically decreases, my pants slowly become tighter and tighter due to my growing belly, and I regain some energy! They say that the second trimester is when most women feel the best during their pregnancy. I can't wait to see what this trimester brings. Some of the highlights I look forward to are a growing belly and seeing a healthy baby at our ultrasound (finding out the sex will also be a bonus)! Thanks for all the "congrats" and well wishes from wonderful friends and family! Pregnancy is such an exciting journey and it just feels that much more special with the love and support of friends and family. I have enjoyed reading the stories and seeing the pictures of all YOUR pregnancies. I hope you enjoy our journey as well!

The Club

I am excited to announce that I am officially a member of the "pregnant mommies club." This is an unofficial club that you are officially a part of once you become pregnant. A club in which we all have many things in common: raging hormones, changing bodies, goofy appetites, and most importantly, the amazing privilege of creating a human being inside our very own bodies. Like many of you have already experienced, I've been waiting WEEKS to share the big news! I am now almost 13 weeks pregnant and I am due October 26th. Last week, I had my first appointment with our midwife in which Rob and I were able to hear the most beautiful sound ever, our baby's heartbeat. I had been preparing myself all day to hear this, however, when I actually heard it, I was still speechless and teary-eyed. Although I knew I was pregnant on February 17th, I didn't truly believe it until I heard that strong heart beating. Here's our story so far... On February 17th, I was two days "late". Although I had gone off birth control only the month before, in hopes of getting pregnant, I couldn't believe it would happen so quickly for me. I decided to take a pregnancy test "just to be sure" that I wasn't pregnant. I was home by myself and took the test. After only an instant, the test showed a positive result. I was in shock and denial. I had no idea what to do next, so I called Rob at work. As I was calling him, I realized how silly it would be to tell him over the phone while he was working, so I had a very short, akward conversation with him, and then came up with a plan "B." I took another pregnancy test "just to be sure" that the first one wasn't wrong, then I decided to write him a little note and wrap it up in a box along with the positive pregancy test. Then I waited, and waited, and waited. FINALLY, he arrived home from work to find the gift waiting for him on his night stand. I was already in bed and had to keep my back to him until he opened it because I knew my face would give it away! After opening his surprise gift, he grinned, and his first words were, "Are you serious?" followed by "I told you so!" :) Rob was positive I would get pregnant as soon as I went off of birth control, and boy was he right! Then, I burst into tears. After the initial shock and excitement, I was greeted by the strong urge to tell everyone I knew, but my head said otherwise. Nobody tells you that the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are an awful mix of excitment, fear, and anxiousness! I wanted to talk to everyone I knew, but was afraid to tell anyone for fear of having a miscarriage. I'm sure Rob got tired of hearing me say "Can you believe we're going to have a baby?" after the 650th time. Maybe not, because it's still pretty cool! After 5 painful (not literally painful, but it sure felt that way) weeks of waiting, I finally had my first appointment with a nurse. I could call it a "disappointment" because it involved paper work and blood work, but provided no confirmation of a growing baby- not even a pregnancy test! It was another 3 weeks before we could hear the heartbeat. That day was the most exciting and scary day I have ever anticipated. All I could think about was how amazing it was going to be to hear the heartbeat, and how painfully devastating it would be if we didn't. I can excitedly say that I WAS able to hear the heart beating, and that was all the reassurance I needed! That evening, Rob and I decided to share our news. We had already told our immediate family over Easter, but wanted to tell the extend family, friends, and co-workers. The word is out, and it is such a relief! In the meantime, I am waiting. Waiting for my next appointment in two weeks to hear that amazing sound again, waiting to completely outgrow my clothes (as they are beginning to get a little tight), and waiting until our 20 week appointment when we can find out if our little pumpkin is a boy or a girl. Wish us luck!