A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Day We Found Out

It was April 20^th – just another day.  Well, little did we know it was the day our lives would change forever!  It really did start out like a typical day: get up, shower, make lunches, go to work, come home….but, on this particular day, my Husband was nice enough to pick me up from work.  He was talking about his day on the way home, but all I could think about was “hmmm, my boobs seem to hurt more than normal, I wonder if I should take a pregnancy test” {my boobs were sore to the slightest touch, which for me, was weird}.  .

So, we got home and I slipped into the bathroom with one of those nifty little “tests”.  I fumbled trying to get that darn thing open {I swear, they make those things child proof}.  I sat down and did my thang, even though I made a nice mess all over the toilet seat….gross, I know.  I set the test down on the counter-top, cleaned up said mess and washed my hands – I wasn’t really even thinking about the results.  When I finally looked down, I thought  

“HOLY CRAP, IS THAT A SECOND LINE I SEE??”  

I grabbed the test and held up to my face…YES, I could definitely see a faint second line.  My heart was beating so fast, I was sure not only my Husband but the whole neighborhood could hear it beating.  

My original plan was to tell my Husband we were expecting in some sort of special way, but since he was home I had to tell him right then…and I really needed confirmation of that beautiful second line.  So, I walked into the bedroom and said “my boobs have been really sore lately, so I decided to take a pregnancy test and I think it’s positive”….he said no-way (in the I don’t want to believe it sort of way).  So I showed him the test.  He quickly said, “I don’t see a second line”, so I gladly shoved it in his face pointed out the second line.  He said, “but the second line is so faint; it’s not as dark as the other one”.  I quickly grabbed one of the TTC books and said, “SEE, it says in my book that even a faint line means you’re PREGNANT”!!  He looked up and said, “well, I guess we’re pregnant”.  

I then demanded politely suggested that we run to Walgreens so I could get one of those fancy digital tests.  I just had to see the word “pregnant” on the test instead of trying to decipher if there really was a second line.  So, we ran (literally) to Walgreens and all I could think was “I’m pregnant”.  When we got home, I had to work up another pee, so I slammed a glass of water and waited anxiously for my bladder to tell me it was ready.  What seemed like hours and hours later (when in reality it was probably 30 minutes), I was ready to go again.  I was so nervous, but managed not to make a mess this time.  The directions said to wait 3 minutes for the results – are you kidding me, they expect me to wait 3 whole minutes, they must be nuts.  I sat there staring at the darn test and about 45 seconds later the word “PREGNANT” showed up.  It was the greatest sight ever!!  

I ran downstairs to show the Hubby; we hugged and just took in the moment.  I was able to get into the Dr.’s the very next afternoon to confirm things.  It was a HUGE relief to hear my Doc say that I was in fact pregnant.  I was only 3 weeks when we found out.   It truly was one of the most memorable days of my life!!  I’m definitely looking forward to the next part of this amazing journey ♥

Summer Wrap Up

I can’t believe summer is officially over =(  My favorite time of the year is FALL, but it’s just too bad that winter comes after that.  I’m definitely not looking forward to the cold weather and copious amounts of snow.  

Let me just say that summer is a lot different when you’re pregnant.  I had a hard time handling the heat this summer – I pretty much didn’t want to sit out in the sun and heat; instead, I wanted to lay on the couch in the nice, air conditioning =)  I also feel like I wasn’t able to enjoy the longer days.  For a good portion of the summer, I was in bed by 8pm…yes, the sun was still out while I was zonked out.  

I was also unable to enjoy nice, cold, adult beverages.  Thankfully, I didn’t even want any drinks, but that’s always a great part of summer; sitting outside on a nice, warm evening, grilling and drinking an ice cold beer – don’t worry, next summer I will more than make up for it!!

This summer we celebrated our first wedding anniversary♥  We went out and enjoyed a nice breakfast (that was about the only meal that ever sounded good to me during my 1^st trimester), I came home and napped and we enjoyed a movie in the evening together.  Nothing crazy, but I was able to spend it with my Husband and that’s really all that mattered to me.  

We also took a trip to Hawaii to celebrate my brother-in-laws wedding.  It was a nice trip and probably one of the last ones we’ll be taking like that for a while.  
 

We also enjoyed some bon-fires, wonderful get-to-gethers with friends and a lot of time relaxing at home enjoying the “free-time” we still have.  Now that summer’s over, it’s time to really start focusing on all things BABY!  We need to clean out the baby’s room, paint, register, pick-out furniture, decorate, organize our basement and so much more.  I know the time is nearing quickly and I’m in full baby mode!  I can’t believe we’re already at 25 weeks.  It really is amazing how fast things go!

24 Weeks of Love

I can hardly believe we are well into the 2^nd half of this pregnancy.  In 16 or so short weeks, our baby girl will be here with us!  Wow, it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around that.  Husband and I started “baby classes” this past week.  Neither of us were exactly sure what to expect other than having tons of information thrown our way.  We survived our first night!  Actually, it was a lot of fun.  

There are 5 other couples in class with us and our instructor is great!  She’s an ex-OB nurse, so she knows all about women, babies, the what to do’s and what not to do’s – she has a very “hands-on” teaching style so sitting in a class for 2 hours and 45 minutes after a full day of work flew by.  

There is so much to learn before baby comes, so I’m glad we’re taking this class while we still have 16 weeks to prepare for baby.  I think more than anything, I want to learn more about the actual giving birth.  To me that scares the crap out of me.  I hope to come out of the classes feeling fairly knowledgeable about the process so when the time actually does come (and yes, I’m starting to accept that it WILL happen) I’m not so nervous and I can relax more making the whole process a teeny-tiny bit more enjoyable.  I’m also certain that by that time, I’ll be ready to meet our little one.  

There’s just so much to do before baby girl arrives.  Paint the room, purchase & put together the baby's furniture, register, wash baby's clothes, read a few more baby prep books, pack the bag, find a pediatrician, figure out daycare – all on top of the normal every-day things: work, maintaining the house, holiday’s….I have to believe that we will get everything done, but I also have to be realistic and remember that It’s okay if baby is ready to come and the house isn’t spotless, there are dishes in the sink, the wash isn’t all done, or the Christmas shopping isn’t quite complete.  Everything will work out (or so I’m continually told). 

We had our 24 week appointment yesterday and as always it was amazing to hear her heartbeat ♥  It’s one of the greatest sounds ever!  I also had my glucose test yesterday, so I’m hoping that I passed!  Otherwise the appointment was very routine.  At our 28 week appointment we’ll be seeing a Dr., so I’m excited about that.  

I’m feeling really good (compared to the 1^st trimester).  I’ve been having some Braxton Hicks Contractions, but nothing painful or to be alarmed over (knock on wood).  Otherwise, I have a good amount of energy, I’m eating pretty good (nothing makes me want to vomit anymore) and I’m sleeping alright.  I have a hard time getting comfortable at night and sleeping on my left side is by far the most uncomfortable way to sleep, but I’m managing.  I’m trying to get as much sleep as possible as I know soon enough, 2 or 3 hours will have to suffice.  Otherwise, I’m just enjoying this time and baby girls’ kicks…they are enough to make me constantly smile =)

Babies R US = Baby Insanity

So, the Hubs and I went to Babies R Us over the weekend to start looking at cribs, strollers, car seats, etc.  It started out really “fun”.  We sat and looked at car seats & strollers, while keeping in mind safety, practicality and over-all-look.  But, let me just say, there are way too many options.  Couldn’t they just make 3 (one look for boys, one for girls and one neutral) car seats – it would sure make the process a lot easier and much less stressful!  NOPE, instead they make 85 different kinds all slightly different – I mean seriously, as if having to take a teeny-tiny little human in a car isn’t stressful enough, then they make you pick out a car seat where you as parents can only hope and pray it’s the safest model.  

After about 30 minutes of staring, comparing, taking notes & blankly staring at each other, we decided to move on to the crib section.  I thought they’d have 7-10 cribs set up, WRONG, they really want to make things difficult and set up about 40 different cribs.  Some are dark wood, some light, some white, some off-white, some with a changing table attached, some that turn into a toddler bed, some really cheap and some way over-priced (in my opinion at-least).  We walked and looked at each and every one…coming no-where closer to making a decision by the end, but I will say, a few really stuck out in our minds, so that’s a start.  

On a very positive note, we did find the bassinet we want.  It’s very neutral and very practical.  I haven’t been able to find that model on their website, so we may have to go back and by it in case it goes off the shelves anytime soon.  

Thankfully, a majority of our friends have had babies and have so generously shared some “must-haves” and some things that weren’t worth the money, so at least we’re getting some really good advice.  I’ll take whatever I can get!! 

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Telling Our Parents

Telling our parents was so much fun!  We decided to wait until at least week 8 before "spilling the beans".  We wanted to make sure that everything was going fine with our little one before getting everyone all excited.  So, at almost week 8 (7 weeks and 6 days to be exact), we decided to tell my parents!  

We decided to invite them over for a casual dinner.  We had it all planned out.  I was so nervous and so excited all at the same time.  They came over around 6pm and I just couldn't wait to tell them.  Earlier in the week, Husband and I decided to buy some onesies and iron on "I love Grandma" and "I love Grandpa" to give to my parents.  They barely got in the door and I handed each of them their gifts.  I said they were "late Mother's Day" and "early Father's Day" presents.  Of course, my Dad had to chime in, "you don't need to buy us gifts" {little did he know}!  

My Dad was the first to get his opened and he read the onesie, looked up at me and said "ARE YOU??" and I nodded {because I couldn't say "yes" since I was trying to hold back the tears}.  He quickly jumped up and gave me the biggest hug ever!  I could see the excitement in his face.  He ran over to my Husband and congratulated him.  

My Mom had tears in her eyes; she was so excited.  She gave me and Hubs hugs and then the questions started: "when are you due", "how are you feeling", "are you able to eat", "when did you find out", "how far along are you"....etc.  Of course these were endless questions that I didn't mind answering.  It was fun to talk about it with other people!  My Dad instantly started calling baby Mack, "George" (or "Georgina" if it was a girl).  They are so excited for baby Mack to be here and they are going to be amazing Grandparents!  

About a week or so later, Husband decided he was ready to tell his parents.  Since his parents don't live anywhere near us, we decided to Skype them.  He set up a time and we both got on the computer with his parents to share our exciting news.  My Husband only talks to his parents once a week, so they had some catching up to do before we blurted out  shared the news.  Once we were ready, Husband held up a little outfit we bought baby and his parents said, "is this an announcement?" - we said YES, we're expecting!  They threw out their congrats and asked a few questions.  It was so much fun to be able to tell them "face-to-face" even if it was via computer.  

We both feel so blessed to have such amazing parents. Parents that will support us through this journey and love our baby with all their heart!  

Double Deuce!

Well, we’ve hit week 22...I can’t believe how fast the 2^nd trimester has gone so far.  Baby girl sure is active and I’m loving it!  

The last couple of nights we’ve put headphones on my big ole’ belly and put on some Mozart for her to listen too.  Either she doesn’t like it and she’s trying to get away from the “music” or she loves it and is dancing to the beat (if that’s the case, she definitely takes after her daddy!).  Either way, I love feeling her wiggle around; it’s such an amazing feeling!  

Not much else is news.  I’m starting to look more & more pregnant with each passing day.  I’m feeling really good; unfortunately, sleep is another story.  I just can’t seem to get comfortable at night.  I toss & turn, but nothing seems to “feel right”.  Apparently I’ve been wandering over to my Husband’s side of the bed at night, which doesn’t give him much room – which in turn means neither of us are getting much sleep =(  Therefore, I nap when I can and I love that!  Otherwise, things are going well!