At our 18 week appointment on November 26th, the day after Cody's birthday, we found out the gender! We are so excited to share that we are having a B O Y !!!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Baby Journey -It's A ...
Baby Journey - It's A ...
At our 18 week appointment on November 26th, the day after Cody's birthday, we found out the gender! We are so excited to share that we are having a B O Y !!!
At our 18 week appointment on November 26th, the day after Cody's birthday, we found out the gender! We are so excited to share that we are having a B O Y !!!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Baby Journey -Part 6
Baby Journey -Part 6: End of the First Trimester
(I'm almost caught up on my writing! Today we are at 18 weeks and this is from the 11th and 12th week finishing up the first trimester.)
Tonight we are at 11 and a half weeks and celebrated Cody's grandparents' 50th anniversary with that side of the family. We took advantage of the celebratory night and all of the family being together to officially start announcing our news. So far we had told parents, grandparents, and close friends. Now that we're just about 12 weeks we decided it would be a good opportunity to share. After the dinner and right before dessert, Cody's dad Steve started some toasts to Nana and Granddaddy. Cody closed it out with his own toast to them, and at the end of his little speech announced our news to the group. It was so fun and exciting to get to tell them in person at a fun occasion! I wish we had the opportunity to share in person with all of our extended family. But, as that is not the case, we had prepared an announcement photo of a little pumpkin family and the text "Coming Soon; April 2014" to send out. We emailed the rest of our families to tell them we're pregnant and share our picture.
We decided on the style picture we wanted together and went out and picked the pumpkins and baby beanie together. We were going to set it up and take several similar yet slightly different photos, but I really did not feel well this morning at all, and we were worried it was going to rain later in the day. So Cody set it up and did all of it himself and it turned out great! Also, in previous years we've always wanted to carve pumpkins together and just never got around to going to get them in time. So bonus -now we already have pumpkins purchased and in our house for this month. (Haha - since this has now come and gone I can honestly say that we still have never carved pumpkins! They sat around forever and eventually got thrown out.)
(I'm almost caught up on my writing! Today we are at 18 weeks and this is from the 11th and 12th week finishing up the first trimester.)
Tonight we are at 11 and a half weeks and celebrated Cody's grandparents' 50th anniversary with that side of the family. We took advantage of the celebratory night and all of the family being together to officially start announcing our news. So far we had told parents, grandparents, and close friends. Now that we're just about 12 weeks we decided it would be a good opportunity to share. After the dinner and right before dessert, Cody's dad Steve started some toasts to Nana and Granddaddy. Cody closed it out with his own toast to them, and at the end of his little speech announced our news to the group. It was so fun and exciting to get to tell them in person at a fun occasion! I wish we had the opportunity to share in person with all of our extended family. But, as that is not the case, we had prepared an announcement photo of a little pumpkin family and the text "Coming Soon; April 2014" to send out. We emailed the rest of our families to tell them we're pregnant and share our picture.
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Happy 50th Anniversary to Nana and Granddaddy!
We loved celebrating with y'all and sharing our news at the special occasion!
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| We thought it turned out cute : ) Don't you? |
12 weeks
Today is the end of 12 weeks and tomorrow starts week 13! Tonight Cody took my weekly picture and he said that I have my first real "bump". Later he said I looked round like an orange. I feel like I've had a small belly for a couple weeks now, but it sort of comes and goes. I mean, before I was pregnant I would normally get a tiny "belly" after eating a lot (-that's totally normal for everyone, right?) but now that I am pregnant, it seems like my belly gets WAY bigger after eating. I look at it in the morning before going to work, and I do have a very small consistent bump now, but by the end of the day after lunch and dinner and snacks, it seems almost twice as round. Either way I guess, I officially think I have a bump -granted it's still small.
I have thankfully been feeling somewhat better recently. Not completely, but I have had some of my energy back (some, way better than none) and am feeling not great really, but not as awful either. But right now, I'll take what I can get. Hopefully as the next week or two continue just like everyone, my doctor included, seems to be promising, I will start to finally feel way better and as my father-in-law said, move out of the "weary" stage and into the "cheery" stage.
Also, I think I had my first real craving about a week ago. I'm not going to tell the whole story because, well, it ended in quite a fight. But after the fact, I think it is slightly humorous (slightly) and in hindsight, I think it was my first (and so far only) real craving. I've been interested in certain foods and some things have sounded good while others not so good, but this was totally different. It was intense. It was all about chocolate frozen yogurt -specifically with strawberries on top. It didn't just sound good - I wanted it and I wanted it NOW. And oh my gosh. I had such a personal dilemma about it. I read somewhere online that while pregnant you shouldn't eat soft serve ice cream/frozen yogurt because of possible bacteria-or-something that could maybe be in the something that makes the yogurt. Well, I never heard my doctor mention that to me and there were other things I read online that said that was ridiculous. Frozen or soft serve yogurt or ice cream was not on the list from my doctor. So I was very confused and torn. I REALLY wanted that chocolate frozen yogurt with strawberries, but if it was true that it could possibly be harmful then I wouldn't want to eat it. But my doctor never told me that, so surely it isn't that likely or true... right? I think you see where my brain was stuck. Cody and I were driving in the car and I literally was both trying to Google on my phone to find any confirmation if I could or shouldn't eat it in the first place, while simultaneously Googling where a place might be that we could stop. I got very mad. (That should probably be all caps.) I also got very emotional. (Ditto.) I did not know what I should do and I was driving Cody nuts with my indecision and the fact that I was a crazy person. And just to add to the crazy, this was all out of nowhere. I was absolutely not interested in yogurt one minute, the next I had to have it -and within 5 to 10 minutes the whole personal mental dilemma took pace that included yelling, crying, and wanting to get my doctor on the phone to get permission to stop for dessert. To sum up this not-so-short story, I did not get my frozen yogurt, and I do have that as a question written down to ask at my next appointment. Cody convinced me I did not need to call about that, but could wait until my next scheduled visit. I am really, really hoping the answer is yes -I can enjoy frozen yogurt. (Again as this is now in the past, I will share that I did ask my doctor about that and she said that was ridiculous and I can absolutely have it. I think she thought I was ridiculous for asking. Oh well. Now I can enjoy it peacefully.)
*Favorites & Least Favorites: The 1st Trimester*
Least Favorites: feeling constantly sick, being beyond exhausted, not being able to take my allergy medicine, giving up Dr. Pepper, pain when I sneeze, feeling like I look awful for weeks on end, my pants and some skirts hurting my belly, headaches and not being able to take anything but Tylenol as it does not help my frequent headaches
Favorites: naps! Cody being immediately thrilled and constantly excited : ) Preggie Pops, my doctor telling me to drink a cup of coffee after taking Tylenol for a headache, telling our parents we're pregnant, sandwiches (I seriously really enjoy eating sandwiches now -If you take me out to a sandwich place for lunch I will be thrilled), seeing the first sonogram pictures of our baby and hearing the heartbeat!
Also, I think I had my first real craving about a week ago. I'm not going to tell the whole story because, well, it ended in quite a fight. But after the fact, I think it is slightly humorous (slightly) and in hindsight, I think it was my first (and so far only) real craving. I've been interested in certain foods and some things have sounded good while others not so good, but this was totally different. It was intense. It was all about chocolate frozen yogurt -specifically with strawberries on top. It didn't just sound good - I wanted it and I wanted it NOW. And oh my gosh. I had such a personal dilemma about it. I read somewhere online that while pregnant you shouldn't eat soft serve ice cream/frozen yogurt because of possible bacteria-or-something that could maybe be in the something that makes the yogurt. Well, I never heard my doctor mention that to me and there were other things I read online that said that was ridiculous. Frozen or soft serve yogurt or ice cream was not on the list from my doctor. So I was very confused and torn. I REALLY wanted that chocolate frozen yogurt with strawberries, but if it was true that it could possibly be harmful then I wouldn't want to eat it. But my doctor never told me that, so surely it isn't that likely or true... right? I think you see where my brain was stuck. Cody and I were driving in the car and I literally was both trying to Google on my phone to find any confirmation if I could or shouldn't eat it in the first place, while simultaneously Googling where a place might be that we could stop. I got very mad. (That should probably be all caps.) I also got very emotional. (Ditto.) I did not know what I should do and I was driving Cody nuts with my indecision and the fact that I was a crazy person. And just to add to the crazy, this was all out of nowhere. I was absolutely not interested in yogurt one minute, the next I had to have it -and within 5 to 10 minutes the whole personal mental dilemma took pace that included yelling, crying, and wanting to get my doctor on the phone to get permission to stop for dessert. To sum up this not-so-short story, I did not get my frozen yogurt, and I do have that as a question written down to ask at my next appointment. Cody convinced me I did not need to call about that, but could wait until my next scheduled visit. I am really, really hoping the answer is yes -I can enjoy frozen yogurt. (Again as this is now in the past, I will share that I did ask my doctor about that and she said that was ridiculous and I can absolutely have it. I think she thought I was ridiculous for asking. Oh well. Now I can enjoy it peacefully.)
*Favorites & Least Favorites: The 1st Trimester*
Least Favorites: feeling constantly sick, being beyond exhausted, not being able to take my allergy medicine, giving up Dr. Pepper, pain when I sneeze, feeling like I look awful for weeks on end, my pants and some skirts hurting my belly, headaches and not being able to take anything but Tylenol as it does not help my frequent headaches
Favorites: naps! Cody being immediately thrilled and constantly excited : ) Preggie Pops, my doctor telling me to drink a cup of coffee after taking Tylenol for a headache, telling our parents we're pregnant, sandwiches (I seriously really enjoy eating sandwiches now -If you take me out to a sandwich place for lunch I will be thrilled), seeing the first sonogram pictures of our baby and hearing the heartbeat!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Baby Journey -Part 5
Baby Journey -Part 5: 2nd Sonogram Weeks 9 & 10
[Catching up on what I've written: This is from the end of week 9 and week 10. We are currently 17 and a half weeks and we find out the gender at our 18 week appointment on Tuesday!]
Lately I feel huge and gross. I know I'm not actually big at all yet and might not even be noticeable to others if you aren't looking right at my belly. It would of course be more noticeable if I walked around in skin tight clothes, but fortunately I don't with the exception of yoga pants and tank tops strictly at home. Fridays at school are "Spirit" days which means we can wear jeans with either a school shirt or a college (aka A&M) shirt. Well last Friday I seriously felt massive. I don't know how other pregnant women feel at almost 10 weeks but I have no pants that are comfortable. I started walking around with my pants unbuttoned at work about two weeks ago. I've tried the "hairband" trick to loop the button so it doesn't pop out as much, but my hairbands must be too stretched out to really do any good. I have seriously wondered if people notice (notice my unbuttoned pants more than any belly yet). At first I would discretely try to re-button my pants before walking into the hall - but honestly I don't even do that much now. It is just too uncomfortable. Last Friday during my conference I texted Cody and said "I feel huge today. I am busting out of my jeans." His reply at least made me smile when he said "Aww you be preggers with my baby!" : )
The following day, Saturday, was the first time I felt okay in a while so Cody and I went out to lunch and then to a movie. I wore a long maxi dress and Cody made some comment that I looked nice/I must have wanted to dress up since I was in a dress. And I said nope not at all - I just want to be comfortable and right now I haven't shaved my legs in way too long and I'm out of comfy pants so a long dress is my only choice. Cody then said something like "pregnant Sam is fun." I didn't feel "fun" though; I felt like I was hiding gross hairy legs and was showing not a "pregnant" belly but just a "getting kinda chunky" belly in my dress. I honestly must have said something about feeling like I look huge and just fat at least three times before deciding to just wear the dress anyway. It was probably in part due to the horizontal stripes on the dress. When I would look down all I saw was a rounding bump that seemed ridiculously big at this early point. I'm wondering if I really am getting bigger earlier than most people or maybe I'm simply noticing it a lot since it's my body and I'm constantly aware of how I feel like I look big and how my clothes are getting so tight and uncomfortable.
The following day, Saturday, was the first time I felt okay in a while so Cody and I went out to lunch and then to a movie. I wore a long maxi dress and Cody made some comment that I looked nice/I must have wanted to dress up since I was in a dress. And I said nope not at all - I just want to be comfortable and right now I haven't shaved my legs in way too long and I'm out of comfy pants so a long dress is my only choice. Cody then said something like "pregnant Sam is fun." I didn't feel "fun" though; I felt like I was hiding gross hairy legs and was showing not a "pregnant" belly but just a "getting kinda chunky" belly in my dress. I honestly must have said something about feeling like I look huge and just fat at least three times before deciding to just wear the dress anyway. It was probably in part due to the horizontal stripes on the dress. When I would look down all I saw was a rounding bump that seemed ridiculously big at this early point. I'm wondering if I really am getting bigger earlier than most people or maybe I'm simply noticing it a lot since it's my body and I'm constantly aware of how I feel like I look big and how my clothes are getting so tight and uncomfortable.
Today we had our 2nd baby appointment at 10 and a half weeks. I felt awful all day -one of my worst days yet. I had a (thankfully small) headache, was exhausted as usual, and my stomach was killing me. Not just feeling nauseous but just a pain wouldn't go away almost all day. I left work right at 3 after dismissal to meet up with Cody and get to the doctor on time. By the time we got there I was about to start crying I felt so bad. Once we did get in the room and were waiting I did start crying. Fortunately the doctor didn't come in for a while so I had some time to pull it together. So that is two for two visits that I cried. (The first time was a happy cry at the heartbeat, this was an "I feel awful and am in pain " cry - but it was followed by another happy cry during the ultrasound.)
It was amazing to see the huge differences between the sonogram pictures at 6 and a half weeks to now at 10 and a half. Amazing! Cody said that he could have stood there and watched that screen and listened to the heartbeat all day, and I'd have to agree with him. It was wonderful. Last time we said the baby looked like a peanut; this time it resembles a gummy bear. (Side note: I LOVE gummy bears.) We could distinguish the head, body, hands, and feet. We could even see sort of tiny fingers. We saw the ribs and spine at one point and the doctor helped us to see a picture of the baby's brain. And of course for a brief minute (they turn that sound on and off so quick!) we heard the heartbeat. We saw the little blurb of a heart flickering on the screen too. I think seeing the heart flicker and hearing the beat is my favorite part. Although this time I also really enjoyed seeing all the movement! I don't know why I didn't realize it would be moving around in there. Last time it was just sort of stuck to the side of the wall/sac. This time it seemed to be swimming or floating around and moved quite a bit. It looked like he or she waved at us a couple times. At the end the doctor asked us if we would want to know the gender later or not and we said yes we would. She said of course it was way too early to tell but we could try to look for fun. Cody and I didn't see anything she was pointing at, but she said she "definitely saw something"! She said right now she'd say it's a 60% chance it's a boy -which isn't much bigger than the given 50/50. Oh well. Really I'm pretty sure she was sort of joking. Either way we'll find that out soon enough!
It was an awesome experience to see the changes and hear the heartbeat again. Even though I felt so bad for the whole earlier part of the day, it did help my mood to cheer up and after we ate dinner I felt a little better. We actually met up with my cousin Makia and Jenny with their daughter Olivia and their newborn little girl Emerson later that evening. Makia took us to do a flight simulator which was really fun! I think combined with the ultrasound and the fun we had pretending to fly that my awful feeling day flipped around to being pretty great. And everyone (along with my doctor today) keeps telling me it'll pass soon, just give it another week or two and once I hit the second trimester I'll feel so much better. My doctor said that when I see her next time I'll feel like a totally different -better, person. I sure hope so, but I also hope it's sooner rather than later. I've seriously been miserable -at home, at school, just constantly. When we told Cody's parents that we were pregnant, one of the first things Steve said was "You know the three stages of pregnancy: weary, cheery, and dreary." Well, I have more than felt the weary and I am beyond ready to move into the cheery phase.
At the flight simulator
Thank you again Makia and Jenny for taking us out to the simulator! We really enjoyed it and always enjoy seeing y'all and the girls!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Baby Journey -Part 4
Baby Journey -Part 4: All Kinds of Broken
(Note: Remember this is still playing catch-up. We are currently at 16 -almost 17 weeks!)
Other things to note... I really am way more emotional. I guess that's the hormones, right? I've also unfortunately heard this is totally normal, although also no fun. Just to mention though, I was a pretty emotional person to begin with. I normally cry during any sad movie, sometimes even commercials. I even tear up at the beginning of stupid sports events -even sports I don't care about like football. You know, when they play those encouraging/get fired up videos of the players and fans and such. Well, now I am uber extra emotional. I especially noticed it right away at the very beginning. I cried at school twice within the first two weeks and just told my team I was overwhelmed.
School has really, REALLY not been fun at all since I haven't felt well. Teaching takes so much out of you and when I'm already exhausted and feeling sick constantly, it is extremely difficult to make it through each day. While I have not actually thrown up yet, I have a lot of moments of thinking I'm going to, and literally putting my hand over my mouth and saying "please not now, not right now". I've also reached numerous points where I feel so bad that I wish I would, because I feel like you normally feel a little better/relieved after you do throw up. One day with being so exhausted, I fell asleep on my desk after work. I had put my head down to rest for a minute and woke up about twenty-five minutes later.
Just yesterday (remember this has been a while now) I had an emotional break down that started at HEB. It was Friday and while I didn't feel good exactly, I didn't feel as bad as I usually do right now. So when I left school I decided to go to HEB. Big mistake. It wore me out, took way too long, and I got overwhelmed in the vitamin section. How ridiculous. I was out of my prenatal vitamins and I really did NOT want to get the same gummy ones I just finished. I liked them at first (if you don't know, I HATE swallowing pills and am really bad at it), but recently they have made me gag. It was weird but I seriously got to a point where I dreaded taking them and simply chewing and swallowing them made me nauseous. So needless to say, I didn't want them again. However, I hate swallowing pills. HATE it. So I didn't want a pill vitamin. I was stuck in a conundrum and literally didn't know what to decide. I must have stood there staring at the prenatal vitamins for several minutes. I grabbed two bottles to compare ingredients. I started to get frustrated and upset. I put the pills back on the shelf and threw (literally threw) the gummy vitamins into my cart. I walked about two aisles and started to tear up thinking that I really, really, really did not want to chew and swallow those again. I stopped where I was and Googled on my phone different types of prenatal vitamins. I basically already knew my options. I stood there for several minutes not sure what to do. I looked at the bottle in my cart and it made me gag. I knew I could not get those because I would not want to take them. I went back to the vitamin aisle, teared up, and switched to the pills. As I pushed my cart away from the vitamins I seriously was telling myself this was ridiculous and I needed to pull it together. I got in a checkout lane and as I put my groceries on the conveyor belt, I thought I was going to start bawling. While my face got all red and my eyes teary, I did not actually start crying, although I have no clue how I didn't completely lose it in HEB.
That evening after the HEB breakdown, Cody brought dinner home on his way back from work. I was starving as is the usual now by that time and was on the couch ready to eat when he got home. As soon as all the food was out and we were about to start eating I silently started crying. I was still upset about the vitamins, feeling awful, and overall overwhelmed. Cody made a comment (he didn't see I was crying yet) that he was stressed about our house (which was the messiest it's been in quite a while) and that I stressed him out a bit when I called him (from HEB when I was about to lose it) and asked what time he was heading home. He then looks over and seeings I'm crying and asks if it's because of what he just said. I said no I was already crying and told him everything. I curled up next to him and just cried for a bit (not as quietly) before finally calming down to eat.
(*Ending on such a downer of a post I feel obligated to say that fortunately things have gotten mostly better since then!)
(Note: Remember this is still playing catch-up. We are currently at 16 -almost 17 weeks!)
Writing this we're at 8 and a half weeks. I have a doctor's appointment with my regular doctor to discus my allergies while pregnant (although I plan on discussing this with my OBGYN at our next appointment too). I think overall my allergies have been the WORST thing to deal with while pregnant. Cody had no idea how bad my allergies were, although I've tried to tell him in the past. I normally take Allegra-D without fail on a daily basis, and I still suffer with allergy symptoms at different times. But right now I cannot take my Allegra-D and it is killing me. I've tried Claratin and Alavert, both of which did absolutely nothing. Another one I've been told I can take is Zyrtec, but I'm allergic to it. I did take Sudafed one day and it did help, but it made me feel weird and hyper and I couldn't sleep. Cody and I decided I wouldn't keep taking it. I do sinus rinses fairly often which help but very temporarily. I am still taking Singulair for asthma and partially allergies - although it doesn't do much of anything for the allergies. I have never blown my nose more in my life, had this much gross drainage in my life, sneezed, coughed, overall felt awful in my entire life. Cody now knows how much that daily Allegra-D pill helps me.
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| Really no belly. The tiny barely noticeable bump area is from the band on my skirt. |
Just yesterday (remember this has been a while now) I had an emotional break down that started at HEB. It was Friday and while I didn't feel good exactly, I didn't feel as bad as I usually do right now. So when I left school I decided to go to HEB. Big mistake. It wore me out, took way too long, and I got overwhelmed in the vitamin section. How ridiculous. I was out of my prenatal vitamins and I really did NOT want to get the same gummy ones I just finished. I liked them at first (if you don't know, I HATE swallowing pills and am really bad at it), but recently they have made me gag. It was weird but I seriously got to a point where I dreaded taking them and simply chewing and swallowing them made me nauseous. So needless to say, I didn't want them again. However, I hate swallowing pills. HATE it. So I didn't want a pill vitamin. I was stuck in a conundrum and literally didn't know what to decide. I must have stood there staring at the prenatal vitamins for several minutes. I grabbed two bottles to compare ingredients. I started to get frustrated and upset. I put the pills back on the shelf and threw (literally threw) the gummy vitamins into my cart. I walked about two aisles and started to tear up thinking that I really, really, really did not want to chew and swallow those again. I stopped where I was and Googled on my phone different types of prenatal vitamins. I basically already knew my options. I stood there for several minutes not sure what to do. I looked at the bottle in my cart and it made me gag. I knew I could not get those because I would not want to take them. I went back to the vitamin aisle, teared up, and switched to the pills. As I pushed my cart away from the vitamins I seriously was telling myself this was ridiculous and I needed to pull it together. I got in a checkout lane and as I put my groceries on the conveyor belt, I thought I was going to start bawling. While my face got all red and my eyes teary, I did not actually start crying, although I have no clue how I didn't completely lose it in HEB.
That evening after the HEB breakdown, Cody brought dinner home on his way back from work. I was starving as is the usual now by that time and was on the couch ready to eat when he got home. As soon as all the food was out and we were about to start eating I silently started crying. I was still upset about the vitamins, feeling awful, and overall overwhelmed. Cody made a comment (he didn't see I was crying yet) that he was stressed about our house (which was the messiest it's been in quite a while) and that I stressed him out a bit when I called him (from HEB when I was about to lose it) and asked what time he was heading home. He then looks over and seeings I'm crying and asks if it's because of what he just said. I said no I was already crying and told him everything. I curled up next to him and just cried for a bit (not as quietly) before finally calming down to eat.
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(*Ending on such a downer of a post I feel obligated to say that fortunately things have gotten mostly better since then!)
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Baby Journey -Part 3
Baby Journey -Part 3: The Official News
Our first OBGYN appointment was at 6 and 1/2 weeks. Cody and I had no idea we'd be able to see everything that we did so early on. We got our first sonogram and saw the big black area with a tiny white thing that Cody dubbed a "peanut". We also saw the teeny tiny heart flickering on the screen and then our doctor turned on the sound and we heard the heartbeat. It was amazing and I definitely started crying. I felt overwhelmed, but for the first time it was in a good way. Cody and I both felt like that doctor's appointment and seeing/hearing all of that made it seem so much more real and official.
After our first OBGYN appointment we planned to tell our parents. We wanted to wait to make sure everything was good and we had a doctor confirmation that I was pregnant before officially announcing it. That Friday evening (the day of our appointment) we went over to my parents for dinner and games. It worked out really nicely that they had invited us a week before just because, so we didn't have to try to make some plans out of nowhere. Cody had thought of the ideas to tell our parents, literally the day after I took the home pregnancy test. He must have thought about it all night or dreamed it or something because that very next day he told me he had thought of ways to tell them all. He was super excited about it which made me excited too. So after dinner with my family (my parents and two youngest brothers were there) we started to play a game called Wits and Wagers that we play fairly often with them. It's sort of like a trivia game with totally random questions about anything, but all the answers are numerical. Like how many inches, number of weeks, a year, etc. So we started and played the first round as usual. Each round has a new question. But for the second round, instead of reading the actual question from the card, Cody just used our own question. Everyone gets ready to think and write down their answer and he asks "In days, how long will it be before you meet your first grandchild?" Everyone pauses and processes for a second, then my mom screams -literally. My dad starts nodding over and over and pointing/shaking his finger at Cody like "you got us!" And my brothers kind of sit there blankly lol. Then my mom goes "wait is this real?" And Cody says yes and I tell them the answer. At that point it was 235 days until they would meet their grandchild. My mom screams again and starts singing and dancing. All of this is quickly followed by lots of hugging, congratulations, and overall excitement. We knew that telling my parents would need to be an "at home in private" event : ) We also got the whole thing on video thanks to Cody's plan and my iPhone. We really enjoy watching everyone's reaction over and over.
For Cody's parents we went out to eat at Fuddruckers and sat in a corner semi-isolated table. Sue (Cody's mom) was about a week away from leaving on a month long mission trip. We also take pictures just about constantly with them, so Cody's plan to take a picture was totally normal. Before getting our food Cody said that we wanted to take a picture before she left for her trip. Sue and Steve and Cody got together and I was preparing to take the picture except really I was starting to record a video. I counted down like I was taking a normal picture and then Cody says, "By the way, we're having a baby!" I love that we got this on video too and it was so funny to see their faces! At first they both kept standing there waiting for a picture to be taken while digesting the news and then Sue just turns and envelops Cody in a hug. Steve was funny because he must have said three different times for me to stop recording, but I wasn't going to because our plan was to get the whole thing on video. We then all took turns hugging while being congratulated. Both times too it was fun after the initial telling of the parents to be able to show them the first sonogram pictures and telling them everything so far. (Even though that really wasn't that much yet!)
Our first OBGYN appointment was at 6 and 1/2 weeks. Cody and I had no idea we'd be able to see everything that we did so early on. We got our first sonogram and saw the big black area with a tiny white thing that Cody dubbed a "peanut". We also saw the teeny tiny heart flickering on the screen and then our doctor turned on the sound and we heard the heartbeat. It was amazing and I definitely started crying. I felt overwhelmed, but for the first time it was in a good way. Cody and I both felt like that doctor's appointment and seeing/hearing all of that made it seem so much more real and official.
After our first OBGYN appointment we planned to tell our parents. We wanted to wait to make sure everything was good and we had a doctor confirmation that I was pregnant before officially announcing it. That Friday evening (the day of our appointment) we went over to my parents for dinner and games. It worked out really nicely that they had invited us a week before just because, so we didn't have to try to make some plans out of nowhere. Cody had thought of the ideas to tell our parents, literally the day after I took the home pregnancy test. He must have thought about it all night or dreamed it or something because that very next day he told me he had thought of ways to tell them all. He was super excited about it which made me excited too. So after dinner with my family (my parents and two youngest brothers were there) we started to play a game called Wits and Wagers that we play fairly often with them. It's sort of like a trivia game with totally random questions about anything, but all the answers are numerical. Like how many inches, number of weeks, a year, etc. So we started and played the first round as usual. Each round has a new question. But for the second round, instead of reading the actual question from the card, Cody just used our own question. Everyone gets ready to think and write down their answer and he asks "In days, how long will it be before you meet your first grandchild?" Everyone pauses and processes for a second, then my mom screams -literally. My dad starts nodding over and over and pointing/shaking his finger at Cody like "you got us!" And my brothers kind of sit there blankly lol. Then my mom goes "wait is this real?" And Cody says yes and I tell them the answer. At that point it was 235 days until they would meet their grandchild. My mom screams again and starts singing and dancing. All of this is quickly followed by lots of hugging, congratulations, and overall excitement. We knew that telling my parents would need to be an "at home in private" event : ) We also got the whole thing on video thanks to Cody's plan and my iPhone. We really enjoy watching everyone's reaction over and over.
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| During the game right before Cody asks the question that tells them we're pregnant. |
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| My mom is holding up the card that says the number of days, 235, until they meet their first grandchild. |
For Cody's parents we went out to eat at Fuddruckers and sat in a corner semi-isolated table. Sue (Cody's mom) was about a week away from leaving on a month long mission trip. We also take pictures just about constantly with them, so Cody's plan to take a picture was totally normal. Before getting our food Cody said that we wanted to take a picture before she left for her trip. Sue and Steve and Cody got together and I was preparing to take the picture except really I was starting to record a video. I counted down like I was taking a normal picture and then Cody says, "By the way, we're having a baby!" I love that we got this on video too and it was so funny to see their faces! At first they both kept standing there waiting for a picture to be taken while digesting the news and then Sue just turns and envelops Cody in a hug. Steve was funny because he must have said three different times for me to stop recording, but I wasn't going to because our plan was to get the whole thing on video. We then all took turns hugging while being congratulated. Both times too it was fun after the initial telling of the parents to be able to show them the first sonogram pictures and telling them everything so far. (Even though that really wasn't that much yet!)
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| The fake photo set up. I was about to start the video and then Cody was about to tell them "We're having a baby!" |
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Baby Journey -Part 2
Baby Journey -Part 2: The Beginnings of the Weary Stage
For the first week it was a fun and exciting little secret just between us. Then we decided to go ahead and tell some people close to us. We figured that the main reason not to share was in case something happened and we lost the pregnancy, but we also figured that if that did happen, we would want people close to us to know what was going on to help and support us.
The first week of knowing I felt totally fine and normal. Then at 5 and a half weeks I woke up Sunday morning for church and felt awful. The day before even I was completely fine. I woke up and felt light headed, nauseous, and overall just really weird and really bad. I barely made it through church. I felt much better afterwards when we ate lunch. That's about how it went for the next two to three weeks. I would have times of feeling awful, but normally felt better as soon as I ate.
This eating to feel better was quite a challenge with teaching though. I have always been a night person and NOT a morning person. Always. Since I was a little kid. I used to pretend to go to sleep when my dad would check on me and then stay up late for hours reading when I was in elementary school. And my mom has always said I was grumpy and mean in the mornings. So in general I struggle with getting up and ready for work so early (or up early for simply anything). And due to my nature of disdaining mornings and always rushing and running late, I have never eaten breakfast. At least not since my mom stopped making me food in the morning when I was a kid. Needless to say, since I've been pregnant, I have NEEDED food in the morning, and this has been quite the challenge. Now also feeling exhausted (and man, people aren't joking when they say you are exhausted) even when I get more sleep than I ever have as an adult on a weeknight, I wake up still exhausted, still hating the morning, and still rushing and running behind on a daily basis. I've been grabbing a quick bagel or banana or toast and trying to eat it without making a mess all over myself while driving to work. The other day I was walking into the school with a whole box of Cheerios sticking out of my school bag and shamelessly stuffing handfuls in my mouth while quickly walking to my classroom. I may have accidentally dropped a few on the floor. One I accidentally stepped on as well. I was sorry. I really wanted to eat it.
I've also been snacking in my room as a last resort. I physically feel like I can't even make it until our conference at 9:50 without eating more. I start to feel so nauseous, light headed, and awful. I have never eaten in my room with the kids there before, but I just have to. I try to be subtle. It's not like I'm chomping on an apple in front of them or eating a gourmet meal, but I still feel bad.
For the first week it was a fun and exciting little secret just between us. Then we decided to go ahead and tell some people close to us. We figured that the main reason not to share was in case something happened and we lost the pregnancy, but we also figured that if that did happen, we would want people close to us to know what was going on to help and support us.
The first week of knowing I felt totally fine and normal. Then at 5 and a half weeks I woke up Sunday morning for church and felt awful. The day before even I was completely fine. I woke up and felt light headed, nauseous, and overall just really weird and really bad. I barely made it through church. I felt much better afterwards when we ate lunch. That's about how it went for the next two to three weeks. I would have times of feeling awful, but normally felt better as soon as I ate.
This eating to feel better was quite a challenge with teaching though. I have always been a night person and NOT a morning person. Always. Since I was a little kid. I used to pretend to go to sleep when my dad would check on me and then stay up late for hours reading when I was in elementary school. And my mom has always said I was grumpy and mean in the mornings. So in general I struggle with getting up and ready for work so early (or up early for simply anything). And due to my nature of disdaining mornings and always rushing and running late, I have never eaten breakfast. At least not since my mom stopped making me food in the morning when I was a kid. Needless to say, since I've been pregnant, I have NEEDED food in the morning, and this has been quite the challenge. Now also feeling exhausted (and man, people aren't joking when they say you are exhausted) even when I get more sleep than I ever have as an adult on a weeknight, I wake up still exhausted, still hating the morning, and still rushing and running behind on a daily basis. I've been grabbing a quick bagel or banana or toast and trying to eat it without making a mess all over myself while driving to work. The other day I was walking into the school with a whole box of Cheerios sticking out of my school bag and shamelessly stuffing handfuls in my mouth while quickly walking to my classroom. I may have accidentally dropped a few on the floor. One I accidentally stepped on as well. I was sorry. I really wanted to eat it.
I've also been snacking in my room as a last resort. I physically feel like I can't even make it until our conference at 9:50 without eating more. I start to feel so nauseous, light headed, and awful. I have never eaten in my room with the kids there before, but I just have to. I try to be subtle. It's not like I'm chomping on an apple in front of them or eating a gourmet meal, but I still feel bad.
Around the end of week 5 and beginning of week 6 is when I officially entered the "weary" stage as my father-in-law has explained.
(More on that to come...)
(More on that to come...)
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Baby Journey -Part 1
Baby Journey -Part 1: Let's Make a Baby
Cody and I had discussed starting to try to get pregnant for a while. We were going back and forth about when to officially start and the possibilities of it happening right away (we deemed very unlikely) or it taking a while. Ultimately we knew that it would be God's timing and not ours. After all, we could use all the prevention in the world and still get pregnant, or we could try consistently to get pregnant only to have nothing happen.
We went on our summer trip to Jamaica in July and decided to start trying the next month in August. At the beginning of August we talked about it again, prayed about it, and decided to officially start trying. The next day we were "in the mood" and I asked Cody one more time if he was really sure. I think my exact words were something like "Are you really sure about starting to try? Because I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating this week. So this could be a legit chance to get pregnant." And Cody said yup let's do it. So we did. (TMI? - Sorry, some of this is more for me/us to remember than y'all!)
I guess we can't be 100% sure... but we are pretty darn confident it was that first official time. What are the odds? I mean, we wanted to start trying, knew it was a possibility, but also knew there was a big chance it could take a while. Whelp, a few weeks later I found myself in the middle of our teacher work week before school started. It was Meet the Teacher that night and all day I just wanted to go home and take a pregnancy test. I was pretty sure I was pregnant. That night at Meet the Teacher I had several parents ask things like if I was married, had a family or kids. My answer was yes I'm married but no I don't have any kids yet. However in my head I thought 'Although I think I might by the end of the school year!'
As soon as I came home from Meet the Teacher I said hi to Cody and went straight to the bathroom to take a test. Pretty quickly a little plus sign came up. I sat there for a minute staring then took a picture of it on my phone. I cleaned it off some and then called for Cody to come in our bedroom. I think he thought there was a spider or bug or something by the way I yelled for him. I was standing behind our closed bedroom door holding the pregnancy test and when he walked in I just started crying and couldn't say anything. I held up the stick and he put two and two together. He was instantly excited and I hope I always remember that later that evening at one point he looked at me and said "Well, shit just got real." (*He doesn't normally say words like that, somehow the fact that he doesn't made it seem more real or serious or something.. I don't know if that makes sense.) It was very humorous the way he said it and in the setting of the evening.
We then proceeded to take lots of pictures of the positive test and of us holding the test, then decided to be double sure and we went out to buy a different brand and I took a second test. This one showed the words "pregnant" or "not pregnant". Pretty clear answer. It said "pregnant." We then took pictures of that clear tiny life-altering word on the screen. According to our calculations I was just four weeks and a couple days along.
---If you haven't heard the news yet - we're pregnant!! I'm currently just at 12 weeks. I've been writing about how the pregnancy has been going and will post it bit-by-bit. My hope is to continue writing throughout the pregnancy both to share and to simply have the journey recorded for us to one day look back and remember.---
Cody and I had discussed starting to try to get pregnant for a while. We were going back and forth about when to officially start and the possibilities of it happening right away (we deemed very unlikely) or it taking a while. Ultimately we knew that it would be God's timing and not ours. After all, we could use all the prevention in the world and still get pregnant, or we could try consistently to get pregnant only to have nothing happen.
We went on our summer trip to Jamaica in July and decided to start trying the next month in August. At the beginning of August we talked about it again, prayed about it, and decided to officially start trying. The next day we were "in the mood" and I asked Cody one more time if he was really sure. I think my exact words were something like "Are you really sure about starting to try? Because I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating this week. So this could be a legit chance to get pregnant." And Cody said yup let's do it. So we did. (TMI? - Sorry, some of this is more for me/us to remember than y'all!)
I guess we can't be 100% sure... but we are pretty darn confident it was that first official time. What are the odds? I mean, we wanted to start trying, knew it was a possibility, but also knew there was a big chance it could take a while. Whelp, a few weeks later I found myself in the middle of our teacher work week before school started. It was Meet the Teacher that night and all day I just wanted to go home and take a pregnancy test. I was pretty sure I was pregnant. That night at Meet the Teacher I had several parents ask things like if I was married, had a family or kids. My answer was yes I'm married but no I don't have any kids yet. However in my head I thought 'Although I think I might by the end of the school year!'
As soon as I came home from Meet the Teacher I said hi to Cody and went straight to the bathroom to take a test. Pretty quickly a little plus sign came up. I sat there for a minute staring then took a picture of it on my phone. I cleaned it off some and then called for Cody to come in our bedroom. I think he thought there was a spider or bug or something by the way I yelled for him. I was standing behind our closed bedroom door holding the pregnancy test and when he walked in I just started crying and couldn't say anything. I held up the stick and he put two and two together. He was instantly excited and I hope I always remember that later that evening at one point he looked at me and said "Well, shit just got real." (*He doesn't normally say words like that, somehow the fact that he doesn't made it seem more real or serious or something.. I don't know if that makes sense.) It was very humorous the way he said it and in the setting of the evening.
(*Thank you for all the congratulations so far! We've enjoyed getting to share our news recently and feel so much love and joy from everyone. If you'd like to lift us up in prayer, we could definitely use some for me to feel better as soon as possible. I have been feeling slightly better the last few days but overall still not very good. I'm very ready to move past this exhausted sick feeling stage. And of course for overall health for the baby!)
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