Finding Out
I had a feeling I was pregnant but I didn't really say anything to Jeremy until we went to DC for our anniversary. We had only been trying for a month, but I warned Jeremy that I come from a pretty fertile family. :) After I told him in DC, he was ready to go down the street to the CVS and grab a test that night. He doesn't keep secrets well and doesn't like the anticipation. It was funny. But, I wanted to wait a little longer just in case. For some reason, I would have rather seen "Aunt Flow" than seen a "Not Pregnant" on a test. So, we waited until around the first of March on a Saturday morning and got to celebrate a "Pregnant" all weekend! It was so fun to have a little secret of our own for a while.
The First Doctor's Visit
Let's talk about places where most guys aren't super comfy: the tampon aisle, a fabric store and a doctor's office complete with stirrups and the ultrasound contraption. I think after the initial shock, Jeremy did great! We LOVE our doctor. Dr. Cowan is so friendly, knowledgeable and makes the dad feel so at ease. The nurses are great too! We got to see our baby for the first time at about five and 1/2 weeks. At that point it was basically a little speck with a heartbeat, but we were in awe. There was a beautiful little life growing inside me. We had a conversation on the way home about abortion, and the thought of killing that tiny little heartbeat made us both cringe. At the end of the appointment, the nurse gave us a bunch of resources and asked how I felt. I told her I felt great, to which she replied "yeah the nausea usually starts around week six or so." Sadly, she was right! :(
The Nausea
I have always been pretty healthy. I don't get sick very often and I usually always feel great with lots of energy. (Thank you Shaklee!!) BUT, unfortunately, nausea is something I can't control. Literally two days after that first appointment, I started feeling it. Oh, and I have no idea why they call it morning sickness. That is a lie from the devil. It's all-the-time sickness and it's not fun. I have found that if I keep food in my belly it helps, so I basically eat small meals and snack all day. The doctor gave me meds, but they made me constipated (sorry TMI) so I decided I would rather deal with nausea than the alternative. It's also funny how my appetite changed all of a sudden. If you know me, you know I love my coffee. I have no desire to drink it...in fact it makes me sick to think about right now. I feel the same way with salad, which Jeremy is fine with. I mostly just want carbs and fruit. So we eat a lot of pizza, Mexican food and I am pretty sure I take down an apple, banana and about four or five clementines in a day. Everyone says the nausea usually goes away after the first trimester and I am PRAYING it does.
The Second Appointment
We went to our second appointment at about week nine. The doctor mostly wanted us to come back for a more exact due date since we had gone so early the first time. When we saw the baby this time, Jeremy and I both gasped. It had grown so much! It actually looked like a baby (or a gummy bear with nubby arms and legs). I couldn't believe how much I fell in love with the baby in that moment and the four or five times I watched the DVD later on. This appointment was awesome because the baby actually moved and we learned our due date is 11/11/2011. How cool is that!!?
Sharing the News
I really wanted my Mom to know as soon as I found out, but I also knew I really wanted to tell her in person. So, our plan was to wait until Easter weekend when she was coming to visit. I wanted her to know before anyone...I figured that was only fair. :) Well, we ended up telling a few people a little earlier. Ironically, Brad and Jen (who had been lobbying for us to have a baby since they had just had theirs) invited us over for sushi. So, we sort of had to tell them. I told my manager at work because I felt like I was moving slower and mostly wanted to crawl under my desk most of the time because of the nausea. She was amazing and has been so supportive. We also had to tell Emily because she came in town and I just couldn't keep the secret...I had to tell my sister! I gave her an early b-day present...a baby toy! We got to tell a couple of other close friends, but then we decided we couldn't wait until Easter to tell my Mom. Luckily, she was going to Waco to see Emily the weekend before Easter, so we drove up to tell her and Dennis and then called my Dad, Jeremy's Dad and some other family on the way to Houston that weekend to tell Jeremy's Mom, Renae. It felt SO GOOD to finally be able to celebrate with people, and it was really good for me to be able to talk about how I felt with the moms who have been there. Jeremy is so patient and sweet, but I don't think any guys really know how it feels.
Supportive Community
It's so awesome to have a community of family and friends who are so supportive. They celebrate with us and get just as excited as we do. My Mom spoiled me this last weekend when she came to Austin and bought me a ton of super cute and comfy maternity clothes.
Sidenote: Maternity clothes are so freaking comfortable. Can I just wear them the rest of my life and be frumpy?
Anyway, the rest of our family has been great and our little Austin family is awesome too. My Dad sent us a card with $1 to start the kid's college fund. HAHA! My coworkers are even being super supportive and they are so excited for us. There are a couple of people at work who will even warn me before they make something smelly that they think will bother me. LOVE them!
I can't wait to be a Mommy and I can't wait to see Jeremy as a Daddy. He is such an amazing man and I have no doubt he will be very present in our kids' lives and show them what it means to be a person of integrity, love and Godliness. I have always had amazing women in my life to show me what it means to be a good Mommy and I hope to live up to everything they are.
I promise the next pre-baby posts won't be this long but I had a lot to say since we have been keeping a secret so long. So, here we go...on to this amazing new chapter in our lives!
