Pregnancy and all its Glory...

Oh pregnancy... What a bittersweet thing!  You have someone growing inside of you that you love SO MUCH yet you hate the way you feel...

My pregnancy has been relatively easy by just about everyone's standards.  I think the hardest part was getting over the shock of actually being pregnant!  

It all began on December 17th.  Michael was taking a final that night, but after that we only had one paper left on the New Testament (a class we took together).  That fall semester I had been extremely tired and sick so we had taken a pregnancy test once before in November.  I came back negative like it should have (thank you birth control!) and we moved on with our lives.  But that night, after Michael had suggested several times earlier in the week, I took another test.  Well, actually I took three...

My first thought was, "what does this even mean?! I can't be pregnant!"  Then I paced around the apartment for 2 hours to wait for Michael to get done with his final.  When it was finally time for me to go get him from campus I had to be extra careful not to cry, pass out or speed on the drive up the road.  I made it to the parking lot alive and waited another 10 excruciating minutes for him to come out (the boy loves to talk!).  When I can see him coming in the rear view mirror and all of the panic starts again and I can hardly breath.  He jumps into the car, I ask him how his final went, act like I'm listening when he tells me  how long and hard it was, and then I dump the bomb shell.  The conversation went a little like this:

"Michael, I finally took those pregnancy tests... We're having a baby."
 "What?"
"I'm pregnant."
*silence, tears, and hugging followed*

After the shock had worn off that night, we decided it would be best to tell our families at Christmas.  Honestly, I knew my mom would have a heart attack if we did it any other way.  Our friends Kailey and Jeff were the only ones who got to share in our exciting news while still in Rexburg.

Once both families were in the loop I had to start thinking about doctors appointments.  All I can say is thank goodness for babycenter.com!  That site has basically walked me through this pregnancy.  My first appointment was on January 11th at Madison Women's Clinic in Rexburg, ID.  There they confirmed that I was pregnant and about 9 weeks along putting my due date on Aug 15th.  (side note: the first pregnancy test I took in November, remember the one that came back negative?, well... I was actually pregnant...)

baby boy at 9 wks

I knew that I wanted a more natural birth plan than the one being set up in Idaho.  So, when we were thinking about moving to Alaska for the summer the first thing I did was look up birthing facilities.  The Juneau Family Birth Center was a no brainier.  Here I can have the natural birth I want with close access to the hospital if I need it!  The midwives here are great and love our little baby.  They always have a student midwife with them at our appointments because the baby is so easy to find and you can easily feel his little body parts with your hands.  Let's just say, this guy is just like his dad!  Loves to be in the spotlight   :)

All in all, we're so excited!  This little boy is making us so happy and we haven't even met him yet.  With one month to go till our due date, we're busy getting ready for his big entrance into the world.  Wish us good luck!!!!

he's a boy! 22wks

First Trimester:

* comma like tiredness

* only ate fruit!!

* minimal morning sickness (although, when it hit I wanted to die)

* no body pains

* still fit into all of my clothes!

* felt the baby kick at 12 weeks

Second Trimester:

* tiredness was gone and I felt good!

* my belly started to pop

* no food cravings

* no morning sickness at all

* still fit into my clothes with the help of a belly band and hair elastic

33wks 6 days

Third Trimester:

* My clothes DO NOT fit

* I will fall asleep in the middle of a conversation

* snoring has become a new norm (sorry Michael!)

* I'm huge

* I only want to eat milkshakes        

* I'm a mess of hormone ridden attitudes (again, sorry Michael!)

* my feet and hands swell if I walk for too long

* my heals hurt when standing

* and I'm ready to have a baby...

Things I miss about not being pregnant:                              

* wearing my wedding rings

* being able to roll over in bed

* having the energy to keep the house clean

* not having public bathrooms as my second home

* not having to persuade a little someone that my rib isn't a foot rest

* being in control of my emotional status

* getting to eat what I want, when I want, without worrying it will hurt the person inside of me! I miss coke!

Little feet!

Things I LOVE about being pregnant:

* the baby!

* feeling his little kicks, elbows, hiccups, ect.

* when I do cave into my milkshake desire, everyone looks at you with understanding in their eyes

* dreaming about what my little guy will look like

* shopping for cute little boy things

* the excitement in Michael's eyes!