So We’re Having a Baby… (Part One)

I am so, so happy our big news is finally out in the open! Thank you very much for your sweet words and congratulations! Many of you had me in tears and I want to give you all a big hug… especially those of you who have been reading this blog for years and years. My heart is so full.

I still cannot believe I am pregnant – let alone 17 weeks pregnant – and I can honestly say it was such a hard secret to keep over the course of these past 4+ months.

I know you guys have a bunch of questions about our special news and since I’ve already received a handful, I figured the best way to address them was a giant Q&A post. I do not plan to morph Peanut Butter Fingers into a pregnancy/mommy blog, but since this blog has always followed my life more than anything else, I am definitely planning to share a bit about my pregnancy and our little one moving forward.

Now let’s dive right in!!

Pregnancy Details // Finding Out

• How did you find out you were pregnant?

Okay, this story is a little ridiculous. In November, right after Ryan and I decided to start trying for a baby, I bought a ton of cheapo (but highly rated!) pregnancy tests on Amazon (25 for $14) because I knew the cost of pregnancy tests can add up quickly and figured buying a bunch to save some money would be a good idea. A few days after the time I figured I should’ve had my period, I took a test, but I took it incorrectly.

The test strips I bought were dip strips that require you to pee in a cup and dip the pregnancy test, but I figured that was mostly “advised” and that I’d see a result from simply peeing on the strip like a normal pregnancy test. (Um, no.) Anyway, I peed on the strip, saw nothing and figured I wasn’t pregnant. I did the same thing a week later when I still didn’t get my period, saw nothing and assumed I wasn’t pregnant. A few days later, when I still didn’t get my period, I figured I should actually take the time to dip the dang strip and do the test correctly. The positive line showed up immediately and I was shocked. I had absolutely no inclination that I was pregnant, let alone 6 weeks pregnant at this point. I truly could not believe it!!

• How did you tell Ryan?

I took the pregnancy test right before Ryan and I were about to go to bed. He was already in bed and when I took the test and saw the positive line show up so strong, I gasped and said, “Oh my gosh.” Ryan heard me and asked what was up and I said, “I think I’m pregnant.” We were both so surprised and when I showed Ryan the positive pregnancy test, he laughed because it was such a cheapo little strip and said we should really wait to get too excited until we could buy a more legit-looking pregnancy test in the morning. We went to sleep both sort of in this limbo mode of “Are we or aren’t we… I think we are…” which made sleeping rather difficult, as I am sure you an imagine.

I bought a pregnancy test at CVS the next morning, took the test (okay, two tests) in the CVS bathroom and our exciting news was officially confirmed. We were both so, so excited!

(The lighting in that pic is kind of weird, but the + sign was quite clear in person!)

• What were your first pregnancy symptoms?

At first nothing. I actually felt very nervous and anxious during the first week or so after we found out because I felt 100 percent normal and everything I read talked about how awful the first few weeks of pregnancy can be – lots of nausea, fatigue, etc. I actually Googled “pregnant without morning sickness” around week 7 and was relieved to see something like 20 percent of women feel fine and never experience nausea. I figured I was just one of the lucky ones.

HA. HA. HA.

Well, during the week of Christmas, about three days later, I was hit with my first round of nausea and it was pretty brutal. Ryan and I arrived in Jacksonville five days before Christmas and weren’t planning to share the news with my family until Christmas morning. This meant I had to hide daily nausea and puking for five days which was definitely not easy to do… especially when I went to the bathroom to throw up in the middle of a Jazzercise class I took with my mom and sister. Thankfully, right after puking, I almost always felt instantly better and eating all the time helped keep nausea at bay a little bit. It still blows my mind that I’ll find myself downing a sandwich 2.5 seconds after I throw up. Pregnancy nausea is so weird.

• What was your first reaction to your pregnancy?

Disbelief. Even though we “tried” that month, I still hadn’t really wrapped my head around the whole idea had absolutely no intuition that told me I was pregnant. I was so shocked and that feeling of surprise was quickly accompanied by a feeling I can only describe as nervous excitement. I’m still feeling quite anxious, but my nerves have mostly moved away from “oh my gosh we’re having a baby” to “please, God, protect our baby and keep our little one safe and healthy.”

• How far along were you when you found out?

Six weeks.

• How did your parents/family react?

On Christmas morning, we wrapped up ornaments I decorated for my parents, Leslie and Ross that said Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle and had them all open them simultaneously once we were done eating breakfast.

It took them all a second to register what they were seeing (My mom thought the ornament was from Sadie at first! Ha!), but about five seconds later, we were greeted with excited screams, tears and hugs!

We told Ryan’s family when I next saw them in person during my trip to Sarasota at the end of January. I gave them the same ornaments and said they were belated Christmas gifts. Ryan’s mom hugged me, cried immediately and was so, so thrilled. It was such a special moment.

My grandma found out last week –  that’s the real reason I drove to Raleigh! I was planning to tell her in person in Sanibel but when she was not able to join us on our vacation, my mom and I made plans to tell her in person soon after. Mimi’s reaction may have been my favorite! I wrapped up an ornament for her that said Great Grandma and she thought I was telling her she was a wonderful grandma (which she is)! When I asked her, “Do you know what that means?” She shrieked and threw her hands up in the air!!

It was so amazing and my mom, aunt and I could not stop laughing and hugging her!

• How did you tell your friends?

For the most part, I was lucky enough to be able to tell most of my very best friends in person! Since I traveled to Sarasota at the end of January and saw a bunch of my college best friends, I told them all that weekend – one by one, which was so much fun!

I told my best friends from high school about our news when I saw them in Chicago this past weekend. I wrapped up baby-themed candy bars and Hershey Kisses and gave them to them one at a time as well.

It was really hard to wait to tell my friends for so long, but knowing I could share the news in person served as great motivation to hold off. It was totally worth the wait!

Some of my girlfriends in Charlotte were the first to find out since it became a little obvious when I was no longer drinking at all! I also told a bunch of my close blogging buddies early on, too.

Baby Details

• Due date?

August 10, 2015.

• Will you find out the sex ahead of time? 

YES. We actually already know!!!

• Do you have any feelings about whether you’re having a boy or a girl?

Ryan and I did a 3D ultrasound at 14 1/2 weeks where they were able to tell us the sex of our baby. I’ll be sure to give more details about all of this when I share this information on the blog soon! We still have a few more people we want to share the sex with in person/over the phone before I announce it on the blog, but I’ll share everything with you guys soon! We have our official 18-week anatomy scan next week where it will be confirmed again since 14 weeks is technically a bit early to tell, so I’m planning to share after that!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your guesses!

• Any names?

We have one name that’s a current frontrunner, but since we’re not 100 percent sure, we’re keeping it quiet for a while.

• How long were you trying?

I feel very, very fortunate that we were able to get pregnant the first month we tried. I know this is a truly wonderful thing and it’s something I feel grateful for every single day. I went off birth control several months before we had a baby on the brain because I hated the way it made me feel. We were still actively preventing pregnancy up until November, but I think going off my birth control a while before we decided to start trying may have helped a bit.

• How many ultrasounds have you had?

Three! We had our very first ultrasound at 8 weeks and also heard the heartbeat which was incredible. I must say, before I got pregnant, I never really understood why people thought the fuzzy, gray pictures were so amazing, but the minute we saw our little one on the screen during our first ultrasound, I could not believe it and was so overwhelmed with emotion. Ryan and I were both blown away. He actually gave me a high five right after we saw the baby for the first time which is one of my favorite pregnancy memories so far!

We had additional ultrasounds at 11 1/2 weeks (the first time I saw the baby MOVE totally BLEW MY MIND) and our first 3D ultrasound at 14 1/2 weeks.

• Who do you think the baby will look like?

Ryan and I looked so similar as kids. We both had light eyes and almost white-blonde hair, so I picture us with a light-eyed blonde-haired little one!

• Do you want more than one?

Yes… eventually! Right now we are simply focusing on this baby and praying for a healthy little one in August.

• Have you felt the baby move?

I don’t think so. A week ago, I felt a weird fluttering feeling that was more intense than stomach gurgling. It was pretty noticeable but could also have been absolutely nothing. My pregnant/mom friends said that once I am sure I feel the baby move, I’ll likely know whether that was really the baby moving early on or not!

***

I’ll share Part Two of this post this afternoon that will address the following questions:

• Will you be sharing weekly pregnancy updates on the blog?
• How have you been feeling?
• Do you have morning sickness?
• Do you have any cravings?
• Do you have any food aversions?
• Weight gain so far? 
• Have you experienced any crazy pregnancy-related emotions?
• Any mood swings?
• Any unexpected feelings or symptoms?
• How far along are you now?
• How has work/teaching been going?
• How do you think Sadie will react to having a little brother or sister?

Let me know if I am missing anything or if you have any additional questions you’d like addressed this afternoon!