Hello, hello!
I'm back after taking a couple days off from blogging - I have really been wanting to post this update... but between doing stuff around the house/binge watching OITNB, I haven't had a chance...until now!
First of all, thank you SO much for all your kind words on our announcement last week!
I'm a pretty open person, and so it's been really hard keeping this giant secret the past few weeks, especially because it's basically what's been dominating my thoughts lately. It was so exciting to finally be able to share the news more publicly, and the fact that we were able to do it on our five year wedding anniversary made it even more special.
Loved this cake my mom got when we came to Michigan - matches my blog, ha!
So now that the dust has settled a little bit, I thought I'd share a recap about my pregnancy thus far! I realize this post is super long and detailed (shocking, I know) but I really want to write these things down so I don't forget them. Plus, I have been getting a lot of questions from family and friends about everything, and so I figure it's easier to put it all in one place :)
How we found out...
Cameron and I have always planned on having kids and it's something we've really been looking forward to, but knew we wanted to wait a few years after getting married. We also really weren't crazy about the idea of starting a family while living so far away from both our families, and so we pretty much decided that having a baby while we were living in Tahoe was out of the question. But when we had the chance to move to Portland last summer for Cam's job, we knew that we would eventually start thinking more seriously about having a baby. We wanted to give ourselves a little time to get settled in to life in Portland (and to go on our trip to Thailand!) and so we pretty much decided that 2014 was going to be the year that we were going to try to start a family.
In 2014, we also started the process of house hunting; trying to get pregnant and looking for a house are two processes that you have no idea how long they are going to take until you actually get started. We really didn't know if it would be one month or a year or longer for either one or both things to happen! We did start looking at houses in January, but we didn't actually start trying to get pregnant until March. That was just the time that felt right to us to start trying, but we realized that the outcome was ultimately out of our control, and just trusted that we'd get pregnant when we were supposed to.
At the very end of March, Cam had to go out of town for a work trip; I dropped him off at the airport and when I got home, I just decided to take a pregnancy test on a whim. My period was only like a day late so I wasn't really concerned, but I happened to have one on hand and so I figured why not? I knew that this was only the first month we had been trying, so I seriously doubted that we would already be pregnant, but I went ahead and took the test. It was one of the digital ones and it said it would take a couple minutes before the result would show up, so I went to set it on the bathroom counter. Literally before I even had a chance to set the test down, the little screen flashed "PREGNANT" - to say I was pretty shocked would be an understatement! (I think I may have blurted out a few choice words to Lola...who of course was sitting in the bathroom with me because she's literally the neediest dog ever.) Even when it's something you're excited about and hoping for, actually seeing those words on the screen for the first time is incredibly surreal. I just couldn't believe we were pregnant already! I immediately called Cam, but he actually had a layover in Detroit for his work trip and was meeting up with a few friends from college for dinner, and so when he picked up the phone he was in the car with them. I decided I couldn't tell him then, and that I would wait until he got home so I could tell him in person - super hard to wait, but totally worth it.
I always said I would never be that person and post a picture of these...but I couldn't help it!
{Also, I was hesitant to share that part of the story here on the blog because I realize the subject of trying to get pregnant is a really sensitive area for many people out there. I have family, friends, co-workers, and people I've met through blogging who have all struggled with infertility and I know it's something that's extremely painful to go through. I didn't want to act like I was bragging in any way, however, I did just want to share that getting pregnant is something that can happen really quickly too! And at the end of the day, I wanted to be honest about our story and how things happened for us.}
So basically that whole day of taking the pregnancy test, I was just completely out of it - I was excited, I was shocked, I was just feeling a ton of emotions that made it really hard to concentrate on work :) That night, I went out for dinner with a few friends and tried to act totally cool and normal, ha. During dinner, my phone rang and it was our realtor calling to tell me that the offer we had put on a house we loved the previous week had been ACCEPTED! I couldn't believe that we found out we got the house on the very same day that I found out we were having a baby, it felt like it was completely meant to be! After looking at so many different houses and having a few offers rejected, the fact that these two huge events would happen on the same day just felt like such a sign. House hunting was a stressful process and so to have things work out this was just felt like such clear evidence that God's timing really is perfect and that everything really does work out like it's supposed to :)
Two days later, Cameron came home from his work trip and I literally couldn't WAIT to tell him the news. I was trying to think of a creative way to tell him we were going to have a baby, and couldn't think of anything for the life of me. However, when I went to Target to buy more pregnancy tests (because I obviously wanted to take more than just one, just to be sure!) I saw all the Easter stuff and decided to put together an Easter basket for him. I got some baby bibs, a little baby stuffed animal, and a bunch of Easter candy (not gonna lie, that was really my motivation for telling him this way, ha). I put all the stuff in this Easter basket and then decided I would just stick the pregnancy tests I took (because I ended up taking like six...ha) in the Easter grass too. (Also sorry if this is way TMI, as I realize some of you are probably thinking this is really disgusting. But I OBVIOUSLY sanitized the outside of the tests first and they had the little caps on them, and I just couldn't throw them away without Cam seeing them first!) Cam got home from the airport and saw the Easter basket with all the candy and was super irritated because he really wants to start eating more healthy again and he's like "Why did you buy all this candy?!" And of course I was like "Just look at basket I made you alright!" (real romantic haha) and so he starts looking through it. All the tests had fallen to the bottom of the Easter grass, and so when he saw the bibs he was like "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!" and then he found the tests...and then he was really happy :) (And then 5 minutes later he was like "Ok, we can probably throw these tests in the trash now"...haha) As much as it was hard to not tell him right away, I'm so glad I waited to tell him in person because it was awesome to be able to see his reaction.
My thoughts on the first trimester, week by week...
Weeks 4-6:
I honestly felt completely fine (except for having sore boobs - TMI) and mainly, Cam and I were both just still in shock about the news and it still felt like our little secret at this point. I was a little tired but not to the extent I've heard a lot of people talk about, and I wasn't really nauseous yet.
Week 7:
Starting to feel a little more tired, but again, nothing crazy. My appetite definitely decreased though, and I to feel kind of nauseous, primarily in the morning. Things I normally enjoy like eggs, spinach, and meat all seemed really gross so I just stopped eating them. This was also the one and only time I threw up during my pregnancy (so far) due to morning sickness. This was also the week we started packing up our apartment so my very brief bout of not feeling well meant I spent some time laying on the couch while Cam packed boxes. Convenient, I know :)
Week 8:
Still a little nauseous and not really hungry, but not throwing up and feeling really good for the most part. This was the week we closed on our house (!!) and we also went to a couple of midwife consultations to start the process of figuring out where we wanted to go for our prenatal care. The best part of this week was telling our parents, and it was really fun because we actually told them together! My parents had just arrived in Portland from Michigan and so we decided to go out to dinner with Cam's parents that first night - my plan was to say something during dinner, except the restaurant was super noisy and so I had to nix that idea. I ended up just blurting out "So we're having a kid!" as we were walking out of the restaurant on the way to our cars. (Way to go Jane) But the element of surprise was really fun, and our parents were super excited!
Right after we told our parents - good times!
Week 9:
Starting to feel less nauseous overall, but still not craving veggies. At all. Really craving salt bagels. Yum. We told our siblings, but it still doesn't feel real! Starting to be more hungry, but a lot of times nothing sounds good food-wise? I also find I get full more quickly, which is weird for me.
Week 10:
This week we were in Vegas for Cam's work and let me just say, DO NOT go to Vegas when you're pregnant, especially early in your pregnancy because it is the WORST. I was feeling much better on the nausea front, but I was still really sensitive to smells and so Vegas is awful for that. There is so much cigarette smoke everywhere, random food/perfume smells, and just the disgusting odor of tons of tourists that clearly haven't showered lately walking around in the heat. Blech. Also, I'm sorry, but Vegas when you can't drink is really not that fun. And it's even worse when other people around you are drinking and you're not telling people why you're not drinking yet. It's just super awkward, especially when you're with a group of people you don't know well. Oh well. This week we also went hiking in Zion National Park, and thankfully I felt really great for that! The only annoying part was waking up in the middle of the night to have to go to the bathroom when you're sleeping in a tent...
This was actually on Mother's Day in Zion National Park - I have a feeling that next year we'll be doing something more low-key to celebrate the holiday than laying on the side of a mountain :)
Week 11:
We finally decided on the midwife group that we want to go with here in Portland! I had my first appointment with the nurse to go over a bunch of prenatal care info, and we also got to do our first ultrasound, which was SO CRAZY. I was expecting to be able to see just a little speck on the screen, but you could clearly see the head and the whole body which was wild! It was incredible to see how much the baby is already developing and moving even though it's still so early on!
Week 12:
We were in Michigan this week and it was so much fun to finally tell family and friends in person! We we're able to see quite a few of them while we were in town, plus we got to spend some time with my cousin's baby who is six months old - it's just really wild that next summer we'll have a baby too!
Luke is at such an adorable age right now, it's exciting to think this is where we'll be next year!
Week 13:
I was still in Michigan and couldn't believe the first trimester was already coming to an end. Definitely feeling more bloated and like my clothes aren't fitting quite as well, but not really showing yet.
Week 14:
Back in Portland and officially in the second trimester! I had my first official appointment with the midwife on the first day of week 14, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat again with the Doppler which was really cool! This was also the week of our announcement here on the blog/social media, which was really exciting. Now it feels much more official :)
A few of the cards that we've received so far from family and friends...ranging from sweet to funny :)
FAQs since telling people I'm pregnant...
Are you finding out what you're having?
Yes! There is no way I could wait and not know, and I'm so excited to find out! We have our ultra sound scheduled for the second week of July and I'll definitely be announcing it once we find out. We have a bedroom that's all set to go for the nursery, so I can't wait to know and start decorating!
This is the room that'll be the nursery and we've already got a shelf going to hold things people have given us so far!
What do you think you're having?
So I feel like I need to preface this with the PC response that OF COURSE we would be thrilled either way...because we would! But if I had to guess at this point? I would say BOY, only because I have been craving salty foods and haven't really been sick at all, and according to all those super accurate old wives tales (ha ha) that means boy? Cam is guessing boy as well, however, the guesses from our family and friends have been more mixed. I'm excited that we'll know in a about a month!
So you're using a midwife...what's that all about?
Here in Portland, there are so many different options for how to give birth. You've got OBs, Midwives, Doulas, and a wide variety of other pregnancy/birth related specialists along with multiple hospitals, birth centers, and the home birth option (which seems to be more popular out here vs. other parts of the country) and so you can literally have whatever type of birth you want here, from super conventional to ultra hippie. For me, I felt comfortable doing something in the middle...which is why we are using a midwife, but we're planning to have the baby in the hospital. The whole midwifery philosophy really resonated with me personally, but I definitely wanted the security of being in the hospital in case there were any issues and so I think this is the best of both worlds. As things progress, I may end up sharing more about our experience/specific birth plan, but I haven't decided for sure yet.
Are you going to do weekly pregnancy updates here on the blog?
No, I'm not planning on it. While I know it's really popular to do them here in the blog world and as much as I enjoy reading them on other blogs, I decided that it's just not necessarily something I want to do myself. I know we're going to have a busy summer (and a busy rest of the year too!) and honestly, I don't want to feel obligated to do them every week. I do plan on taking photos every week though and I'll definitely be sharing some updates every so often throughout my pregnancy.
But just for kicks, I thought I'd do one of those pregnancy updates for Week 14...so here goes! :)
How far along:
Cam took these photos last Thursday, when I officially hit 14 weeks...so that means I'll already be 15 weeks as of tomorrow! Kind of crazy!
Baby's size:
About the size of a lemon, so about 3 1/2 inches :)
Weight gain:
I don't necessarily know if this is something I'll continue sharing throughout my pregnancy, but I figured I'd go ahead and share it for today's update. My weight tends to fluctuate within a certain range normally anyway, so it's tough to say exactly how much it's changed. However, based on our bathroom scale I'd say I'm down about 4-5 lbs from the beginning of my pregnancy. Although I haven't really had much morning sickness, I also haven't had that much of an appetite so I'm guessing that's the cause. (Plus, cutting out alcohol has also been a major contributing factor as well!)
Food cravings:
Fruit, lemonade, salt bagels, really anything salty!
Anything making you queasy or sick:
The random smells I'll get when I open the refrigerator definitely makes my stomach turn a little, but for the most part things aren't bothering me too much, which is great!
Sleep:
I've actually been sleeping pretty well, but I could probably stand to get a few more hours than I do now. I had always heard that the first trimester of pregnancy makes you super tired, and heard stories of people going to bed at 8pm each night...but that hasn't been the case for me! I've still been my usual night owl self, and am only feeling better in my second trimester so I need to just be more disciplined and get to bed earlier! I'd also heard stories of pregnancy causing you to wake up multiple times per night to use the bathroom, but that hasn't been the case for me either thankfully, especially lately. Granted, I do try to drink a lot of water earlier in the day instead of right before bed, but I have been sleeping through the night with no problems!
Gender:
We find out in less than a month :)
Movement:
Not yet...excited for it to start though!
Best moment this week:
There were a couple of really great ones this week! Hearing the baby's heartbeat again on the Doppler was awesome, finally announcing the news here on the blog was so much fun, and celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary was the icing on the cake! (More on that next week) We also had some anniversary photos taken in downtown Portland, and I can't wait to see how they turned out!
Miss anything?
Living in Portland in the summer, it's a little hard not to miss being able to drink! There are so many beer festivals going on this month/next month, and it would be so nice to be able to sit outside and have a glass of wine. But I'm just trying to be a big girl and replace booze with ice cream. Ha.
Symptoms:
Still feeling pretty much like myself, except I'm definitely starting to cross over into that weird in between stage where I don't really look pregnant yet, but I just look kind of bloated. I also got a really killer migraine headache this week, and that was a little rough. I get migraines from time to time normally, but this one was a lot more intense so hopefully that was just a fluke!
Workouts:
Ummm...not so much. And this hasn't necessarily been due to pregnancy, rather my workouts have been embarassingly sporadic since moving to Portland last summer. So I am not going to try to go to crazy with working out while pregnant, but I do want to stay as active as possible! The weather has been really gorgeous lately so Cam and I have been taking advantage of it and taking long walks every single night after dinner - it might not be a super intense workout, but I figure it's better than nothing! I am hoping to get back to yoga soon though, as there are a lot of prenatal classes here in Portland!
Maternity Clothes?
I did pick up a few maternity dresses in Michigan while shopping with my mom, but I haven't worn them yet - I'm guessing I will soon though! I also bought a few non-maternity dresses that are really stretchy and that I think will be good for the summer. But for the most part, all my regular clothes still fit at this point so I'm going to keep wearing them as long as I possibly can!
Mood:
Feeling good!
Looking forward to:
Actually starting to look more obviously pregnant :)
(Although I'm sure I'll be eating my words a few months from now!)
{This is kind of how I felt taking these photos...it's a little still a little crazy to me, ha!}
Well I'd say that pretty much covers the baby story so far!
Thanks again for all your well wishes, we're really excited :)