And Baby Makes Three (Sunday Blessings Edition!)

We have an awesome praise and big news to share... That's right, my blogger peeps, Cole and I are expecting a baby!!! We figure the due date is sometime in late February or early March, but we won't know for sure when I go to the doctor on July 23rd. We are very excited, nervous, scared...all of the feelings that you expect to have when being pregnant for the first time. This is something that we have been praying about and hoping for, but now that it has happened, I am still in shock! I just didn't expect it to happen this fast! We have only been trying for about 2 months...well, let me back up and start at the beginning...

Cole and I knew we wanted children. And we knew that we wanted to be married for at least a year before we started trying. We had planned on waiting until we had celebrated our 2nd anniversary, but we got word back in the spring that he might be going to Kosovo next year. We knew we didn't want to wait three years. So we decided to move our plans up a bit, and go ahead and try. I talked to my doctor, started taking prenatals, gave up caffeine, and started getting back in shape. I told my mom (and a few other people...I'm not so good at keeping secrets!). I was told by several people that it would take a while, probably 3-6 months. So I went off birth control in late May. I had one normal cycle the last week of May (I hadn't had a cycle since going on the pill...sorry, a bit of an overshare I know!), and then this month I was late. Well I had been keeping a period tracker calendar on my handy-dandy iphone, and I knew that I was supposed to start. So about two or three days before I was scheduled to start, I just didn't feel right. So I took a test. Negative. The box said that there was an 85-90% accuracy rate at that point, so I figured it was right. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And by Friday June 26th, still nothing. Cole was home and I told him that if I hadn't started by the next day, that I would take another test. Well Saturday morning rolled around, and 5 am, I got up to use the bathroom. I thought why not?! So I pulled out another one of "the most sophisticated pieces of technology you will ever pee on" (we like the digital read out...no questions!) and did my business. I was washing my hands and about to head back to bed, when I figured I would check it, although I had convinced myself that it was negative. I looked...and it said "Pregnant." Just like that. There it was. The first words out of my mouth were "Oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH. CCCOOOOOLLLLLEEEE!!!!!" I was at the bathroom door at this point, and the hubs shot straight up in bed. He whipped around and said "what's wrong?" "I'm pregnant!" was my simple but life changing reply. Needless to say we didn't go back to bed after that. We hugged, kissed, read our books, talked. Just...what do you do?!?! Well being Saturday, I couldn't call my doctor, so I had to wait. Monday came and I called my normal GYN who doesn't deliver. I had an appointment to check some abnormal cells on the 20th (I have these sometimes, but my doctor never seems concerned, and the internet says they are extremely common) so I called and canceled that appointment. Then I called my OB, Dr. Wiedower. Her daughter was in my class last year, and I just love her so much! I go in during my 8th week, July 23rd at 1:15. I can't wait, although my sister has warned me that you get poked and prodded and stuck a bunch the first appointment. And she warned me that I might be having morning sickness by then too. Great.

So far, I haven't missed any symptoms! I am extremely, and I'm talking DOG, tired. All the time. I don't sleep well at night. Heartburn, excess saliva, metallic taste in my mouth, mild cramps. I never really thought that being pregnant would feel like this. Not sure what I expected. But I am sure that my "pregnancy glow" is just a term made up to make us feel better about the bags under our eyes and crazy hair that we were too tired to fix, and the bloating that makes none of our clothes fit right anymore. Nice.

So I know I am only 6 1/2 weeks into it at this point, and there is still a significant risk for a miscarriage. So why am I announcing it to the world? Well, a couple of reasons. #1: I am excited and I don't keep those secrets well. #2: I have faith that this baby, if he or she is meant to be born, will be. and #3: you are all my friends, even if just online. and I wanted to share it with you!

I will keep you posted and update on this. But, for now, some pictures of what I think will be our nursery furniture...



Hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July! This soldier's wife did!!!