Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Second Trimester, Here We Come

I opened my inbox this morning and found an email from babycenter.com that said “Welcome to the second trimester!” Our little one can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his/her thumb.

All I can say is that I am totally falling in love with our 3.5 inches long baby!

John and I got to hear his/her heart beating earlier this week and we are both so fascinated with the fact that there is a little person growing inside me!  Pregnancy still does not feel real, and I have a feeling we will be holding a tiny baby in our arms six months from now still completely in shock that our time to become parents has arrived. 

I would also like to point out that I don’t look pregnant at all – which makes it harder to believe that this pregnancy is for real. All my normal clothes fit me like they have always fitted and I am starting to think that I will not be doing much maternity shopping.

So, instead of ending this post with a photo of me not looking pregnant, I decided to leave you with this:

Image from babycenter.com

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Pregnancy #1: First Trimester

The first trimester was very uneventful which I considered to be a blessing! John and I kept looking at each other with giggles as we got used to the idea that we were going to become parents.
  • I felt extremely tired and could easily sleep most of the day if I let myself.
  • Food smells were not appealing and it was hard to come up with meals that sounded good - but because salads don't smell like anything, we ended up eating lots of fruit and veggies.
  • It was SO fun to share the baby news with family and friends! Those of you who know me, know that I am not very good at keeping secrets, so I wanted to tell complete strangers that we were having a baby.
  • I never experienced morning sickness and never vomited. Praise God!
  • Our 8 weeks ultrasound showed this blueberry size baby that had a perfect heartbeat and both John and I were fascinated that a little person was growing inside of me.
  • John referred to the baby as 'he' and I kept reminding him that he could not speak gender into existence. He thought it would be easier to raise a boy than a girl...and I realized that if we had a girl, she was never going to be able to date. :)
  • We decided to give birth at the local Birth Center with a midwife.
  • I expected to start looking pregnant right away and was surprised that my body showed no signs of being pregnant.
  • John and I started being more intentional about having weekly Date Nights, knowing that we would soon have to share our precious alone time with a little one.
  • I felt tempted to start buying things for the baby, but I fought the temptation with the intention of only getting what we need (with a few splurges!). Our goal is to keep things simple.
  • I continued exercising despite feeling tired and even enjoyed a few hikes and snowshoeing in the spring time.
  • Not used to eating little meals multiple times a day, I had to get used to always having something ready for me to eat in order to not get extremely hungry. Hungry Danielly = Moody, Emotional and Irrational Danielly.
  • I became obsessed with Chipotle and very much disliked the fact that the closest one to us was 65 miles away.
  • Confession: I thought pregnancy books were super boring.
  • I was so thankful for family and friends who so kindly shared advice about pregnancy, labor, birth and life with a newborn when I felt lost and completely unprepared to become a mom.
  • Candied ginger became a normal part of my diet.
  • Unfortunately, my hand joints hurt so bad and so often that John had to masage my hands with Icy Hot so I could go to sleep at night.
  • John tried so hard to be patient with me when I was a complete emotional mess. I am so thankful I get to be his wife!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Our California Adventure

The drive to California last week happened just as planned (most of the time) and I loved getting to see the geography and landscape change every few hours. God is so creative...I could never come up with such beautiful places.
The moon was absolutely gorgeous as we drove through California's emptiness.
I must have seen thousands of rolling, dry hills like these.
We ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere...and the guys pushed the van up the hill...we coasted down the hill...and when facing the next hill we decided to wait for AAA.
Upon entering our hotel room, I learned that one should NEVER hang a hanger on the sprinkler head.
Can you tell I was travelling with a few coffee lovers? 
We got to see dear friends become husband and wife! Aaron and Lily, we are SO happy for you!!!
They had a beautiful wedding. Do you see their joy?
We visited Vasquez Rocks - where an episode of Star Trek was filmed.
Oh, look at us wearing summery clothes!
Cool shot by John.
We also ran into a few High Performance Off Road Vehicles - AKA: remote control cars
They looked so real!

I should add that I went to Chipotle twice while in California! They are WAY more generous with their portions in that part of the country.  I can't complain.

We drove back to Washington at night and the drive felt soooo long. I could not wait to take a shower and fall asleep in a bed.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

This Week's Happenings:

·         I killed a bird while driving and the sound of the poor bird flying into my car is still ringing in my ears.

·         Chipotle’s steak burrito bowl with white rice, black beans, grilled veggies, regular salsa, corn, sour cream and lettuce is definitely my biggest weakness lately. Unfortunately, the closest Chipotle is 65 miles away and I have not been able to convince John that this distance is totally worth it. So, if you’re planning on visiting us in the next six months, please bring me a burrito bowl (gluten free) as described above. Thank you!

·         I miss California’s 80 degree weather. We came back home to snow, hail, wind and an abundance of rain.

·         A dear friend gave birth to the cutest little girl in the planet this past week and I got to meet her on Monday. Holding a little baby brought SO MANY different emotions. I can’t wait to meet my little one…but I am also partially terrified of coming home with a baby that is so tiny and vulnerable.

·         My brain is full of DIY ideas thanks to Pinterest. All I need is a house with a garden, a garage and 500 pallets and my dreams will come true. Oh, I also need a sewing machine and a saw…and some glue and paint….

I am currently looking through a few photos from our trip to sunny California. Stay tuned for a post with a few stories about our adventure and a few photos.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Visiting the Sun

The three of us (it is still so weird to think of us as a family of three) will be heading way south for a friend's wedding this week. Here are a few things I am excited about:

  • Seeing friends become husband and wife - I love weddings!
  • Reading a lot in our 22 hour drive (each way).
  • Feeling the sun's warmth!!! I don't even know what to pack because I don't remember what 76 degrees feels like anymore.
  • Spending time with friends we don't get to see all the time.
  • Wearing a new dress dress. Yes, it is a new dress, but I am mostly excited about wearing a dress and not being cold...so really, the dress is not the really exciting part.
I am looking forward to sharing a few photos from this week's adventure with you all when I get back! Meanwhile, I hope you are doing well where ever you are.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Two + One = Us

John and I are beyond excited to announce that we are having a baby!!!

Although reality has not set in yet, we are so looking forward to meeting our first child sometime around September 19th! Please join us in our excitement and prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby.

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