Pregnant Pause

I have not done a very good job of chronicling my pregnancy and there are sooo many aspects of being pregnant that I do not want to forget. I will admit: being pregnant is much tougher than I expected. Here are my recaps by trimester:

First Trimester. We found out we were pregnant on week six and we were in love with this baby immediately. New Years Eve was a day or two later and it VERY tricky hiding our new news. We hosted a party at our house before going to a BIG party. Our house was easy peasy - sparkling grape juice to the rescue (only one guest asked why my champagne looked different ...). At the BIG party, I just held a glass of red wine all night and was adamant I should be the designated driver. I first heard the heartbeat on week eight and was beyond smitten. It was an unforgettable moment hearing that pitter patter. We decided early to not find out if it was a boy or girl. We also decided early to keep it a secret until the second trimester. So many of our friends had miscarried and we just wanted to carry this in our hearts for a while. We made a few exceptions: like our overnight trip to the farm and when we went skiing in Telluride. It's hard to keep it a secret when you want to ask the waiter "is this cheese pasteurized?" and "will you cook my burger until it's very well done?" Also, my sleepiness was cause for concern if you didn't know I was preggo. Except for an awful cold I picked up, I felt incredible until week 10ish. We had just returned from skiing and *BAM* I ralphed literally once or twice a day until week eighteen. Talk about being g-r-e-e-n. I still managed to gain two pounds (must be the carb-only diet I kept). I am a stomach/back sleeper, so I started sleeping on my side - the body pillow is wonderful for this transition. One really neat thing about being pregnant that I noticed in the first trimester, my psoriasis cleared up completely which is very rare for wintertime. 

Second Trimester. We told our parents and sisters literally the first day into our second trimester. I had great intentions of sending super cute Valentine's and filming their reactions ... but I just felt so crummy and time got the best of me. So facetime and phone calls it was to my side. My in-laws were visiting the next weekend and we told them in person. Everyones reactions were priceless. By week eighteen I felt instantaneously better. I had energy and didn't need to sleep from 6pm to 6am. We had our first big ultrasound at week twenty and it was beyond ah-mazing seeing our bean turn into a baby. I still cannot get over it and just marvel at the snapshots. We had three big ultrasounds in total (due to baby positioning mostly) and we are so blessed that everything appears to be perfect. I love this baby so much and just cannot wait to see what he or she looks like out of the womb. It's fun seeing a sneak peak for now. It was also really fun having my husband, in-laws, and mom see the ultrasounds. My mom was also there for my sugar test and I was beyond thrilled to have passsssed. By week twenty-two, I could feel the butterfly kicks which quickly morphed into karate kicks. I gained ten pounds this trimester and bump popped about week twenty-three. I caught my second cold which was awfulllll and was sooo sick on the ride back from this wedding (still apologizing to the R's who were gracious enough to let us ride with them ... I was the worst passenger ever). At work, I tried my first jury trial all by myself ... and WON!!! A few juror members stayed afterwards to talk about the case and their first question to me: "when are due?" Such a fun victory to celebrate while being pregnant. We also took our babymoon to Palm Beach this month and had so much fun!!!

Third Trimester. The third trimester has been a blessing thus far. I can literally count the days left on my toes and fingers, so I know it could still be rough, but so far sooo good. I toss and turn a tad at night mostly because my hips hurt. I moved from the bed with my body pillow to the couch and sleep like a queen. The karate kicks are now wild and you can actually see the baby move - it's WILD. There were not too many changes this trimester other than me getting bigger and biggggger. I have gained about a pound a week during the last trimester and believe I'll hit twenty five pounds by delivery date - that seems like a ton but I still feel pretty good about it. My feet and legs are not swollen and my face is not puffy, but I know that too still has time to come. I walk Stewbaby almost every day for around 30 minutes. I also track what I am eating to make sure I'm getting the proper nutrition and not all SUGAR intake. I also track those sweet baby kicks. We took our birthing classes this trimester and they were beyond helpful (besides having to watch a natural birth ...). I have a friend that lost her baby in the third trimester and its colored my pregnancy in so many ways. It's made me more thankful and grateful for this experience. It's made me more aware of baby movements and body changes. It's also made me fall on my face and completely trust God each step of the way. When my stepfather died, I was in the room as he passed and I remember it being the saddest moment of my life. I also remember it being beyond peaceful and almost beautiful because I am so certain of his salvation. Knowing that he was in paradise with Jesus was beyond amazing for him, yet so sad for us. I have been excited about this baby and this birth because I have a feeling having a life and loosing a life might be somewhat similar. So many friends have told us that having a baby is the greatest reminder of God's love for us. I am saddened that our baby will not know my stepdad but I am prayerful that our baby will know God and meet him one day in heaven. The last memorable part of the third trimester is the nursery. It is all set up and ready for the baby to arrive. I'll share pictures soon. My husband did a great job and was beyond helpful in making it happen. I love him so much and am so excited to have this little person make us a party of three (four if you include Stewart). We pray for the baby all the time, we love this baby so much, and we feel beyond blessed to have him or her joining us this month!!!

Phew - so that sound cover most of it. I've definitely gotten over my white coat effect with these frequent doctor trips and finger pricks. I am back to thinking this baybay is a GIRL even though everyone keeps saying its a boy and I'm carrying like a boy. I'm so ready to meet our baby and see if its a he or she!!! Xoxo-BLC