We are expecting!!

I have been writing, editing, reading, & re-reading this post for the past 3 months...here goes.

John & I decided last fall that we were ready to add to our family.  We started trying.  I read "Taking Control of Your Fertility" which was an incredibly informative and empowering read for me.  We've been trying on and off since then; basketball season was difficult- being so stressed, unhealthy with our diet, and always on the go.  Then there was trying to avoid being 8 or 9 months pregnant this fall when we were in two weddings out of town.  So we tried and we waited and had faith that everything would work out the way it was meant to be.

While in Maine in mid-August, I decided to stock up on some pregnancy tests because everything is so much cheaper up there.  The day after Amanda's bachelorette party (and some pretty serious drinking whoops!!) I decided to take one of the tests, just for the hell of it.  Well........

Now it looked positive to me, but one line of that plus did not look very bright.  So we tried not to get our hopes up too high....
I decided when I got home to NY, I better get one that was easier to read:

ENTER extreme happiness and extreme panic!!  How are we going to do this?  Am I going to be a good mom?  Where will we put this baby in our little home?  How will I give up my caffeinated Dr. Pepper?  (ok not all my fears were really practical).  Will we have enough $$ if I stay out past my sick time?  Will Riley & Roxy accept their new sibling?  Lots of questions.  Soon after we told our parents & siblings who have been such good sports, keeping our secret for so long.
8/31/11:  First Pre-natal Dr's Appointment: 6 weeks, 5 days pregnant.  Consultation & yet another pee-on-the-stick test, making my positive test count a whopping 8!!

9/8/11:  First ultrasound appointment:  7 weeks, 5 days pregnant.  Magic.  So heart-wrenching to see our little baby but know we still have so long to wait and so many hurdles to clear before we get to meet.  John & I both teared up as we watched our baby's heart beating.


 Our little one, then the size of a blueberry:

A few days after the ultrasound, my dr's office called me to tell me that everything looked normal, baby had a strong heartbeat of 141, and that my due date will be April 20th :)  This date is really special as it will be my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary!!
9/14/11
Almost a month to the day of finding out that I am pregnant, my good friend Tasha emails me to let me know SHE IS PREGNANT!!  Matt & Tasha have been trying to get pregnant for awhile now & I really believe that we were meant to be pregnant together.  She’s due March 10th so she’s about a month & a week ahead of me.  We are so happy for our friends and even happier that we get to share in our journey as first time parents with the couple that’s been there from our beginning.  I must admit I was tempted to share my own pregnancy news with Tasha when she shared hers; but I decided against it because I was so happy for her & wanted her to glow in her own pregnancy for awhile.

10/6/11
2nd Ultrasound.  11 weeks, 6 days.  Baby moving around like crazy.  Saw arms & legs!  Heartbeat was 180-185!!

Our little one, then the size of a lime

So, now here we are at 13 weeks, ending the first trimester & finally able to share our good news with our family and friends.  John & I had a great time surprising Matt & Tasha with our news.  I brought a gift wrapped shirt up for Ta that said "Due in March."  After she opened it, I unzipped my jacket & I was wearing the same shirt reading "Due in April."

Ta's Reaction to our news :)

Due in March, Due in April :)

We are hoping and praying that our baby continues to grow and stays healthy throughout the next 6 months.  John & I are overjoyed and can't wait to become parents.  Coming up soon will be my first trimester screening & in about a month or so the anatomy scan where we'll find out if we're growing a boy or a girl!!  I will be attempting to document my journey in this blog along the way, so stay tuned.  In the mean time I'll be trying to prepare Roxy & Riley for their first two-legged sibling.