1st Trimester Re-Cap

Oh friends, I'm still slapping myself in the face every morning when I wake up, because of the big news... want to make sure I'm not dreaming... but then I run to the bathroom having to pee, or start dry heaving, and it quickly helps me realize, I'm not... this is for real. Getting pregnant has been such a struggle for us/for my body... that it's still so surreal. Sometime soon, I'll be sure to post about those struggles soon enough, just so you know how amazing this little blessing is... and how this is totally God's plan for us, not my own...

I'm nearing near the end of my first trimester (2 days, who's counting?!)... and because I really didn't announce it until a week or so before entering the second trimester, I thought it might be fun to do a little re-cap... and then starting my second trimester, try and come out with weekly/bi-weekly post updates... on the bump, on the cravings, how I'm handling my changing body, funny things Charlotte says in reference to the baby (oh there are a lot of those), etc. 

A week before Thanksgiving (this past year)... I knew SOMETHING was up, because 1. I was a few days late, and I'm as regular as regular can be. 2. I went for a run, after my 5k, and ended up dry heaving the entire 1.5 miles that I ran. 3. My body refused my morning cup of coffee.... oh what a devastating day that was. I no kidding brewed my morning 3 cups of coffee, and just about after pouring my first cup and taking a sip... the sip that I love MOST... I rushed to the toilet to vomit. That was definitely my body's way of telling me that I needed to look into this. Pregnancy test purchased a few hours later... I couldn't WAIT to find out results, so I headed to the store bathroom with Charlotte... opened up the test... peed on the stick... and 5 seconds later... had a positive read... not 2-5 minutes like they encourage you to wait... 5 seconds. Charlotte was a little confused by what happened, asked if she could pee pee on one... and then asked if I was okay (because I was crying)... yes, sweet little one... I was totally overjoyed, and I couldn't have thought of a better person (other than the hubs) to have shared the news with right away... she was FLOORED, to say the least. Immediately kissed my belly. 

Getting through the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) was SUPER tough... not only because we were keeping it a complete secret until we heard a heartbeat and shared with our family... but because I was SOOOO sick. While everyone was indulging in all the yummy food/goodies that come with the holidays... I was only able to stomach a few things: strawberries, blueberries, crackers and gingerale. That's an amazing diet, ay? Not only was I plagued with the ALL day (not just morning) sickness, but the thing that was worse, was my energy level... it was 100% zapped. I could sleep ALL day, and often did. There were a few days where I'm fairly certain that Sesame Street raised Charlotte... because I could barely pick up my head. I felt like the BIGGEST Mama fail ever, but, it's exactly what my body needed in order to support that little one inside me. 

The worst timing EVER though... but I'll take it. JUST as I was REALLY sick, we started our moving process (packing out, living out of a suitcase in our house with temp furniture, sleeping on air mattresses)... and I'm pretty certain that if my hubby could give any advice to any fellow men out there, he'd say, "DO NOT KNOCK UP YOUR WIFE RIGHT BEFORE A HUGE MOVE"... because I was useless. He gets SO much credit for handling everything, because there's NO way we would have made it to OK. In fact, if everything were in my hands, we would probably just NOW be packing up... because I'm feeling more human these days. It's taken nearly this ENTIRE trimester to feel somewhat normal... Feeling sick though, definitely helped remind me that I was pregnant... and just like they say, "the sicker, the better"...

Days before leaving Korea, we heard our very first heartbeat (the entire family was in the room). It took nearly 2 minutes to find, but once found, there was no DENYING what that sound was. It was a strong beat, according to the technician.. measuring at 164 beats a minute. Not just any beat.. but a STRONG one... a reassurance. Two days later, 1 days before flying out, I saw our little one, on an ultrasound. Same strong heartbeat.. and he/she was totally sleeping and cuddled up all snug right up against my back/spine area...fluttering it's little feet. It REFUSED to flip around, so we weren't able to get a cute little profile shot... but hopefully at our next appointment he/she will show us their sweet little face.

I'm just a few days away, from hitting 14 weeks (aka the 2nd trimester), and that brings me to a July 24th due date... not sure I'm excited about a summer pregnancy (in the OK heat), but I'll take what I can get. Right now, baby is measuring 8 days bigger... so it's possible that due date will change in the future. We shall see... after all, they'll come along when they're done baking, right?

Charlotte and the hubby couldn't be more excited! We pray for baby all the time, and guess about whether they will be a he/she. Either way, they will certainly be loved. I've decided... since I LOVE that tree in my yard (by our house that's being built), that I'm going to take my "bump" shots there... to document this journey. It's an oak tree... and absolutely beautiful. I foresee a tire swing hanging on the REALLY long branch (you'll see in the photos below)... it's the perfect spot... because we don't know what he/she is... I've been calling baby, "sapling"... which makes it pretty appropriate. So here I am at 13wks5days pregnant- and yes, I'm starting to "pouch". It's kind of getting tough to pull off as a "food baby" these days... it doesn't tuck back in, after the food digests.