9 Weeks...Spilling the Beans, or should we say Olive?

This weekend my Mom, step dad Jeff, sister Renee, brother-in-law Aaron, and nephew Jaden all came into town for the Buckeye Country Superfest.  We couldn’t wait for everyone to get here so we could FINALLY share our big news!  After we ate some pizza, I handed my Mom a card that said “Guess What?!”.  Inside it said “Chicken Butt! Happy Birthday!”  (Mom and Jeff have birthdays coming up in a couple weeks).   But inside I had two piles of photo “hints” to look through.  Mom handed one to Renee, and everyone watched as they started flipping through the photos.  I could see Jeff figured it out pretty quickly once they hit the picture of the baby shoes (and he apparently also thought I had been suspicious anyway).  Renee was the first one to say “Baby??!”.  It probably took my Mom the longest to figure out what was going on...it was really cute!  I think Aaron knew what was going on before we even handed out the pictures.  Jaden, being an 11 year old boy, showed minimal excitement, but I think he will be a lil more excited once his new little cousin is actually here.  Although it was hard to keep such a big secret, we are so happy we waited to tell them in person.  The hugs and congratulations were totally worth it :)

Joe spent time hanging out with Jaden Saturday and Sunday night while I went with the rest of my family to the Buckeye Country Superfest.  Joe and Jaden enjoyed watching robots compete at a nearby high school, watching movies (at the "fancy hotel-like movie theatre"), and making smores.  I had a great time with my family at the concert.  Maybe it can be a new family tradition? 

Sunday was Father’s Day so we exchanged cards and gifts and had a cookout.  Joe even got a lil something for his 1^st Daddy-To-Be Father’s Day!  Aaron also helped Joe with some repairs on our deck…we are so grateful for all of his help!!

Buddy was hard at work supervising.

Monday I shared the news with my sister, Nicole, who wasn’t able to come down for the concert.  She was definitely surprised but excited to become an aunty again!! I also called Grandpa, and he was asking me all about the house.  I explained to him we were going to have to start filling up some of those rooms, starting with his new great grand baby!

We finished the week off with a cookout for our friend Peg who was in town from Asheville.  It was a reunion of a bunch of her favorite perfusionists, and she of course had lots of "Buddy time".  We shared the news with with all of our friends who came over for the cookout.

Joe also was being a little silly when we were getting ready for our cookout.  I guess this is his impression of when "baby is the size of a watermelon".  I reminded him we have a ways to go before then!

Izzy looks quite confused.

Baby is the Size of a Green Olive

Best Moment This Week:  Sharing the news with family and friends.

Miss Anything:  Not really.  Thought I would miss a cold beer by now, but so far so good.

Sleep:  I love a good nap!

Food Cravings:  I had nachos both nights at the concert.  They were pretty delicious (which also seemed to entertain my family since I ate them all myself).  Mostly I want any kind of fruit.

Anything Make You Queasy Or Sick:  No, I have been very lucky not to experience any of that, keeping my fingers crossed I can continue to avoid it!

Have You Started To Show:  No one else would notice, but depending what I am wearing I look like I have a lil food baby haha.

Happy or Moody: Happy!

Looking Forward To:  A weekend in Asheville with friends.  Abe and Katie’s wedding!!

8 Weeks....First Ultrasound!

Our first prenatal appointment was on Tuesday.  We really liked our OBGYN.  She is very knowledgeable and personable.  The appointment started out with a million questions, peeing in a cup, and then the fun part... the ultrasound!!  Joe was laughing at me because even though I had just peed I felt like I had to go again.  Between pregnancy and lots of water my trips to the bathroom have been very frequent. I kept telling him I hope I didn't pee my pants (or lack thereof) during the exam.  Fortunately I did not, but I have a feeling I will have more actual embarrassing moments in my future.

So the good news is everything looked great from the ultrasound!  I have full clearance to continue any yoga, running, TRX, etc. so long as I keep my heart rate under control, stay hydrated, and modify as my body changes.  She found our lil peanut (as she called it...much better than "Cletus the Fetus" as Joe was referring to the baby yesterday...I had to nix that one!) right away.  Yes there is only one :)  And apparently I more than likely ovulated from my left ovary, who knew?!  The most amazing part was seeing the lil heart beating up on the screen.  It is incredible to see in something so tiny.  We were able to hear the heartbeat, and I think we both got a little emotional.

There's a baby!!

So tiny

HR 154 BPM, although she said it may even be a lil faster :)

So based on my last menstrual period, my due date is January 28.  But she is measuring me closer to a due date of February 1.  I go back in a few weeks and she will do another ultrasound.  At that point, she will decide if she is going to change my due date or not.  Either way we are just happy to know we have a healthy baby on board!

On Tuesday night, I went to the Nelly, TLC, NKOTB concert with Callie and a bunch of her friends.  She posted a picture of all of us on Facebook and her Mom, Chris, made a comment that all 8 of you look great! Three of the six of us are pregnant, but I am the only one who hasn't made it public knowledge.  I had to resist the urge to say "Chris don't you mean all 9 of us?!" :)

Joe called our friends, Jason and Lauren, last night to tell them the news.  I think he was really itching to tell someone (Joe is really awful at keeping secrets, this is not easy for him!).  I also let him tell our boss, Jim, who is so excited for us!  So next time we go on one of our triathlon/running adventures with Jason and Lauren, I guess we will have a new lil one in the cheering section!  We are going to start sharing the news with the rest of our friends and all of Joe's siblings after my family visits this weekend!

Baby is the Size of a Raspberry

  

7 Weeks..."Healthiest Pregnant Woman Ever"

Joe and I have been keeping busy...it is making the time fly by!  Which makes us happy because we have been anxiously awaiting our first doctors appointment.  When I called to change my appointment the day after I found out I was pregnant (my new patient appointment wasn't until the end of July), it seemed like an eternity away.  Now it's in only 5 days!!! (but who's counting?!).  I have never met this OBGYN, but she came with good reviews from girls at work so I am keeping my fingers crossed it is a good fit.  I am so happy Joe is going to be able to get out of work for a couple hours to come with me (incredibly thankful for an awesome boss and flexible job...we are so lucky!).  We are just anxious to know everything is going okay with Baby Lude, and to informally "meet" the little one.  I found out they will doing a transvaginal ultrasound at this appointment....so we will get to see the baby! Excited/nervous/anxious/happy.  Is it Tuesday yet?!

We spent the weekend eating good food, putt-putting, and playing games with friends.  The bar tender at Local Roots was very concerned I wasn't ordering a drink on a Saturday night.  I told him I had taken on 9 months of sobriety.  He found that quite funny.  You catch people a lot more off guard when you aren't showing at all :)

Wednesday night (a "school night" as we like to call it) Joe and I had date night.  We went to Gallo's for dinner.  As soon as we walked in all I could smell was fish.  I made the comment to Joe it smelled very fishy, and he just laughed at me.  Apparently I have a very heightened sense of smell these days because he barely noticed.  I am just thankful I have not been experiencing any morning (or all day) sickness.  So although I am noticing more smells, they don't seem to bother me.  (I actually noticed recently our water in the house has a smell, and I suggested we get a new filter for the fridge.  Turns out there hasn't been one installed all along.  So now we have one on the way!).

After dinner we went to the Cirque Du Soleil show, KOOZA!  It was such a fun show.  Great story, hilarious, and amazing acrobatics! We loved every minute.

Joe and I getting ready to go into Kooza.

Joe has deemed me the "healthiest pregnant woman ever."  He is quite disappointed in my cravings, and keeps trying to talk me into craving things like Cookie Dough Oreos.  He swears he will help me out with them if he has to! ;)  In general, I crave fruits (raspberries) and veggies (Spicy Hot V8).  But no real strong cravings I can think of up to this point.  Although the french fries at Gallo's were delicious!

My sister Renee has been texting me about martinis and wants to make some when she comes to visit next weekend.  I am just letting her think we are having martinis :)  Can't wait to surprise my family!

So here we are already at week 7.  Buddy and Izzy wanted to let you know how excited they are about their future little brother/sister.  And they also think it is AWESOME their sibling currently has a tail, just like them!

Baby is the Size of a Blueberry

Buddy is excited to play with Baby Lude in the yard and on the swingset!

Izzy isn't quite sure what to think.  "So Mom you are telling me that blueberry is going to turn into a baby?!"

6 Weeks...Baby's First Celebrity Encounter!

Friday night was the first time I had to avoid a social function.  One of our coworkers was having a going away party at Zauber Brewing.  A bunch of our coworkers kept asking Joe where I was, but I think he played it off pretty well.  I, of course, got picked on the next week at work for not being there, but soon enough everyone will know why... and then I can start going to work parties again! Haha!

On Saturday night, we went to the Rolling Stones (with special guest Kid Rock!!) concert with our friends Nate, Callie, Geoff, and Nicole.  Of course, this is part of the reason we told them the weekend before, since we knew it would be very obvious if I didn’t drink at the concert.  Callie has become my partner in crime since she was in the same boat about the same time last year.  We were bar hopping on High Street before the concert.  Joe and I knew we were going to be seeing our boss, Jim, and his wife, so I thought for sure we’d be spilling the beans.  But Callie came up with the excellent idea for me to order “vodka” and cranberry.  Nothing like a lil cranberry juice with a splash of water and a lime to quench your thirst!  I thought it would be painfully obvious, but no one asked any questions (and, luckily, Jim wasn't feeding me drinks like he normally does).  Anyone who knows me knows I am much more of a beer girl.  I also avoided a round of shots by conveniently going to see my old stomping grounds with Callie on the way to bar number 2.  It will be funny to tell Jim in a couple weeks and see if he had any idea. :)

 

The concert was so much fun!!  This was my second time seeing Kid Rock, and I had to text my sister Renee to let her know we didn't see any boobies or cocaine at this one.  And The Rolling Stones were totally awesome!  I can't believe they are in their 70s!  Mick Jagger still has the moves - that's for sure!  So, one day I can tell Baby Lude all about his or her first concert.  It was legendary! :)

 On the way home from the concert, baby and I were STARVING while we were sitting in traffic trying to get off campus.  I remembered I had a snack bar in my purse.  Joe asked if he could have a bite and ate half!!  He’s lucky... this time baby and I were nice about it, but next time he may not be so lucky!

Sunday was Nate’s 30^th birthday.  We grabbed dinner, and Joe got lots of bonding time with Lily (baby Lude’s future BFF or boyfriend).

Monday I was off of work so I went to spend the day with Danielle.  She so far gets the "most surprised" award.  As a matter of fact, once I told her, I am pretty she she still thought I was kidding :).  To her credit I did catch her a little off guard with the news, but I definitely found it very entertaining.  So Danielle sent me home with prenatal vitamins and a prenatal yoga DVD.  She must be trying to keep me healthy!

And probably the most exciting news of the week is Baby Lude's first celebrity encounter.  On the way home from yoga this evening... someone got a lil light on the brake at a red light near my house.  Let's just say.... this guy rear-ended me....

Yes...the one and only Urban Meyer!  No damage to me, baby, or my car, so all is well!  Now I only wish I had gotten photographic evidence, or football tickets!!!  Oh yea... and I was wearing my yoga clothes... I really should have dressed better for the occasion :)

Baby is as Big as a Sweet Pea

How long do you think Baby Lude will be able to do tree pose?!