We couldn’t be any more excited to share our happy news with you! This is why I count my blessings each and everyday, I’m so thankful for all of you! God is good.
I received a lot of questions so I will try to answer some of them today and give you a few more details about my pregnancy so far. Hokay, so here we go.
I feel like there are hidden messages in your announcement post…Am I right?
Yep! There were hidden messages! They include: What to Expect When You’re Expecting on the counter, my (wishful) bump — I had a big lunch that day so I tried to cover it with the cinnamon roll (get it? bun in the oven?), the pink and blue plants in the windowsill, the ultrasound picture on the fridge, our wedding rings are shown in the going in the oven picture and the timer set to 9:00:00 to symbolize 9 months.
I’m well aware that it is incredibly cheesy and I’m really sorry if you didn’t get it until you read “We’re having a baby!” 🙂
I’ve also been leaving less-than-obvious hints in previous posts…
“Does it feel cold in here to you?”
Elle’s friend Herbie
Old McEmily had a farm.
A taste of Holland
March Birchbox
Spring Green Lemon & Basil Pasta
It has become increasingly difficult to hide the pregnancy on the blog. People must think I’m a total flake or wonder if I’m depressed because I’m so tired lately. It’s so hard to hide something like this for long when you blog about your daily life. I don’t like to deceive people, so I just sort of quit blogging, but that wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
How far along are you? When is your due date?
I am 14 weeks, and the baby is due the end of November.
Is your doctor German?
Yes, all of my appointments and the birth will be at a local German hospital. For the military folks wondering…yes, Tricare covers all of it. Pregnancies are handled differently in Germany, arguably better than in the states. Don’t worry, they speak perfect English and I promise I’m not the first American living here to have a baby. My doctor does an ultrasound at every appointment and rather than give me a solid due date, they are more focused on the baby’s measurements, developments, and growth. Starting with my next appointment and for the rest of the pregnancy, I get fancy 3D ultrasounds. I leave the office with an order to enjoy my pregnancy instead of a list of the things I can and cannot do. I love it! So far I’m a healthy momma and we are expecting a healthy cranbaby! I’ll get a more realistic due date later on.
Will the baby be a German citizen?
Nope. There is quite a bit of paperwork involved but the baby will be all American. 🙂
How did you find out?
It was back in March, we were driving home from Italy and I felt like…crap. I had a couple glasses of wine the night before at dinner and I was embarrassed to admit to Alex that the reason I was reclined in the passenger seat and had no interest in sharing the 10 hour drive with him was because I was suffering from a wineover.
The next day was a lazy Saturday. As I was getting ready for the day, a funny thought crossed my mind. Something was um, well, missing and I still felt like crap. Hmm…? The thought was provoking enough that I decided to dig out the “just in case” home pregnancy tests that I keep on hand for moments like these. I fully expected to see one line, toss it in the trash with assurance, and that be the end of it. NBD.
And that’s exactly what happened.
I went down to the kitchen and casually mentioned to Alex who was eating breakfast that I was not pregnant as I poured myself a cup of coffee. He looked up from his cereal, eyebrow raised and said, “Congratulations…?”
Later that afternoon, Alex was outside getting firewood to restock our supply in the house and I was unpacking our suitcases from the Italy trip. While putting away toiletries in the bathroom, my eye flitted to the trash can. My heart skipped a beat, then it began pounding. Lo and behold – my previously discarded test from that morning laying in the trash was now showing two solid pink lines. I double checked with another test just to be sure. Same thing. My thoughts happened all at the same time:
How did you tell the Viper Pilot?
I went downstairs and sat on the bottom step until Alex came inside, with an armload of firewood. He saw me sitting there so I blurted out, “I’m pregnant!” and burst into tears. He was shocked, confused, and insanely calm for just receiving such life-changing news. Despite all this, the look on his face was the happiest, most elated I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget it.
I’m still not sure what made me look in the garbage can that closely, instinct I suppose, but I’m quite glad that I did.
And how did you tell your family?
We decided to tell our family early before Alex left because we wanted to be together when we announced.
We told Alex’s parents on FaceTime. When Alex casually told them we were due the end of November, they chuckled. When I told them we weren’t kidding, their jaws dropped — and then my iPod shut off because it overheated. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! We only got to see their faces for a brief moment, but it was still so exciting! This will be their first grandbaby! We called them on the phone right away and put it on speaker so we could discuss the details. It was so much fun to deliver such wonderful news to them!
We then connected with my parents via Skype. We had enough to chat about that the opportunity to announce the news didn’t really present itself, so I excused myself and came back with a beer for Alex and a water for myself. Hoping they were a little suspicious of my action (we normally are both enjoying a cold brew when we Skype on a weekend), I just nonchalantly told them I stopped drinking because I’m pregnant. Better prepared this time, I managed to snap a picture with my cell phone. They were in shock (I especially love my dad’s face).
Our sisters got phone calls after this and each one of them squealed and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” Yup. We sure are!
What were your first symptoms?
I had a really easy first trimester. I only had a handful of days when I was incredibly queasy — but I never lost my cookies. I still get motion sick easily; I really never did before the pregnancy. (Sea Bands and Preggie Drops have helped.) I can best describe morning sickness as feeling perpetually hungover; it blows and I’m glad I didn’t really have to deal with it. I get so exhausted that some days I swear I have NyQuil running through my veins. I have weird dreams. The second trimester gifted me an occasional (awful) headache. I don’t even care though. I’m loving all of it.
Do you have a baby bump yet?
If you look really close, I’m showing. When you’re pregnant, your digestive system slows way down to deliver nutrients and the good stuff to the babers so between the bloating and my constant eating, I look like I’m 6 months pregnant at the end of the day. The baby is about the size of a lemon right now, still too tiny for a noticeable belly bulge. I rub my belly even though I know it is more bloat than baby, but it’s the fact that I know our baby is in there that makes me smile every time. It’s just my way of saying hi. I cannot WAIT to get a real baby bump.
Will the Viper Pilot be home for the birth?
YES!
Were we trying?
Ha, like I really was going to answer that. I will say that we were in the mindset of “if it happens before the deployment, it happens,” but we really didn’t expect it to happen.
So…I guess I kind of did answer that. Oops.
How my eating habits and weight have changed:
I lost about 6-7 pounds in the first trimester but not from yakking — I stopped drinking, started eating healthier, and exercised regularly. I’ve decided I’m not going to be a slave to the scale/numbers, partially because I’ll have a minor myocardial infarction from the number. Now that I’m in the second trimester, I’ll probably gain about a pound a week. Ooof. I’m going to crack down and focus on my nutrition and well-being instead. I’m not following a strict “pregnancy diet.” I allow myself to cave for a weird craving when it strikes. But if I can help it, I reach for a bag of carrots instead of the chips.
Cravings:
Cap’n Crunch cereal, cheese, milk, fruit, any kind of noodle alla pomodoro, spicy foods but my spicy tolerance has decreased significantly, Thai food, enchiladas, one day I really wanted sauerkraut and mustard.
{I bought a bag of baked Lays southwestern ranch chips at the grocery store to send to Alex because they seemed like something he might like. However, I ate the entire bag on my drive home instead. The entire bag. I didn’t know I was capable of this feat. It was amazing.}
Aversions:
Meat (especially chicken and pork), seafood, anything sour, almonds, the thought of uncooked eggs but I can eat hard-boiled and scrambled if someone else cooks them, and anything that smells bad — this changes daily. Sadly, I don’t love the way chocolate tastes. Whyyyy?
How my exercise habits have changed:
So far, so good! Exercise is something I hold near and dear to my heart and pregnancy wasn’t about to change that. I honestly think exercise is what helps me feel normal and the reason why my first trimester was so easy. I made a goal to exercise three days a week, with the option to do a fourth bonus day. I printed out a spreadsheet to record my workouts. I feel so accomplished when I look at the spreadsheet and think of all the good I’m doing for the baby and for me! We bought a treadmill and I made our basement into a makeshift home gym. Since I’m not confident on maternity safe exercises, I have several maternity workout DVDs that range from yoga to salsa dancing to muscle toning. I rotate through the DVDs and try to get in 8-10 miles per week. The biggest change I made is how I listen to my body and how it reacts to the exercise. Before the pregnancy, if I started getting tired at 2.4 miles, I’d run the last 0.6 even faster. That’s not the case now. If my body says no more, I go no more. But I do miss being able to push myself in my workouts.
Is it a boy or a girl?
It’s too early to tell…plus, we don’t want to know! Seriously. We have no desire to find out in advance whether it is a boy or girl. We will be happy with either and we feel like this is one of the ‘last great surprises’ in life. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a…
…girl! Alex thinks it is wants a boy. Well, one of us will be right. Statistically, fighter pilots are prone to having girls. Despite the lack of research studies on this, the proof is there. Just look at the families in any fighter squadron. It has to do with something about the radar that the pilots are exposed to in the jet (it is perfectly safe) that lessens the chance for little boys.
{Alex picked out a blue plant for a boy and I picked out a pink plant
for a girl. We bought these right before he left and they made an
appearance in the announcement post. The pink one is growing and
blooming like crazy. The blue one turned purple.}
We don’t like to refer to the baby as “it” so we’re calling him/her Ewn (sounds like ewin) which stands for Elle’s worst nightmare.
We’ll find out the day baby arrives and we’ll love the baby with all of our hearts. In the meantime, we’ve been having fun picking out names.
How are you feeling?
I’m scared all over. This is the scariest thing I’ve ever done! I’m scared my baby won’t be healthy. I’m scared that they’ll grow up to be a teenage who hates me. I’m scared Elle will hate the baby. I’m scared we won’t have enough money. I’m scared of changing dirty diapers.
But…I’m happy, so very happy. Overwhelmingly happy. I know, in my heart, that it is all going to be just fine. Even if it is scary; even if it is hard. This baby is already the best thing that ever happened to us. Thank you for reading and supporting us on this adventure. It truly means so much to Alex and I.
Tamera says
I predict a boy 🙂
Elizabeth Chentland says
What a cute way to share such life-changing (and EXCITING!) news. You will be a fabulous mother hen. 🙂