Getting Closer to the End of the Trimester

First of all, thank you to everyone who read our first blog post last week as well as those who left us kind comments/messages/emails!  We really appreciate everyone's support and encouragement!!! 

I don't think we have too much to update everyone on this week...I think my pregnancy is a little backwards :-).  In many of the books I have been reading and websites I have been glancing at, they usually say nausea and morning sickness starts to die off towards the end of the first trimester/early second trimester.  I am going in the opposite direction.  Although I haven't gotten sick again, I have felt more nauseous. I am HOPING that it may have been partially due to another prescription I had to take for 5 days...I have been off it for two days now and today I didn't feel much nausea.  I feel it mainly when I get super hungry (there is no KIND OF hungry...it goes from not hungry one minute to starving 1 minute later!)  Sensitivity to smells is also getting worse.  TJ has taken over permanent trash duty as well as the dishwasher because it, too, smells terrible...I am SO LUCKY to have such a great guy! 

Last week we booked our maternity/newborn pictures, well, tentatively and am very excited about them even though they are months away.  Our photographer is so talented and is a good friend of ours from high school--Missie (Collins) Lafrenz.  She took our wedding pictures and we are thrilled she will be capturing another exciting, memorable time in our lives. 

Another thing I started working on this past week is a pregnancy journal.  But, not an ordinary journal (which I know I also should start...my friend Lexsea has an awesome one that I need to investigate), but one through Shutterfly.  So far, I have obtained 4 different $20 off coupons from Shutterfly that don't expire until next December, so I thought one would be best used to document the pregnancy.  Plus, Shutterfly has a template specifically for pregnancy, which makes creating an album much easier. 

Well, that is all for now! 

 13 weeks, 1 day

Now you can see it better...I LOVE that a belly is forming...I am ready to get HUGE!!! :-) 

Shutterfly's Pregnancy Journal / Photobook

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to our first blog post!  Although TJ already has a blog, I am brand new to this world.  So, it might take a while for me to figure out how to use it and add all of the neat gadgets.

Well, I am guessing if you are reading this it is because you opened our email and saw our big announcement--We ARE PREGNANT!!!  YAY!!!!!!  We couldn't be more happier about our growing family!!  We discovered we were expecting around the end of January and it was confirmed by our first visit to the doctor on Valentine's Day when we got to have our first ultrasound.  The baby's heart beat was about 144 bpm (I think?) and he/she was itty bitty on the monitor.  It was unreal to see the ultrasound and get our first official pictures.  We also found out the due date is October 1, although I know many people don't actually deliver on this date.  We are SUPER excited about the idea of having an October birthday since we were both born during this month.  My brother is pulling for September 24 since that's his birthday.  We had our second visit last week and was told everything appears to be progressing well.  The heartbeat was strong at 168.  It took the nurse a few minutes to find it, but it sounds like that is normal because the baby is so tiny.  Our 16 week appointment is Friday, April 13th and our 20 week is Friday, May 11.  We plan to find out the gender at this visit.  We are excited to find this out just in time for Mother's Day.

So far, I have been feeling pretty good.  No awful pregnancy symptoms that others experience.  Not many instances of feeling queasy and I have only gotten sick once.  I have been more sensitive to smells, though.  I also haven't had the completely exhausted feeling that I've heard is common.  I am ready for bed earlier in the evenings, but feel pretty good during the day.  I would be lying if I didn't say there have definitely been moments of anxiety--am I going to eat something wrong or do something to harm the baby?  Luckily, I have the BEST friends and family members who have helped me manage some of these feelings.  I am excited that the belly is growing!!  I know most people cannot tell yet, but I certainly can, especially after 2-3pm in the afternoon.  I know some of you have heard me say this before, and I probably will regret it later on after baby is born, but I want to be HUGE!!!  :-)  I think pregnant people with large bellies are just adorable!!! :-)

We have decided not to put anything on Facebook regarding the pregnancy at this point in time, which is one of the main reasons we decided to create a blog.  We will try to update this blog weekly (no promises!) with pictures, news, and updates.  We are thinking of waiting until we know the gender (which marks the halfway point) before putting anything up on Facebook.

So, welcome to our first official blog!!   Thanks for following us!

~Brittany

Our Epic Announcement Trailer

 Picture from our ultrasound (7 weeks and 1 day)

11 weeks and 3 days (day of second doctor's appointment)

Pregnant!!!  Positive test!!