Baby H: Weeks 9-12

Week 9

At nine weeks, I had my first doctor appointment. Unfortunately, Luke had been out of town for work (remember here?) and we tried so hard to get him back to Houston for this appointment, but he ended up getting back either that night or early the next day (my preggo brain can't exactly remember). So, off I went to my first appointment! I wasn't really nervous or excited; I honestly had no idea what to expect. This was also my very first time to see any doctor in Houston, so there was a lot of general paperwork to be filled out and questions to answer. I didn't even end up meeting my Obgyn at this appointment; I saw her PA instead. Whitney (the PA) was super sweet and let me ask as many questions as I wanted. Once all of the initial steps (weighing in, family medical history forms, etc.) were out of the way, it was time to confirm my pregnancy.

{Baby H's first picture}

If I hadn't believed I was pregnant up until this point, I did now! Wow - I can't even fully put into words the overwhelming feeling that came over me once I saw that teeny tiny little thing on the screen for the first time. At 9 weeks, my baby wasn't just a little blob, but a little sour patch kid baby with a head, body, and little arms and legs that wiggled. I didn't quite cry, but I think my giggly laughter sort of sounded like it, ha! It was an unbelievably cool experience. I found out then that my official due date is March 11, 2015. Luke got back to Houston shortly after and it was so fun showing him the video of our wiggle worm I took during that first sonogram.

Week 10

That next weekend, Luke and I drove down to Corpus Christi. While there, our dear friend Jade, who also took our engagement pics, my bridal pics, and our wedding pics, met us in town for a quick photoshoot so that we'd have some fun pictures to share with the world once we let our little secret out. I'm SO glad we did this! I know it's vain, but I'm glad I got a few nice pictures of Luke and I before I got big and preggo. ;) They turned out great and I can't thank Jade enough for always capturing the best moments of our lives.

While in Corpus, I also did a super preggo thing and bought a pickadilly snow cone. Now - if you're from South Texas - this is not uncommon. But anyone else would have looked at me and been like, "Seriously, girl? A pickle snow cone with pickle chunks?? Where's the ice cream that goes with it??" Ha! Yes, pickles and ice cream may be an old joke during pregnancy, but this girl has always loved pickles and with summer wrapping up, this was a perfect treat. My child will definitely love pickles from day one!

Week 11

Week eleven was fairly chill. We were in escrow on our house and signing new papers left and right. We learned during this part of the house buying process that you really shouldn't make any large purchases. So instead of buying anything, Luke and I had a few dates nights that included dinner and a lot of browsing at furniture stores.

{Love these girls!}

That weekend, I rode with my friend and college roommate, Cat, up to her lake house in the hill country to meet up with the rest of our college roomies for a girls' weekend. It was a really nice getaway and a chance for all of us to catch up as the summer was winding down. This was also a really special weekend for me because it was the first time we were all together since I'd told them about Baby H. We've all been through so much together (sharing a house, Baylor football games, too many Tri Delta functions to count, engagements, weddings...the list goes on!) and it felt so good being able to share this next chapter of my life with them too. I can't wait for more husbands and babies to be added to this group! :)

Another highlight of week eleven was that at about this time, my morning sickness/gagging/overall bleh-ness began to subside. I know so many girls that deal with this for much longer, so you can guarantee I was counting my blessings!

Week 12

Week twelve started out a little rough, but honestly, I don't remember why (probably house stress!). What I do remember was having a package delivered to my office that totally cheered me up. My poor momma was dying to know if Baby H was a girl or boy and since she couldn't buy clothes for the baby yet, she bought maternity clothes for me and had them sent to my office. Subtle, mom. ;)

{Jolly is the best! Jolly = my mom's grandmother name}

And the weekend of week twelve, Luke and I drove up to Waco for the first football game in the new McLane stadium. Y'all - it's GORGEOUS! The new stadium was even more than I expected. It was a super hot day, which was a little miserable until about 7pm, but I survived. I just drank a ton of water and $5 lemonade (yikes!). We have season tickets and love our new seats! I'm so happy that we have season tickets with all of my best friends from college. It's a tradition I hope we continue every year.

Baylor ended up with their first win on the season and in the new stadium. It was really fun to be a part of such a monumental day in Baylor history. Oh, and guess who else showed up to the game?? Baby H's little bump made it's first appearance that weekend, which was also really cool. It sort of freaked me out, ha! But hey - it was bound to happen sooner than later. :)

Baby H: Weeks 5-8

Ok, it's catch up time! I've decided to recap the first half of my pregnancy (can you believe we're almost half way there??) in increments of 4 weeks. Without further ado, here's weeks 5-8.

Finding out we were pregnant was overwhelming. We both felt very early on that this pregnancy should stay our little secret until we could better wrap our heads around the next steps. The day after we found out, I scheduled an appointment with an Obgyn in Houston who was recommended to me by a close friend. I was originally going to see the doctor around 7 weeks, but I ended up having to push this first appointment to 9 weeks for one reason or another. That story will make it into my next post. :)

House hunting. Luke and I called our realtor immediately after finding out about Baby H and let her know that we were very serious about finding a house sooner than later (we'd done a little looking here and there, but nothing too intense). That weekend, we saw about 10 or so houses. We actually found one that we really liked and made an offer. But within the next day or two, Luke was called out on a 3-week stint for work south of San Antonio and I was left in Houston to finish house negotiations and get the ball rolling on paperwork. We settled on a number and were in the last couple days of our option period when an unsettled feeling came over me and I called Luke to tell him that I wasn't 100% sure this was our house. Luke has always been so great about reading me; he can call my bluff in an instant. This time, he could tell I was truly unsettled about this decision. With his blessing, we backed out of our offer. And looking back now - I'm so glad we did! We'd settled on a price close to 20k over what the house should have been selling for (we learned later). Love when the Holy Spirit leads us!

We were back to square one and, unfortunately, my husband was still out of town for work. So about a week and a half later, my mom and baby sister drove up to Houston for round #2 of house hunting with me. At this point, I was about 6-7 weeks pregnant and whoa - was I starting to feel it! I would lay down in the back seat of my mom's, car nauseous and gagging (and trying to hide it!), while she drove house to house. If you read this post, then you know we did end up finding a second house that I loved even more than the first (all while Luke was gone - he hadn't even seen it at this point!), made an offer, were turned down, and then received a call about 10 days later saying that the buyers backed out and asking if we wanted back in. Talk about an emotional roller coaster ride! At 8 weeks preggers, my husband still wasn't back in Houston, I'd fallen in love with and had my heart broken over house #2, and was then was put into a position to make a quick, very serious house-buying decision while in the early stages of pregnancy hormone overload. Thank goodness, Luke came back to Houston before our option period on house #2 was up and got to walk through the house. *Proud wife moment because he loved the house I found!* We now had a home picked out for Baby H and this time, we were 100% ready to commit.

{House #2 - we love it so!}

Letting the cat out of the bag. When my mom and little sister drove up to Houston to help me house hunt, they stayed at my aunt's house where Luke and I were also living temporarily. Being the nauseous, tired, emotional wreck that I was, I went to lay down in my bed after we'd wrapped up house hunting. My mom came in the room to check on me and I was crying. She asked me what was wrong and I told her I was just really stressed. But obviously, that wasn't all the info. At 7 weeks pregnant, I was missing Luke and stressing out so much about finding our sweet baby a house that I couldn't hold it in anymore. I whispered, "There's more. I'm pregnant." And then the tears really started to flow! It was the first time that I'd been able to say out loud to someone other than Luke the scariest fact I'd ever faced. My mom hugged me, teared up, and laughed. "Sara, this is amazing. You're going to be just fine! You're not too young or haven't gotten your life figured out yet. This is the next step and you and Luke have got this!" It was so good to tell my mom and poor thing - I swore her to secrecy. I know it sounds silly, but we had our reasons and we really needed her to keep our secret just a couple weeks longer. Once Luke was home from being gone for work, we were able to tell my dad, sisters, Luke's parents, and close friends (side note: although he acted surprised, I'm pretty sure a little birdy told my father before we did...ahhemm mom).

{Mom made me chicken parm the night I told her about Baby H. Mmmm comfort food!}

{Also - random fact - I drank a lot of smoothies at the beginning of this pregnancy}

Telling work. I had no clue how to tell my boss that I was pregnant. I had just started my new job and was so scared that he'd be upset. Ironically enough, work actually found out I was pregnant right after my mom did. It just so happened that I was having a conversation with my boss where telling him fit right in, so I went for it. Of course, I teared up (seeing a theme here people?) and before I knew it, I was apologizing. "I'm pregnant and I'm so, so sorry. It wasn't planned - really. I really hope you aren't mad." His response? "Sara - CONGRATS! This is amazing news!! Seriously, did you think I'd hired a 27-year-old married woman with no kids thinking that something like this couldn't happen? Of course I knew it could and I'm thrilled for you and Luke!" #mindblown

I couldn't believe how wonderful his response was! And over the next few weeks as different people on my team found out, their responses were as equally wonderful. I could have waited at least another 5 weeks or so before telling them, but I'm so glad I told everyone as early as I did. We talk each week about how big the baby is getting. My co-workers ask to see sonogram pictures and take me to lunch on a regular basis (whatever "the baby" wants). I couldn't have asked for a better work family to support Luke and I in this next chapter of our lives!

{Somewhere in between all of the house stress and baby secrets, I managed to get my new office decorated}

Working out and weight gain. I continued my normal workout routine during weeks 5-8 (running or run/walking 2-3 miles, 2-3x/week) and although I didn't lose any weight, I didn't gain either. I've known many people with terrible morning sickness and I absolutely count myself as one of the lucky ones. By week 9, my nausea and gagging was subsiding and would only got better as I progressed. I also craved a lot of veggies these first few weeks as well as sour chewy candy (although I tried to refrain as much as I could!).

{I decided not to take pics every single week, but here's the very first one taken just before the 5 week mark}

{Working out about 6 weeks preggers}

{No real bump yet at 7 weeks)

{Skyping with the guy while he was away. No words can describe how much I miss my husband while he's gone!}

Up next - weeks 9 through 12. :)

How We Found Out I Was Pregnant

I've done a terrible job of documenting this first pregnancy so far (sorry Baby H #1!), but I've promised myself that I'll catch up. So let's begin with the story of how I found out I was pregnant...

I found out I was pregnant on July 3rd. I had started my new job about two weeks prior and Luke and I had just temporarily moved into my aunt and uncle's house in Katy while house hunting. I woke up that morning planning to stop by CVS to pick up some drano for the kitchen sink at our office because it was draining slow and realized on my way over that I was about three days late. "Guess I'll pick up a pregnancy test while I'm at it," I thought to myself and I giggled out loud. Not because I truly thought I could be pregnant; I actually thought the exact opposite. Luke and I were about to reach our 3rd anniversary and over the last three years, I'd taken a handful of pregnancy tests. We'd never been "trying," but I'd definitely had those "OMG, could I be pregnant??" moments. And each time, as sure as the grass is green, Aunt Flow showed up either right below or right after I had bought/taken a pregnancy test. I knew this time would be no different.

I strolled into work that morning, handed to drano to the boys so that they could snake the sink, and I sat down at my desk. About 30 minutes into my day I thought, "Eh, now's as good a time as any." I stuck the test into my pocket and headed towards the restroom. I took the test, sat it on top of the toilet paper dispenser, and just hung out. After about three minutes, I picked up the test, knowing that it would say, "Not Pregnant." Was I in for the biggest shock of my life! "PREGNANT." As clear as day. My blood turned cold and I felt like I was going to faint (super sweet, right?). What the whaaatt?! No. Way. I had just started a new job. We had just moved to Houston and into a very temporary living situation. We hadn't found a house yet. How the heck was I going to tell Luke about this?? That was the slowest walk back to my desk. I'm pretty sure I was shaking; I couldn't feel my legs. I'd smile this sly little smile to myself and then panic all over again. Don't get me wrong - deep down, I was excited. But God's timing and our timing were off by a few months. Luke and I had had many discussions about starting a family sooner rather than later, but Miss Type A had a few more ducks she needed to get in a row before something this life changing happened and instead, she had just discovered a little ducky swimming around in her womb. About an hour later, I took a second test (yay for two-packs). Same response. The rest of the day was a blur.

At lunch, I decided that this was my chance to figure out how I was going to tell Luke. I wanted it to be special, but I was freaking out and I knew he would too. Telling him I was pregnant wasn't going to be hugging and kissing and tears (sorry to all you romantics out there, ha!). So, I got in the car and began to drive. At this point in time, I was still very new to the northeast part of Houson, but I knew of a fairly big shopping area. I found a Carter's and walked in. "What could I buy him to tell him the news?" I thought. I looked all over the store and settled on a little girl onesie and a little boy onesie.

Lucky for me, I got to leave work early that Thursday and we had Friday off for 4th of July, so my work day was fairly short. That night, Luke and I were going to meet a friend at church for a young adult worship service, but a traffic accident had I-10 shut down and we ended up having dinner at Rainforest Cafe instead. I thought about telling Luke at dinner, but I hadn't brought my present for him and a public setting wasn't a great idea. I waited until we got home and settled into bed. We were going to watch a movie, but before we started, I whispered to Luke that I had something to tell him and that I was scared. That worried him and he demanded that I tell him what was wrong. I reached into a box where I was storing his gift, grabbed the onesies with positive pregnancy tests wrapped up inside, and handed them to him. "What's this?" he asked. But it didn't take long for him to understand. He was shocked. I teared up. After a few minutes of "What? OMG? How? (well duh) We aren't ready yet! What do we do now??", we just laid there in bed cuddled up to one another taking it all in. Of course, we'd be ok. We knew that. And we knew that God was already writing His story for this child's life. But we were still overwhelmed. Luke laid the onesies on his chest. We prayed and fell into anxious sleep.

{Ahhhhhh!!!!!}

Isn't that a sort of a terrible story? Ha! Someday, we're going to have to convince our oldest child that we did, in fact, want and love him/her. We laugh at our initial reaction now. Of course, it took all of about two weeks for us to start thinking of baby names and planning where our kid would go to college. It's so amazing the way parental instinct kicks in almost instantly. Luke began making me power smoothies each morning so that Baby H was getting all the best nutrients and I was being extra particular about my caffeine intake and workouts. For many reasons, we decided to keep this little secret between the two of us for a few weeks before telling family and I'm so glad we did. It was a special few weeks of leaning solely on each other and God and praying over this new creation.

And now? Are you kidding...we are THRILLED! Luke keeps saying, "I can't wait until you're THIS BIG!" and he makes a round shape around his stomach with his arms. I roll my eyes at him. Not sure I want to get that big, babe. ;)  We had our most recent doctor appointment today and everything looks great. We are proud parents, no doubt! Guess you could say we got over our initial shock fairly quickly and fell head over heals for our little nugget even faster.

{17wks 1day}