Mid-December, 2008 - Mid-August, 2009
Today could be the day we find out if our lives will be changing forever. It's only been three months since we started "trying," but as each month passes I feel more of those doubts sinking in like maybe we just won't get to be parents. It's depressing to think about, but my more positive, rational side is saying three month is nothing - why wouldn't you be able to be parents? You're still in your early 20s, so don't freak out! I keep repeating this to myself over and over as I wait 3 horribly long, agonizing minutes to see if there will be one or two lines on "the test" this time . . .
TWO LINES!!!! Could that be right, though? I better take another one just to make sure . . .
TWO LINES!!!! I am out-of-my-mind ecstatic and can't wait to share the news with Dusty. I try to think of some cute, clever way to tell him but all I could come up with in my dumbfounded state was to say "You better be careful with the mother of your baby" while he was giving me a hug. I know, I know - pretty lame as far as breaking the news to your hubby that you're pregnant for the first time. Oh well, we're having a baby!
Of course we couldn't wait to break the news to our parents and immediate family . . . and I may have spilled the beans to my closest friends. We decided not to tell anyone else until I was done with the first trimester because both of our moms had miscarriages and we didn't want to have to explain to everyone in case something went wrong and I miscarried.
But, I didn't! I made it through the first trimester in one piece and none the worse for wear. I did have a case of the stomach flu at about 8-9 weeks, and that was brutal. I had done pretty well up until that point, but it seemed like the morning sickness set in after that. Luckily, I never had to run to the bathroom with my hand covering my mouth; mine was more of an all-day, lingering nausea. It wasn't pleasant, but it was manageable.
Oh, and my sense of smell was working over-time. Going into Starbucks, which usually smells like heaven to me, made me ill, and anyone who smoked was singeing my nose with the acrid smell anytime they were near. Bleh.
The second trimester went smoothly, too. We decided not to find out if we were having a boy or girl, and the ultrasound at 20 weeks was the most miraculous thing we had ever seen. Dusty and I were both filled with wonder as we got to see our little baby for the first time. The detail on those things is absolutely incredible. Everything felt more real after that.
The third trimester was a breeze. Even though it was the heart of summer, I didn't mind at all. I actually lucked out because it wasn't as brutally hot as some summers in the Midwest have been. I sat out and caught some rays in my preg-o swimsuit and read my books and tried to figure out what names we should go with for our baby since the time was actually approaching where we would need one! Let me tell you, it's almost impossible to pick names when your husband works with kids. Every single name seemed either to remind him of someone he knew, or was a name he heard a lot. We thought it would be so much fun choosing a name, but it's hard work - and, it's a lot of pressure. I mean, this kid will be stuck with this name for-ev-er (you can imagine me saying that in my best The Sandlot voice).
We decided to tour the hospital, having never been there, and take a labor and delivery class, which was kind of fun. We got a lot of seemingly useful information and we got to connect with each other and try to imagine how it might be when I actually went into labor. It was fun to kind of play-act how it might go. Oh, naivety, how I miss you. Dusty learned some techniques to help with the pain of labor because my plan was to go without an epidural unless I felt I needed one.
We tried to go out to eat and saw a few movies in the theater since we knew we wouldn't get a whole lot of time to do that once baby came. The last few months we were full of nostalgia - reminiscing about our dating years, our wedding almost 2 years earlier, and our married life. Of course we knew there were things we would miss, but it was a thrill to think about starting a family.
In the midst of all that, I studiously looked through baby name books and we decided to have a few for a boy and few for a girl and decide once we saw him/her. I also made sure to stay caught up with my What to Expect When You're Expecting book to try to stay as informed as possible. Everything seemed pretty spot on and it was going so smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that I didn't even bother to read the sections on C-sections . . .
I guess I didn't take too many pictures of my
pregnant self with Asher. In this pic, I'm
about 8 months along.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for part two - labor and delivery!
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