Baby's First Trip to Disney

Week 9 of Baby B's happy existence was spent at the happiest place on earth...Disney!

My parents always joked that the next time they would be a Disney would be with their grandkids....and well they kind of were! The entire week was so much fun, we spent all day at all the different parks, ended the day at an ENAP (Dad's conference) cocktail parties, and then ended the night with a really nice dinners.

A huge plus about being pregnant at Disney....I had an excuse not to go on any of the scary rides. I became the designated bag holder, but I didn't mind. While the fam went on all the rides I usually went and got a snack and found a nice, shady seat and relaxed until they were done.

Week 9 I started feeling soooooo much better. I was keeping food down, I started having more energy, and I could see the light at the end of the first trimester tunnel. I guess Disney really is a magical place! We will definitely have to take Baby B to Disney in a few years since she/he seemed to enjoy it so much!

If you look closely you can see my 9-week bump!

Week 9: Surprise! You are going to be Grandparents

So I can honestly say my parents have been waiting for this moment since probably the day I got engaged. For the past 2.5 years we would always get loving comments like "So what are you waiting for?" "Can you please have a baby before I die." etc. etc. etc. So yes, I can definitely say they were anxiously awaiting for this moment.

I knew exactly how I wanted to tell my parents. When I got engaged my Dad bought me "Father of the Bride," and we watched it and cried together. Since then its become our thing. So when I found out I was pregnant, I found "Father of the Bride: Part 2" and on the cover is the daughter and a baby kissing the dad's cheeks. It was perfect.

March 5th: Matthew, Emily, and I drove down to Orlando, FL to meet up with the rest of the fam. Since it was Matthew's birthday and our first night all together in a long time, we went out to a nice dinner. I knew I had to tell them ASAP, because 1. I still had a bit or Pregnancy Plague 2. We were spending the week at Disney and obviously I couldn't go on like any of the rides. 3. Could I really keep this secret from them any longer?! So at dinner I announced that since it was Matthew's birthday I had a present for the entire family and I let my Mom open it. My Mom opened half of the movie, and immediately started bawling, and choked out, "Really!??!"....after that the entire table was crying and celebrating.

I guess everyone was a little excited and happy :)

Secrets, Secrets, are NO fun

Whenever something incredible happens in your life you obviously want to immediately call your family and close friends to share the news and then shout it from the rooftops....so its odd to think that when you find out you are pregnant, which is quite possibly the biggest news of your life, that you keep it to yourselves.

Jeff and I decided we were going to keep it pretty quiet until he got home from NTC. The main reason we decided to wait to tell our families was because we knew I was going to see my family in a few weeks and I really wanted to tell them in person, plus I would be 9 weeks...I would be far enough along where it would be safe to tell them.

Even though no one knew, I kind of felt my friends subconsciously knew....I know they obviously didn't but little things kept happening for example: Text from Tina on February 12th: "Can you pls have a baby soon so I can start buying all these cute baby clothes I see" how I didn't say anything, I still have no idea!

Looking back, it was nice just having this incredible secret to share between the two of us. It was so much fun to share smiles at each other while we were out, and only we knew what it meant.

Week 8 started low...then high...then low

So lets see...week 8 was crazy to say the least. It started off in the ER, but we saw and met our baby for the first time and heard his/her sweet sounds, I started showing YAY!, and then towards the end of week 8...Jeff left for a month-long training deployment. BOO. I was a little nervous being left alone, and Jeff was nervous to leave me, but after hearing the baby's heartbeat it made both of us a lot more confident that everything was going to be ok. Plus I knew I was going to spend the next week with my family.

Week 8....not going to lie, I'm glad you are over. PHEW.

Week 8 wasn't all that bad...

With all the craziness that came with week 8....my baby belly began to pop out too!

No, I am not crazy...its there! That night I had to unbutton my pants at dinner!

Wednesday the 29th was also our first appointment! It wasn't anything exciting, we just met with an OB Nurse and she went over the basics....oh I also had to give more blood...in fact a lot of blood for the inital screening tests....no fun.

Stats: 
Weight: 99 pounds...pants are starting to get really tight.
Cravings: Still nothing...
Aversions: Same as before...

Week 8: Our first scare

8 weeks and 1 day I landed myself in the Emergency Room. To make a long, dramatic story short, I stepped out of my morning shower, blacked out, called sick into work, called Jeff, called Dr., and then had a freak out session.

Jeff came home to drive me to the ER, and I kept trying to calm myself down and not try to think the worst, but I literally could not stop the tears from spilling down my face. What was going on...and was my baby ok.... As you all know the first trimester is the most crucial, and if you were to miscarry chances are you are going to do it within the first 12 weeks. Being my first pregnancy I had no idea what the future held for us and if this was going to be a successful pregnancy or not. In the Army hospital world apparently it is 'protocol' that they will not see you until you are at least 8 weeks pregnant...and your initial appointment is just with an OB Nurse to go over the 'basics.' You aren't even schedule for an ultrasound until 10-12 weeks. INSANE I know. Oh the joys of universal military healthcare. (RARR)

After about 6 hours in the ER, all my bloodtests and other tests came back normal. They then ordered an ultrasound to rule out that it was an ectopic pregnancy. The thought that I could be pregnant...but not really pregnant was way overwhelming to think about. I don't think I really breathed until I saw the perfect little embryo in a perfect spot on the ultrasound machine....and right in the middle was a tiny flickering speck...the heartbeat. Our baby was safe. The doctor was curious to see if we could hear the heartbeat yet...she flicked a switch and immediately we heard the most amazing sound, a perfect, fast little heartbeat. What an incredible moment that was, it truly was a moment we will never forget. The heartbeat of our first little miracle.


Diagnosis: Severe Dehydration from the Pregnancy Plague. 

Weeks 5-7

To spare you the gory details, in a simple statement....it was a rough few weeks.

The Stats: 

Weight: 97 pounds...still a size 0, woo.
Cravings: NONE
Aversions: Absolutely everything. Especially chicken, fried foods, and anything that smelled.

You always hear that the first trimester can be rough, but I never imagined it being this rough. I also want to ask the genius who came up with the name 'Morning Sickness.' This 'Morning Sickness' not only appeared in the morning, but also the afternoon...and at night...and every moment in between. So I now bequeath it a new name... the Pregnancy Plague. I found myself drinking a lot of gingerale, seltzer water, and Gatorade, and the only thing I wanted was fruit snacks.