If you’ve wondered why things have been a bit quieter over the last three months, it’s because…. we are so excited to be expecting a baby girl, coming this October!
It feels absolutely surreal to type those words out and fills me with so much joy to share the news. I am just over four months pregnant (in my 17th week) and while we’ve kept it very quiet, I can no longer hide this bump! It has been a whirlwind these last few months which I’ll share a bit more details about below.
We found out very early at 4 weeks, just at the end of January. Those first few weeks we kept it very private and didn’t share it with friends or family for some time.
By week 9, we surprised our family with the news. My family lives locally so we were able to have them over for a backyard lunch and I’ll never forget that moment sharing with my family. It’s something I’ve cherished since and thankfully were able to capture the whole moment on video. I’ll never forget my mother’s scream of excitement — I thought for sure the whole neighborhood knew something was up. A few weeks later, we slowly started to tell our close friends and extended family. Getting to share the news continued to make it all feel so real.
The First Trimester
The first weeks (4-6) I had tons of energy, determination to continue to eat healthy and exercise, and was full of joy. I felt like I was on cloud nine and could do it all. Week 7 came and I was blissfully unprepared for the wall I was going to hit physically and emotionally.
The first trimester wiped me out with debilitating 24/7 nausea and food aversions. To be very transparent, it was some of the darkest and most isolating weeks I have experienced. I don’t know what I would have done without Travis’s care and help to find some solutions to ease nausea and help get food down (nothing really ever eases this kind of nausea). He was incredibly gracious, from late-night runs to the store for popsicles to even making his coffee outside in the back house so I wouldn’t have to smell his coffee (which sent me over the edge every time). He also cooked a mean Annies Mac&Cheese. Work was put on hold and did just contract jobs that needed to be completed. One of the biggest challenges was not feeling like myself and I knew it was all worth it.
When week 14 came, a new wave of energy came out of nowhere. It was like the darkness was starting to lift and I felt like I could start eating more food. Oh, how I missed vegetables. I felt a bit more creativity come on and found a few ways to feel more like myself.
Now
As each week progresses, I’m overcome with joy to be growing this baby girl. I’m feeling much better and with it, have been able to start enjoying the pregnancy. I’m 17 weeks today and she is as large as a yellow onion (last week she was an avocado!) which really blows my mind.
Travis and I talk often about who she will become and the adventures we will go on. As we start to dream about this next chapter of life with the three of us, there is so much anticipation. I’ve started to work on the nursery (well many weeks ago because I couldn’t help myself) and even just bought her first pair of shoes which sent tears to my eyes. It still feels surreal.
Ahead of us, we have a babymoon that we are very excited to take in May and will be laying low for the rest of summer at home as we prepare for her arrival. I know this time will pass by so quickly, so my intention is to really embrace this moment and enjoy these moments growing and waiting on our little girl.
We are very excited to share this next chapter with you and get to share the adventures together!
