Sharing the news

Although I'm a week late on this post, I want to keep track of who we have shared our wonderful news with.

Last Friday (2/13) John and I had one of our good couple friends (Kyle & Bethany) over dinner. Kyle and Bethany have become good friends of ours. John and known Kyle since college and when Kyle started dating Bethany her and I hit it off and have become good friends (she is also a nurse and we share several similarities). We had tentatively planned to go on a couples trip with them in October. Obviously God had other plans and wanted us to become parents in October instead. :) Our friends were very surprised yet excited! We'll soon share the news with the rest of our group of friends.

Saturday (Valentine's Day) we went to John's mom's for dinner. (Back story: John's mom wanted to go on another family vacation so, we are going o NYC for 3 days over Memorial Day Weekend.) John decided to get his mom a card thanking her for taking us on "our last family vacation as the 4 of us before the baby arrives" and signed it from the 3 of us. Her initial reaction was pretty mild. She looked at the card and looked at John, then at me. She then asked if she was allowed to get excited as she was in disbelief from John's word (he tends to cry wolf a lot). We told her it was true and then the screaming, hugging, and hopping around began. We told John's brother, Mikey later that night and he also didn't believe John. :) It wasn't until Mikey got confirmation from me that he knew the news was valid. Needless to say John's mom and brother are very excited!!

The news was also shared with John's step-sister, dad, & step-mom throughout the last week.

Needless to say, everyone is VERY excited for Baby Leach and many claim they've been waiting a long time for this news. :)

Week 6 Events

Another week has flown by witht his babe.  Here are details on how momma is feeling as week 6 comes to an end....

• Nauseated- Yep, it's in full swing. No official vomiting yet, but there have been a few close calls. It seems to be worse in the mornings until lunch time and in the evenings when I get home from work. 
• Food aversions- Momma has officially become a vegetarian. The thought of any form of meat makes me want to vomit. If it does not have bread, cheese, or pasta associated with the meal, then I want nothing to do with it. I went to chipotle the other night to get a cheese quesadilla (imagine the looks when I ordered it). I thought a side of guacamole would be a good addition to it. Nope. Gross. The guacamole tasted awful. What happened to my taste buds?!?!?! I have also stayed clear of decaf coffee for the last week, does not sound appealing at all.
• Back aches- Not fun, especially when I can't take Aleve or Ibuprofen. It looks like yoga class is in my future.
• Restlessness- My sleep seems to be very restless. I'm up 1-2 times a night to pee and I wake up in the most awkward positions and the covers are all twisted. I'm a usual stomach sleeper but find that when I wake up on my stomach my back hurts worse. I've been trying my hardest to sleep on my back or side.

I told John the other day that this stage of pregnancy almost feels like I have the stomach flu on a daily basis. He's been a good sport, catering to all of my needs and weird cravings. I couldn't ask for a better man to be on this journey with.

Keep on growing sweet baby. Momma is ready for week 7 (Monday) and beyond!!

Cravings

The other night John had a good chuckle. I had asked him to bring me something since I was burrowed into the couch by 7:00 pm with PJ's on. He did and happened to look down at what was pictured below: Sparkling water, Animal Crackers, Ginger Ale, Ice Cream, and then the book. It's true that pregnancy makes you eat weird, random things and this week food aversions have totally hit me. Last week I was devouring anything in sight and now this week it's totally changed. This week I want nothing to do with meat, I can barely stomach a piece of toast in the mornings, and the only thing that sounds good at night is either ramen noodles or cheese pizza. I haven't even wanted decaf coffee.

 

Oh little babe, you are sure keeping your momma on her toes! :)



 

 

 

 

 

First Glance

John and I headed to the OB office again this morning to get an official glance at our little peanut. This would be a sonogram only appointment to help us get a more precise due date. Going into my apt I was left to believe that I was 8 weeks pregnant today. But, our little peanut is not as far along as mommy had thought (daddy knew we were 2 weeks behind schedule, he's quick to point that out).

 

The anticipation of seeing your baby via ultrasound for the first time feels so surreal. I immediately got teary, but John was grinning ear to ear just holding my hand, looking at our sweet babe. After a few measurements the technician determined that I am exactly 6 weeks along today with a new due date of October 19th (now I need to re-do all of my bump/bloated pics). :) The technician also showed us this little "flicker" spot on the baby which is his/her's heartbeat, beating away at 162 beats per minute. :)

 

This was such an amazing experience! I pray that all continues to go well and that God continues to protect our little peanut. Keep that heart beating little one! We cannot wait to meet you. :)

 

 

 

 

The technician we had was awesome. She even typed in "Hi Mom and Dad" on the sonogram picture.

First Appointment

John and I ventured to the OB office yesterday for our first appointment for our little peanut. Our visit was with the nurse practitioner (who is totally awesome) and was packed with a ton of information! We were given the run down of week by week what would be happening and what to expect at each OB visit. It was determined that my due date is October 5th, although there is still a tad to question as my cycles aren't the usual 28 days. So they figured I'm about 7 weeks and 2 days along. I was secretly hoping for a sonogram just to confirm how far along I truly was but, I was not going to get that lucky yesterday.

I had to get several tubes of blood drawn and schedule some future appointments. We will be going back on Monday the 23rd for our first sonogram and then my first appointment with Dr. W is on March 24th.

Things seem to be moving along! We are just excited to see our little peanut on Monday and get more confirmation. We pray that things continue to go well and that I continue to feel good overall.

Week 5 pic and post first OB appointment. John asked me if I was pushing out my stomach. I wish I could say yes, but it appears I am simply bloated. :)

Feeding Baby

It was a great weekend at my parents getting to share the news with my family. What was even more awesome was the fact that my mom cooked a massive feast for this hungry momma all weekend long! Needless to say, this baby is not going to starve and this momma is going to expand QUICKLY.

My mom made several childhood favorites and then sent us home with numerous containers of left overs. So, not only do I get to indulge in left overs but this tired momma doesn't have ato cook for a few days...bonus!




With my nausea I tend to drink a lot of sparkling water. I'm a fan of the bubbles and it doesn't have all of the calories that a Sprite has. I was cleaning up around the house last night when I realized I have a problem and may need an intervention when it comes to sparkling water.

  

Valentine's News

Valentine's Day brought a whole new meaning this year. It is definitely one that will always be remembered.

Back story....

John had to work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this week. He was supposed to be done late Friday and had mentioned that he wanted to just stay at my parents so he didn't have to drive home late. Instead, he brought up the idea of me meeting him at my parents in Des Moines for the weekend. I told him that if we did stay at my parents this weekend that I would have to tell them. I am horrible at secrets and it would have been written all over my face.

I talked to my parents and told them we were going to come up for a visit this weekend. They were excited that we had thought to come up over Valentine's weekend. I had thought for sure that they would catch on.

I headed up after work on Friday and John had gotten there early from Cedar Rapids. The dilemma before I left KC was, "how am I going to share the news with my parents?". I decided to take them some Boulevard Chocolate Ale and a Valentine's Day card, signed by the 3 of us. :)

Not long after arriving at my parents, I handed them their Valentine's Day treat and card. My dad took the beer and my mom took the card to read. Just the anticipation of my parents reaction was overwhelming. My mom's jaw dropped and remained opened for a good 2 minutes, then asked "is this April Fool's??". My dad took his turn reading the card and got a big grin on his face. They were obviously over the moon and beyond excited to hear our news! We spent the remainder of the evening enjoying dinner and chatting about this future grand child.

We got up and enjoyed a lazy/relaxing Valentine's morning. I enjoyed a morning coffee talk with my mom and we had a delicious brunch. John and I were about to head to the gym with my dad when we heard my mom face-timing with my oldest sister, Malia and our nieces. John and I chimed in and said hi to everyone and then he looked at me with his little grin and said, "ok, we can go ahead and tell them". So, we spilled the beans to the Howe clan. They were all over the moon! My sister exclaimed that she knew it and that she had talked to my other sister, Megan earlier and made the comment that John and I were going to our parents this weekend to share the news! :) Good guess, Aunt Malia!

We excitedly called the Widmer clan after we got home from the gym. Jack was playing in his "man cave" when I asked him if he would be willing to let a new cousin plan in his man cave soon. My sister, Megan immediately got excited and emotions got the best of us. :)  She told our nephew Jack that I was going to have a baby. Jack said, "you have a baby in your belly? I have a baby in my belly." Yes silly boy, I have a baby in my belly. My sister also asked Jack if he would share his toys with his new cousin. Jack said, "umm no, I don't think so." His reaction was too cute for words!

So, the news is out with my family and we are so happy that they are all excited!

Keep growing little minnion. Everyone loves you to pieces already!!

Baby's first Valentine. :) Some yummy baked treats from a local KC bakery, courtesy of the father-to-be.

1 week down and 1 week to go

It was 1 week from this evening that I discovered a faint blue line on a home pregnancy test and about bursted with excitement! And, exactly 1 week from now we will have finished our first OB appointment to get an update on our little peanut. The time cannot pass fast enough!

I have been feeling like a zombie in the evenings. Sunday night I was asleep by 7:15/7:30pm. Last night, I got home frmo work, PJ's were on by 6:30 and I was falling asleep again around 7:30pm. I'm usually wide away by 5:15/5:30, ready to start my day. I should just start getting out of bed when I wake up and head to the gym for a little workout because it seems as though my evening energy level is non-exhistant. :)

Oh little one, you are so worth the fatigue already. We cannot wait to meet you!

Baby's First Wedding

Well, done baby, you survived your first wedding!  :) I admit, I had several worries of, "how am I going to get through this night without someone catching me sans alcoholic beverage"? But, thanks to a fellow bridesmaid (Christy) who made a great wing woman, we managed. Christy was sweet enough to play along and swap me my full glass of champagne for her empty glass at any moment. Genius!

It was a great night full of food, cupcakes (I had 3, oops! But hey, they were miniature), dancing, sore feet. & a wonderful celebration of love for my friends!

Here is the first pic of the parents-to-be. We are beyond excited.  :)

Symptoms

I want to make sure to document as many details as possible along the way. So, here is how I've been feeling this week.........

Hungry- It's crazy, I have been grazing almost every 2-3 hours which is a big change from my 3 meals a day that I had been doing. If I don't eat at that moment of hunger, I start feeling nauseous.
Tired- This one has been intermittent. I wake up wide awake ready to go in the morning, but by 2/3:00 I feel like I've hit a wall! What's ironic is that Monday afternoon at work I was dragging and thought it was weird because I usually don't have that afternoon "lag".
Crampy- This is an all day thing and seems to increase at night. It's like having menstrual cramps and lower back aches.
Increase urination- OMG, it's bad already. Within a 2 hour time span at the nail salon last night I peed 4 times. This is only going to get worse and I previously already had a tiny bladder.
Bloated- Yep, definitely bloated.
Boobs- I feel as though they've already grown a cup size since Sunday. What's funny is that my mother-in-law and a few friends were over the the Super Bowl and we got on the topic of "pregnancy" (since one of my friends that was there is in her 2nd trimester). My mother-in-law informed me that she knew instantly that she was pregnant before she tested just because of her bra size.

I know this is only the beginning. I am thankful that I haven't started puking on a regular basis, although I'm sure that's in the horizon. :) Bring it on baby, I'm ready for you.

First pic

I wanted to be sure to take a "before I get huge picture". So, here I am, 3 days post positive pregnancy test. Feeling (& looking) tired and bloated.

Wedding Dilemma

Of course the week I find out I'm pregnant also happens to be the same week my good friend, Holly is getting married. I'm not just attending the wedding as a guest. I'm IN the wedding as MATRON OF HONOR. Holly's wedding was one of the first things that crossed my mind when I stared at the positive pregnancy test. Again, a million questions....

How should I tell her?
Should I tell her?
What excuse can I come up with?
Should I even bother telling her?
OMG, she's going to be upset that I can't indulge in adult beverages at her wedding.
There's no way I can tell people, "no thanks" as they pour me a drink.
How am I going to pull this off? My friends know me and will instantly guess.

After I booked my OB appointment the wedding was the next topic John and I discussed. We thought it would be good to just come clean and tell her ahead of time to avoid any chaos, although we really didn't want to tell people this early. But, I had no choice at this point.

I text Holly Wednesday asking if she wanted to hang out. She invited me over for dinner and I grabbed dessert on the way (pregnancy cravings already). It just so happens that this week in KC, Boulevard's Chocolate Ale was released. Chocolate Ale was something that Holly and I were adamant about getting this year. Ironically, I had purchased 2 bottles and she had bought 3. Of course, we sat down for dinner and she poured me a beer. I  was still formulating in my head how I was going to pass on the beer and announce that I am pregnant.

A few moments passed and I came clean with the news. The look on Holly's face was priceless and I knew she was quite surprised. Deep down I felt a little guilty that this was somehow going to ruin her wedding day. I don't know why I felt that way, but I did. I didn't want to make this all about "me" because it's her weekend. But, I also didn't want it to come up as we were about to do a toast and then I was suddenly not drinking.

Anyways, that task is done and Holly and her fiance are the only one's that currently know our big secret. It's KILLING me to not tell my family yet. I wanted to call everyone I knew on Wednesday morning when I got the confirmation. But, it's early and we want to be cautious. This experience is a gift and admittedly we are both pleasantly surprised it happened naturally.

Until at least the 17th we will continue to keep this Little Leach a secret. :)

First Appointment

I called my OB on Wednesday as soon as their office opened. My heart was racing at this point and a million things were running through my mind....literally, a million.

What am I supposed to say?
How far along am I?
I wish they could see me NOW!
I wish John was home!
Holy cow, am I seriously pregnant?!

I finally talked to the nurse, told her the date of my last LMP to which she figured I was about 6 weeks along. 6 weeks?! Whoa. She told me they have patients typically come in between the 6-8 week mark for the consultation, lab work, etc. I took the first available of Tuesday, February 17th and hoped it would work for John too. 

I text John the date and time, which apparently I told him the 19th and he wasn't going to be able to make it. We were both confused for a good 20 minutes. Baby brain already?!

So we're all set. February 17th we will both be going to find out more details of our little peanut. We'll see how much insomnia I develop between now and then.

Wednesday night I left work and went straight to Barnes and Noble to pick up a pregnancy book. I slept much better thanks to the 3:30 AM wake up call and the excitement of the day.

The 17th will be here before we know it. :)

I can't believe my eyes

Wednesday, February 4th

Holy moly, what a whirlwind of emotions that are currently happening in this house. John is currently in New Hampshire for work, and I am going to explode if I have to be home alone any longer.

Here's the scoop...

John left for Colorado to ski with some friends last Thursday (1/29). This has been an unusually long trip as he had to fly to New Hampshire for work yesterday (2/3). I have been doing anything possible around the condo and also catching up with people I don't often see when John is home.

I had gone to dinner with my cousin last night. She had asked me at dinner if I was pregnant yet. I professed that I wasn't and that I have been a little discouraged about the whole process, etc. It was at dinner that my wheels started spinning, "maybe I am pregnant??". After all, I had suddenly felt tired the last 2 days at work, felt a little more emotional, and my boobs were suddenly bigger. Hmm.... I thought about it but also figured I was about to start my cycle any day. I had also taken a digital pregnancy test on Sunday prior to SuperBowl festivities and it was negative.

I got home from dinner and thought, "what the heck, I'll take another test for a piece of mind." Much to my surprise, I did NOT expect there to be a faint, little blue line. Oh boy, did the emotions run high.

Holy cow is that positive?
Why does John have to be half way around the country?
Guess it was good I didn't have a margarita at dinner.

Much to my disbelief, I took a picture and immediately sent it to John (who was in the Baltimore airport waiting to board his next flight. Timing is awesome, huh?). We both had a chuckle and agreed that there was a little faint line. John said he wasn't too surprsed and that he had a feeling. I told him I was going to re-test in the morning, although he tried to get me to wait 2 more days. :)

Imagine trying to sleep, home alone, when you think you could be pregnant. I woke up every 2 hours and then was wide awake by 3:30. My bladder felt like it was going to explode so, I shuffled my way into the bathroom to test again, this time with a digital pregnancy test.

It's true when people say the moment before you get a positive result seems like an eternity. And, it definitely felt that way. About 2 long minutes later the word "pregnant" popped up. Oh. My. Gosh. Again, a wave of emotions came flooding through. It's 3:30 AM, John is on the east coast, and I am staring at a positve pregnancy test!!!

A whirlwind of thoughts were running through my mind at that moment. I was wishing so badly that John was home. I immediately tried calling him (poor guy's flight got in late in New Hampshire and had only been asleep 3 hours) but his phone kept ringing. I knew he was probably in a deep sleep. After about 10 attempts he finally answered, all groggy from sleeping. I immediately told him I was pregnant. He was surprised, excited, and shocked (and half asleep).

We are going to be parents!

Test #1, 2/3/15

Test #2, 2/4/15