Baby B: Gender & Name Reveal

So, you're probably thinking, "What?! How do you already know the gender??" Well, we normally wouldn't have found out our baby's gender until about 18/19 weeks, but we ended up doing a first trimester screen. (A first trimester screen is a sonogram and blood test that tests the baby for chromosomal abnormalities such as down syndrome, among others. It's highly recommended for those that are high risk, but it's also 100% covered under our insurance, so we decided, why not? Also, it's a chance to see a sonogram of your baby up on a 50-inch TV and they can often determine the sex of the baby.)

Baby B at 12/13 weeks

We were a little weary because we've heard a few stories of doctors getting the gender wrong in the first trimester screen (because it's just so early), but after seeing it for ourselves (our little sweetie was doing spread eagles for the sonogram camera - maybe the only time you ever want your child to be posing its bidness for a camera...), we feel pretty confident in the doctor's proclamation.

Baby Benson is a ....... BOY!!!! 

I'll respect his privacy and not post the "money shot," but it pretty much speaks for itself. Neither of us could believe it when the doctor told us (probably because we were both thinking it was a girl all along), but we just could not be more excited. I'd been pretty non-emotional throughout the pregnancy thus far, but I was happy-weeping the whole way out of the doctor's office.

The only problem was we had not chosen a name for a boy. If it was a girl, we had already decided on Harper Elizabeth, and should we ever be blessed with a daughter, that will likely be her name. But we were debating between two boy names - Connor and Ford. It took us a few weeks to decide, but we've ultimately decided on:

Connor Philip

We should also note that the first trimester screen came back and Connor appears to be very healthy, which is all we care about. Can't wait for our sweet boy to get here! And yes, we're holding off on painting the nursery until we have our follow-up "gender confirmation" sonogram appointment in three weeks.... :-)

And side note, you may not be able to tell in the picture, but these little baby boat shoes are so tiny. I think I cried for 5 minutes straight when I opened the box.

First Trimester Review

I've successfully completed the first trimester of my pregnancy and am gleefully skipping through the early second trimester. People tell me this is the "best trimester" and so far I agree. I've gotten a little lazy with my bump pictures (there just wasn't much to show up until now), but thought I'd fill you in on my first trimester stats before I get too settled into the second one.

Feeling? I was pretty nauseous throughout most of the first trimester, but started feeling much better around Week 11.

Weight Gain? None. Now, before anyone freaks out, my doctor assured me it's quite normal not to gain weight in the first trimester and was just happy I hadn't lost weight due to the nausea.

Baby Size? The baby has grown quite a bit and at the end of the first trimester, was the size of a shrimp. 

Maternity Clothes? Nope, not yet! I'm not showing that much...

Cravings? I'm mostly experiencing food aversions, but I ate A LOT of Ritz whole wheat crackers, SunMaid raisin bread, salty chips and ginger ale absolutely got me through my first trimester.

What I Miss? Nothing really, quite yet!

What I'm Looking Forward To? Prenatal yoga - I'm on a waiting list and should be starting in the next few weeks!
 
Best Moment? When my nausea subsided and hearing our little one's heartbeat for the first time, both at Week 11

WTF Moment? I was having happy hour or "water and cheese fries hour" with a friend and the waitress asked if I'd be having a drink. For some reason, I felt the need to explain that I was pregnant and that was why I wasn't drinking. She then launched into what a cute pregnant person I was going to be, detailing her thoughts that I would "only gain weight in my belly and face." Um, face? So, I'm going to gain weight in the one place I CAN'T COVER? Errrr thanks?

I'm going to miss this tummy!

With our ultrasound pics!

This pic is a bit deceiving, but starting to see a little bump. :-)

Living Room Refresh: The Game Plan

And you thought I'd only be blogging about the baby...

Well, I started our living room refresh and now that I'm feeling better, I'm finally ready to actually continue with it. So, this is my general game plan:

1. Get New Area Rug to Help Pull the Room Together -- Done!

2. Recover Ugly Art Canvas -- When we moved into our house, we were itching to fill the walls, so we bought a piece of wall art that neither of us were all the crazy about. The hubby especially hated it. So, in the interest of time/money/indecision, we're simply going to cover the art canvas with material. (The hunt is currently under way for that...) That way, we can change it out easily or at least have something we like until we get a piece of actual art.

3. New Couch Throw Pillows -- This is far overdue. The current pillows on our couch and chair actually came with the set and we just never thought about replacing them. But in the interest of "refresh," we're getting new throw pillows to give the couch a little pop of color.

4. Accessorize -- Originally, there were a few additions I'd like to add to the living room in terms of decor. With a baby on the way, I'm kind of re-thinking this a bit, but at a minimum would like to add something to the coffee table and potentially some additions to the mantel.

Will update as I make progress!

Baby Benson: The Day We Found Out

First, quick clarification that I won't only be blogging about the baby. It's just that I've been so excited and unable to talk about it for so long, that I've got a few baby/pregnancy-related posts. BUT I'll also be blogging about other random things, too!

So back to the day we found out I was pregnant... I've also included some of Greg's comments/additions as footnotes (in bold) as he is just a big a part of this as I am.

Well as most surprises in life, finding out I was pregnant did not go the way I thought it would in my mind. I really thought I'd come home from work one day, take a test and surprise Greg when he walked in or have some cute, special way to tell him. And while June 30 was definitely the most exciting/crazy/thrilling day of our lives, it just... wasn't like what we expected.

It all started because I had a party to go to on a Saturday night and I thought, I better just take a pregnancy test just to be safe as I wanted to know whether I could visit drunk town have a drink or two. Because I was still DAYS away from the day I was supposed to start, I had read that if you take the test first thing in the morning, it can be more accurate. So on Friday, I just thought - I'll get up in the morning and take a quick test. Assuming it'll be negative (and I did), I'll just go back to sleep. I didn't even tell Greg because I just figured it'd be negative. The problem? I woke up at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning having to pee. So, I stumbled out of bed, grab two different pregnancy tests and did my thing. I went to wash my hands and then came back and I started to see the faintest second line appearing. Then, I looked at the second test and it was even fainter, but sure enough there was a little plus sign. You'll see what I mean in the pic below!

So I sat there for about 10 minutes in total shock, no tears, just pure dumbfounded shock. I was still a little unsure (simply because the positive lines were so faint), so I knew I needed to run out and get a digital pregnancy test. (The "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant" message leaves nothing to guess about!) I thought about sneaking out, but ultimately decided to wake up the hubby and tell him what was going on. So I came and sat by him on the bed and of course he woke up with an alarmed look on his face.

"What's wrong?!" (1)

"Umm, I think I might be pregnant..."
"What?! Are you sure?! That's great!"

I explained that I wasn't totally sure so I showed him the tests (2) and, while his eyes were still pretty foggy from being asleep, he confirmed what I thought. So we threw on clothes, jumped in the car and headed toward Walgreen's to get a digital test. The problem? Walgreen's opens at 7. OK, no prob. CVS! CVS it is. Except - damn! CVS opens at 7, too. OK, no problem. Target - isn't it 24-hour?! No. The answer is no, no it is not. It opens at 8 a.m. on Saturdays. This is not getting better. So - do you see where this story is going? Yes, we had to go to Walmart Supercenter. At 6:45 a.m. To buy pregnancy tests. Let's face it, it's probably not the first time it's happened... but shameful. Really. So shameful. The person at the register didn't even bat an eye, it was just bidness as usual on Saturday morning.

We finally get home and I run to the bathroom to take the digital test, but before I went in I was telling Greg that even if I was pregnant, I think it might be too early to tell. Well, I went in and did my thing. I put the test on the back of the counter and just turned away. (You're supposed to wait 3 minutes.) So, I said a short prayer and turned around fully expecting to be disappointed, but ummm...

Notice how the two at the top leave a bit to the imagination?!

I wasn't disappointed. :-)

So I bust out of the bathroom and told Greg we were pregnant and then the tears and hugs came. Pretty sure we were in shock all morning (3). All day, really. We actually still might be in shock. But the happiest kind of shock I can imagine. Blessed (4).

(1) Thats what I said, but my initial thought was, "It's Saturday. I can't believe you actually got up and ready for work on a Saturday..."
(2) Yep, she put them right on my pillow. Nothing like a freshly used pregnancy test right on the pillow.
(3) The second best part of this morning? We decided to go out and get some kolaches.
(4) Ditto on that.

The day we found out  & first "bump" picture - no bump yet though!

Announcing Baby Benson + Baby Q&A

As most of you know, the hubby and I are so excited to be having a baby! We're due March 16 and truly couldn't be more excited.

We've gotten a ton of questions, so I thought it might be good to share those in an easy-to-digest Q&A format. I'm all about blog-reading convenience, after all. :-)


1. How are you feeling?
I'm working really hard to not complain publicly about symptoms of pregnancy, partly because no one likes a complainer and partly because I'm so grateful for this blessing and I don't want anyone to think that I'm not. But, hey, you asked. Well, maybe not you, but people have. I've had a bit of a rough first trimester. I've had bouts of nausea that were on and off but mostly just all day long. My doctor got me some awesome anti-nausea medicine and as the weeks went on, I'm finally starting to feel much better.

I've definitely had my fair share of moments at work where my eyes glaze over as someone's talking in a meeting and I just have to focus on not throwing up. I've got some crazy smell aversions going on, too. I almost freaked out on someone at work one morning who was heating up a breakfast sandwich in the microwave. I think I gave that person that person the most murderous glance and literally sprinted out of the break room. I've also been tired but other than those two symptoms, just happy and grateful to be carrying this little one.

2. Was this planned/unexpected?

Well, both. The hubby and I have known since last fall we'd start trying this summer. So, while YES we were trying, we did not expect it to happen so fast. But we couldn't be more full of joy about it.

3. Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?

Are you crazy? Yes, of course. I know that this is truly one of the best surprises in the world, but let's be practical. I've quickly realized that there's already so much I can't control, I want this to be one thing we can. Plus, you KNOW I'm ready to start nursery decorating!

4. How did this happen?

Ummm... 

5. But I saw you drinking...?

No. You didn't. I've been, as the hubby calls it, "living a life of lies." If I've seen you in the past 2 months, there's a good chance I've probably lied to you. (Sorry, friends and fam. We just didn't want to jinx anything!) I've actually really mastered the art of fake drinking. I had a bachelorette party the evening of the day I found out I was pregnant! I managed two glasses of wine without actually drinking anything, if you can imagine that.

6. Are you going to do weekly bump pictures?

Maybe not weekly, but yes! I really want to remember all the fun details of this exciting time, so I'm going to do bump pictures and chronicle the little things for a keepsake book I'm going to have made. Honestly, I haven't had the energy to think through all of it, but I'm getting it figured out. :-)

7. Are you going to do a gender reveal party? (Behind question #1, this has definitely been the most-asked question!)

The answer is I'm really not sure. Both of our families live out of town and it really just kind of depends on when we find out. My doctor won't do the ultrasound until 18-20 weeks, so it all kind of depends on if the timing works out.

So that's all the baby deets I have for now. But we so appreciate all the kind words, congratulations and love from our fam and friends.

P.S. We've gotten lots of compliments on our pregnancy announcement photo (thank you!) but thought this "out-take" from it best explained how excited Greg was to take them. He's a good sport, though! :-)