I'm Having a Baby

Hi friends. Guess what? I'm pregnant. I tried to think of a fun way to tell you that, but I figured in the end I'd just come out and say it. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow which means I have been keeping the secret in the blogland for a very long time. It's not because I don't trust and love you all, but because I was trying very hard not to freak out the kindergarten parents on day 1. They all know now and have been incredibly supportive, light years better than I ever could've imagined. 

Even though I had to wait quite awhile to break my news to the blog world, I didn't want to let the entire first half of my pregnancy go completely undocumented, so I've been taking (mostly) weekly photos and trying to write down a few thoughts each week. I actually do enjoy reading other updates, so hopefully you will not find mine incredibly boring :) 

Week 4

Here I am with Caroline after completing Baby's First Triathlon. I'm still blissfully unaware of what is happening inside of me, and at this point haven't even started to think anything is up. 

Week 5

Here I am at 5.5 weeks pregnant (and truth be told, I believe it's closer to 6, but we will go with the dating ultrasound). This is the DAY I took the pregnancy test and was immediately confused by the "plus" sign that was really one vertical line. Don't be concerned about the beer, I bought it- promptly dumped it out in the bathroom and refilled in with a water bottle I had in my purse. Believe it or not, this is the one and only time I fake drank during my pregnancy. Unless you count the numerous photos I took with beers on my trip so as not to raise suspicions on Facebook. 

Week 6

Soon after the Week 5 photo was taken pregnancy reality hit me and was followed by crippling nausea and nightly breakdowns. Week 5 and 6 were low points. Eric has always referred to my emotional side as Emo-Kelly, but this week also brought the birth of a new sidekick Rage-Elly, my angry alter ego. We did have our first ultrasound this week because my period (or lack there of) was not reliable enough to give us a due date. That turned out to be accurate because my due date would be one month earlier if we had not had the ultrasound. Huge fail. Baby looked like a blob, but it was our little blob. 

Week 7

I spent the beginning of Week 7 at work sitting in an office writing curriculum. This was a big step up from attempting to not vomit while dealing with children and by some stroke of luck my coworkers brought delicious bagels every day. Week 7 also brings the family trip up to Maine and the discovery that my baby LOVES vacation. I can't imagine where this trait comes from with Eric and I as parents, ha. I made the mistake of going home one day to tutor and the baby immediately rebelled. It's clear I already have a smart baby. 

Week 8

Our Maine trip finishes up (too fast) and I take my first prenatal yoga class this week. It's a little surreal to be in a room filled with super pregnant people, but everyone is very supportive of how terrible I'm feeling and it doesn't make me feel worse, so plus one for that. Despite nausea and daily naps, I am still working out pretty regularly. I swim at least 3 times a week, run 1-2 times a week and I just bought a Pure Barre Prenatal DVD which I will soon check out. I'm fine running as long as it's not hot, which unfortunately it frequently is. I also can't go five seconds without drinking water which can be inconvenient. There are mixed feelings about biking outside while pregnant (your balance can be off, which can lead to falls). I think this means Baby's First Tri was also his or her last, until they are old enough for a kids tri! 

Week 9

Let's call this the week of throwing caution to wind. The first day of this week was Eric and my third wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going up to Rockport, MA and enjoying a walk on a precarious jetty. Apparently my balance was not yet off, thankfully. Then, we hopped on a flight to Iceland, for what was supposed to be our "Last Hurrah" before trying to have a baby. I know, I know, if you want to hear God laugh tell him your plans :) In Iceland, we visited Blue Lagoon which is basically a giant hot tub, aka a big no no in pregnancy. However, I did some research and because it is cooler than a normal hot tub, it is supposedly safe in pregnancy. Even still, I didn't stay in for long and chugged water the whole time. Finished up the week up with a glacier hike, which of course should've been easy but was a bit of a challenge for out of breath in 10 seconds preggo Kelly. But, I felt really good the whole day and I guess baby is going to be just like Dad, because he or she loves a good risk. Lucky for him or her (but super annoyingly for me), everything seems to be a "risk" in pregnancy… fish more than twice a week, nail polish, any medicine, walking the wrong way… haha okay fine I made up the last one, but it really is absurd. Mommy guilt, Step 1: Pregnancy Guilt. Everything you do is going to ruin your baby for life. Enjoy :) 

Week 10

Baby and I hit the "double digits" in Austria. It was absolutely gorgeous, insanely relaxing, and the food was delicious. It was a good contrast to the constant smoke blown in the face that was Munich. Oh, and by the way, my balance was still fine :) 

Week 11

Week 11 is the return home and the beginning of traditional "pregnancy photos." I am so thankful to be home and even though baby does love vacation, I am starting to feel the tiniest bit better even when at home. Don't get me wrong, I'm still taking daily naps and had my worst ever headache this week (I miss Advil SO very much). We had our first official doctor's appointment this week and heard the heart beat for the first time. Even though I haven't gained any weight yet, I personally can see a baby bump. Eric and others who know me well, agree. 

Week 12

Even though there seems to be great disagreement about when the first trimester really ends (WTF can we agree on ANYTHING in pregnancy?!), I am going to declare Week 12 my last week of the first trimester. While in a triathlon, the swim is my favorite part, I am really hoping that I do not feel the same about the first trimester. This week we had an NT scan which looks from chromosomal abnormalities using an ultrasound and a blood test. We were very lucky that our risk came back extremely low 1/10,000 to be exact, and we got to see our little baby on the screen again. This was an "oh my god it's real, it's not just a crazy joke someone is playing on me" moment. The baby was no longer a blob. It was a baby, a baby who can wave, a baby who can sit "criss cross applesauce" so that the ultrasound tech can't get a good measurement, a baby who was ALL OVER THE PLACE the entire time, did not sit still for a second. How can all this be happening in my body and I can't even feel it?! Well I guess I can feel it, when I wake up at 4 am starving, or when I need a nap to survive the day, or when I almost throw up just because I'm brushing my teeth. Overall, a good ending to a "period of time" I am happy to say goodbye to. It's funny, when I look back at all the pictures, it doesn't look as bad as I remember it...

I'll be back soon with the rest of the weeks I missed. Spoiler alert, they get much more positive. Thanks for reading!