First Trimester...Success!

First Trimester...Success!

We went and shot guns in the Nevada wilderness for Anthony's birthday. We figured we will put some of those pictures up when the baby is in his (or her) teens, to show our little love button (and potential girlfriends/boyfriends) that Mommy and Daddy mean business ;)

Whew! We made it through the first trimester, which (little did we know) is actually the first 13.5 weeks of pregnancy, not the first 12, like Anthony and I thought. Either way, here we are, alive to tell our tale. Our little baby is now 3.5 inches long, about the size of a large lemon. Its hands and feet are half an inch long, and he (or she) and can make facial expressions! Sometimes Anthony and I are amazed at how big the baby seems to be getting so quickly. We think back to February when we first found out we were pregnant and the baby was the size of an apple seed...We were at Kaitlyn's volleyball tournament in Vegas, and I had actually eaten an apple and taken one of the seeds out. We examined it in wonder, and I put the seed in my pocket to pull out throughout the day and stare at in awe...pregnancy will do odd things to you.


Speaking of odd, I am sure there are days when that is exactly what Anthony thinks I am. To put it plainly, I do weird things. I haven't had any cravings, per se, but...let's just say, I get really excited about food. When Anthony and I eat something that I think is just so delicious, I have a little "yummy dance" that I do. This dance came out of nowhere. It arrived on Anthony's birthday when we went to a Nevada BBQ place that Anthony wanted to try. I ordered chicken strips off the kids menu with macaroni and cheese, oh, and french fries...they came with the chicken strips (don't judge). Oh. My. Goodness. It was so delicious. I ate every last bite, and as I was eating, I started doing a little dance on my side of the booth. I was just so happy to be eating something so yummy, and not feeling nauseous, that I had to dance. It was just a little jig, and it went away when my food was gone, but I have to say, the dance comes out more and more these days. I'm suuuuure it is not at all goofy or embarrassing to Anthony, but as far as he is concerned, if his pregnant wife is happy, then he is happy, so he never tries to stop me (smart man). 


Other weird things...Anthony laughs at me when I eat pickles straight out of the jar. I will swear until my last breath that they are not a craving. I have always liked pickles. He just can't help himself whenever he sees me eating them. I think it is just too stereotypically "pregnant lady" for him. He loves it. He has truly been a rock through all of the difficult times of the past 14 weeks. Last week I was trying to make eggs for us for dinner. It was Monday night, the first day back to work after a beautiful nine day vacation. I was feeling a little sick, and of course, nauseous. I had just finished reading Mockingjay, the final Hunger Games book, and I was quite emotional.  For whatever reason, the raw eggs were just too much  for my stomach to handle that night. All of these factors culminated in me, in the kitchen, tears streaming down my face, full on crying like a baby. Anthony came into the kitchen and rescued me from myself, sent me to relax on the couch, and made us dinner. So sweet. I'm sure he was thinking to himself, "Someone has stolen my usually only-moderately-crazy wife and replaced her with this super-crazy-emotional lady with overactive tear ducts and a very sensitive stomach!" 


All that said, the overly emotional moments are infrequent and the wild "Oh my gosh, there is a baby growing inside of me, and it's half you and half me and getting bigger all the time" moments happen often. Last week we had our second appointment and we got to hear the heartbeat again. Such an incredible sound. This time was exciting because it was the first time we got to use the "on the tummy" equipment to hear it. At 10 weeks, we were still so early that we had to do it internally. This time, we got the whole gel and wand (official name: transducer) on the belly experience. It was amazing. Every week we read about the new things happening with the baby and we are blown away. Sometimes it is hard not to look forward to the next stage, the next appointment, the next "whatever it is". We try to slow down and just enjoy each week as it comes. Enjoy every stage, knowing that once it is gone, it is gone, and who knows how many more times we will get to experience it? 

This week, we are celebrating less nausea, more energy, sunny weather in Reno, and the special quiet times we get to spend together. We are excited about getting the house ready for the baby, and have started doing some "nesting". We cleaned out the office and threw away A LOT of things that we probably never knew we had up there...a computer desk, a computer, three trash bags full of miscellaneous "stuff" and a bunch of books that went to Goodwill. Although we are eagerly looking forward to the arrival of our little one, everyone tells us that once the baby arrives, the time we will have for just the two of us will be a thing of the past. We believe everyone who says this, and we spend much of our time just enjoying hanging out with each other, from trips to the lake, to sitting by each other in church, to snuggling on the couch and watching a movie with the doggies. Each stage of this process is a blessing, and we are trying to keep that in mind as we look forward and plan for the future, while we cherish today. ♥

Front view of the week 14 belly :)

Side view of the week 14 belly, along with the spot I missed while applying sunscreen at the lake last weekend :)