11Weeks!!!

How Far Along:  11 weeks!

Total Weight Gain: +1 pound- finally gaining!

Maternity Clothes: YES!!!! and they are wonderful!!!! (thanks mom!)

Stretch Marks:  Nope

Sleep: All the time!

Best Moment This Week: HEARING OUR BABY'S HEART BEAT!!!!  Maternity Clothes Shopping, party in park, and my birthday!

Miss Anything:  Ordering our OSU Season Tickets :( dont worry- we will be back next year!

Movement: not yet

Food Cravings:  Sonic Route 44 Ice Water :)

Anything make you quesy or sick: Smells and brushing my teeth still

Gender Predicition- Girl

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: Very heightened sense of smell,  extreme tiredness, burping, stretching of my uterus!

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding ring on or off:  On

Happy or Moody: Exhausted

Looking Forward to:  Getting my energy back! And our next ultrasound!

Nursery Progress: Hopefully soon!

The baby is now the size of a lime!  We've come a long way from a sweet pea- it is now 1.6 inches long and weighs .25 ounces-  its moving around and its hands are busy exploring its face and mouth .The fingers and toes are no longer webbed and the tooth buds, hair follicles and nail beds are forming.

Man this was a fun and eventful week!!!

We went in for our monthly doctors visit this week and we finally got to hear our baby's heartbeat! It was such an amazing moment- words cannot describe.  Our baby has a high heartbeat- 169bpm... the old wives tale says a high heart rate means a girl- I know these are just myths...but its still fun to think of them!  I was so glad Brian was there for this moment.  Its amazing to think that we have gone from a 10% chance of our baby surviving to now a 90%!!!

I need to take a minute and brag on my husband. He is always there for me- spiritually, emotionally, physically- always. We are each others best friends and always put each other first.  There isn't a time in our entire relationship that he hasn't been there for me.  We always sit by each other, we eat with and by each other, we hold hands, we pray over each other, we go to events together- we make memories and live life together.  And this pregnancy is no different- he has been by my side every step of the way.  He was there when I took the first test and we saw the positive sign together, he was there to hear the doctor tell us congratulations for the first time, we spread the news to everyone together, he was there to hold my hand and calm me down during all the scary doctors appts and all the lab work,  he lays in bed with me when I feel miserable and rubs my arm to make me feel better, he was there to see our baby in the first ultrasound, to hear the heartbeat for the first time- everything we have done together.  I haven't had to do one step of this pregnancy alone. Sometimes I start to think this is normal- but I know its not- I am so blessed to have a husband so involved and loving- I thank God for blessing me with a man so much better than I deserve!

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.  He gave up his life for her.... husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.  For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself"  -Ephesians  5:25-28

Thank you Brian for loving me with the love of Christ!

I also found out I can actually eat hot dogs (I thought I couldn't!)   So to celebrate the heart beat we went to Sonic and got a chili cheese coney- yum yum! And just our luck- it was a buy one get one free :)  Its the little things like this that can put the biggest smile on your face!

Also this week my mom took me maternity clothes shopping!  It was sooo fun!  I really needed clothes, I've definitly outgrown my regular clothes.  I tried to use the bella band, but I was not a fan- it was not comfortable to me at all.  So shopping we went!  I got 2 new bras (that is what I needed the most)- I walked in wearing an A- and after being properly measured and fitted, I walked out wearing a D!!! ahhhh- i cant believe I'm actually that big! And the lady said I'm still growing! Crazy!  I also got some maternity jeans, capris, skirt, dress, and some tank tops! It was a great start and was so fun to do that with my mom and husband!

Sunday we had a birthday party in the park with my family and part of Brians family and our Konnect family. That group of girls and their moms are so special to both of us, it was nice to have them there to celebrate with our families!   My mom got me a cupcake cake- I have never seen anything like it!  It looked like a cake on the top, but it was all little cupcakes on the bottom!  It was a great day all around!

My cupcake cake!

Us and my mom- who we affectionately call Millie

Us & Brian's Mom Debbie

The whole gang!

Tuesday was my birthday- we couldn't do a lot because I am still feeling miserable and sleeping by 7pm- but my husband took me out on a date and made the day so special for me.  He surprised me with the diaper bag that I fell in LOVE with! Its so perfect :)

Tuesday was also my last night of taking Prometrium! YAYAY!!!! We are both so excited for me to be off of it.  We are so thankful for that medicine, it kept our baby going (Well the medicine did, but God really worked a miracle), but the side effects are miserable.  It's hard to explain how it makes you feel to someone who has never been on it- I am just so thankful my husband was so understanding and so sweet to me during this whole time.  I'm hoping I can now stay up past 7 and I have energy!  However, as excited as we are for me to be off- it does bring some worry.  I trust my doctors and I know they wouldn't steer me wrong, but my mind is full of questions-  Is it really okay to stop taking it right now?  How do I know my placenta has taken over?  What if it hasn't?  Will our baby be okay without it?  It is a very scary for me, but this whole journey has been all about blindly trusting and walking in faith.  Our God is a good God and I have to place my trust in him.  There is no other person I would rather be on this journey with than my amazing husband Brian.

10 Weeks!!

How Far Along:  10 weeks

Total Weight Gain:  I gained back 3 pounds, so now I'm only down 5 pounds total!

Maternity Clothes:  My belly has officially outgrown my jeans, so I'm now wearing Bella Bands :)

Stretch Marks:  Nope

Sleep:  Lots of it!

Best Moment This Week:  We stayed at my moms house all weekend- it was so much fun! And we went to a baby expo as a family- what a great weekend it was!

Miss Anything:   Being active- still not medically released

Movement: not yet

Food Cravings: Puffy Cheetos! Cant get enough of em!

Anything make you quesy or sick:  Water :(,  Driving in cars, brushing my teeth

Gender Predicition- Girl

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms:  Dizziness, cramping, heightened sense of smell

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding ring on or off:  On

Happy or Moody:  Happy

Looking Forward to:   Getting off Prometrium- 1 more week to go!!!!

Nursery Progress: We have picked out the crib! Just need to decide the color now!

The baby is now the size of a prune! Its vital organs are now fully developed and starting to function! Plus, the baby is swallowing and kicking!

We had some severe weather hit this week- they predicted awful tornados and hail- so we packed up our dog and luggage and loaded everything up in the pickup and headed to my moms for the weekend. That way Brians truck would be in a garage instead of outside, and we could all be together as a family if bad weather really did hit! It was so much fun- since my mom lives in town, we don't really ever get to "visit" her- its more of stopping by for a few minutes for something or seeing her out and about- but we got to stay all weekend long and really visit with her.  We went garage sale-ing (we thought we would find baby stuff, but we quickly learned its much easier to do after you know the sex- but we did end up with 2 nice hoodies and 2 pregnancy books all for $2!!!!),  we went house looking (that was just spur of the moment, but so fun!), and we went to a baby and toddler expo!  We rested a lot and watched movies together- it was a great weekend!

The 24/7 nausea has gotten better, however it was replaced by actual throwing up now :( I don't know which I dislike more!  I'm still struggling with brushing my teeth- I took advice from friends and use very little toothpaste, spit constantly, and hum while I brush- If I can brush that morning, I have about 20 seconds max to get it done.  Ugh.  But good news is, flossing and mouthwash don't bother me at all, so at least I can still do that!  I'm still extremely tired all the time, like tired beyond what words can describe.  I only have 1 more week of the Prometrium (hallelujah!) and then as my doctor says I will finally feel like a normal pregnant woman!  

I think my belly outgrew my jeans in 1 day- sounds crazy, but true.  I went to work that morning with my jeans fitting fine, and by lunch they could no longer be zipped up- so this week brought out the Bella Band!!! Every day is so exciting- some days scary- but every day exciting.  I love this journey we are on and can't wait to meet our little one in November!!

9 Weeks!!!

How Far Along:  9 weeks

Total Weight Gain:  down 8 pounds :( not good

Maternity Clothes:  Not clothes- but went up 2 bra sizes!!! (That might be TMI, but hey its part of pregnancy!)

Stretch Marks:  Nope

Sleep:  Still have crazy dreams- I'm ready for a nap everyday about 1pm- I can barely keep my eyes open.  I go to sleep by about 8 or 9 every night and sleep so hard!

Best Moment This Week:  Getting to see our baby's heartbeat

Miss Anything:  Hot dogs and pepsi :)  

Movement: not yet

Food Cravings:  Chinese

Anything make you quesy or sick:  Still can't brush my teeth without throwing up and car rides

Gender Predicition- Girl

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms:  The usual-  tiredness, nausea, sore boobs

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding ring on or off:  On

Happy or Moody:  Tired! (but always happy and so blessed to be pregnant)

Looking Forward to:   Getting into the 2nd trimester!!!!

Nursery Progress: I keep thinking I'm going to start working on it, but then I just lay down and rest :)

At 9 weeks our baby is now officially a  fetus!  It is the size of a green olive.  The iris of the baby's eyes now function, but the eyes will be fused shut for awhile.  The kidney is now functioning and the baby is developing a sense of balance.

This week was a bit scary for us- we had to have an unscheduled visit to the OBGYN for more complications.  I am on some new medicine  and hope that it works!  They think we caught everything early enough that it should be okay, but I still worry.  I still have no appetite.  I have to force myself to eat so that I get enough calories in during the day.  I'm so ready to get into that magical second trimester!  

While we were at the doctors office they tried to hear the baby's heartbeat through the Doppler, but it couldn't pick it up yet.  Just to be safe they went ahead and did an ultrasound, and we were able to see our little baby and see the heartbeat. That is the good news!

8Weeks!!!

How Far Along:  8 weeks

Total Weight Gain: -5 pounds...not sure why?!?!

Maternity Clothes:  Nope- I have a bella band ready and waiting....

Stretch Marks:  Nope

Sleep:  Good, but having weird and crazy dreams!

Best Moment This Week:  Finding a daycare!

Miss Anything:  Being able to workout with my husband

Movement: not yet

Food Cravings:  none this week- just chowing down on fiber bars and gingersnap cookies

Anything make you quesy or sick:  Brushing my teeth! Uck!

Gender Predicition- still going with girl

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms:  Get worn out really easy, nausea-  riding in cars is the worst!  Ive tracked down my peak times of feeling sick- 730am-10am, 130pm- 4pm and 7pm to 10pm-- yep basically all day

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding ring on or off:  ON!!!! Im finally wearing my wedding ring after 2 long long months!

Happy or Moody:  Happy- excited!  

Looking Forward to:  Hopefully getting the medical release to do physical activity!

Nursery Progress: Still just trying to come up with a game plan on where things can go

The baby is now the size of a raspberry, taste buds are forming, fingers and toes are now only slightly webbed and the tail is gone! Its crazy to think about all that going on inside me!

The pregnancy is definitely getting better and easier- but its still tough.  The medicine is still really rough on me, but hopefully I won't be on it much longer!  I have to rest a lot, but I think thats pretty normal. I just never imagined so many problems would have already happened by week 8- it seems like just when we fix one problem, another one arises out of nowhere- but we just keep praying and resting and trusting in God to take care of me and the baby.  

We did our daycare search this week- it was amazing the difference in places we saw!  It was an absolute no brainer to choose Primrose Academy- we wanted a place we felt safe leaving our baby and a place where there was actual education and not just wasting time.  They had the friendliest staff, they have educational curriculum all the way from infant up- that includes sign language, technology, spanish, arts, math, and science- and they are constantly doing assessments on the children to make sure they are growing socially and mentally at the rate they should.  They have their own private kindergarden and the kids have uniforms once they reach the age of 3 (and they are very cute!).  The level of education seemed outstanding! They also have an actual safe room for the kids to go to in case of a tornado- and hurricane covers on the windows!  It has the best hours- they are open the earliest and close the latest- and they give you grace if you are late due to an emergency or wreck.  I'm so thankful we agreed on the same place and that we both felt so strongly it was the right choice. It is everything we could want for our child! The waiting list was longer than we needed- by about a month- so we will have to find a temporary arrangement for a month or so....praying on that one!

7 Weeks

How Far Along:  7 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 0 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  Not yet- but I can't wait until I am!

Stretch Marks:  Nope

Sleep:  Still getting used to not being able to sleep on my stomach :(

Best Moment This Week:  My husbands healthy cooking (Amazing!), my mom surprising me and planting my garden, and baby shopping at Target

Miss Anything:  Just being able to do everything I used to, still not a fan of resting all the time

Movement: looking forward to that- none yet

Food Cravings:  MEXICAN! Last week it was Cheesecake, week before that donuts

Anything make you quesy or sick:  The thought of food in general, Im rarely hungry

Gender Predicition- GIRL!  Along with everyone else- we haven't had anyone tell us they think its a boy (we would be happy with either, just have a strong feeling its a girl)

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms:  Tired and nauseas 24/7

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding ring on or off:  Off- but only because I'm allergic to it, should be back from the jeweler next week!

Happy or Moody:  Happy, just miserably tired most of the time

Looking Forward to:  Getting into the 2nd trimester and seeing a baby bump!

Nursery Progress: Trying to plan out where in our tiny house we're going to put everything in that room!

This was a good week for us! The baby is only the size of a blueberry- its starting to develop kidneys and arm and leg joints!

We worked on our budget once the baby arrives this week- and its going to be tough.  Just enough to get by with bills only.  Anything else didn't make the budget.  Living debt free isn't easy- but for us it is not an option.  

Every day we are still talking to the baby, praying over the baby, and talking about the future. 221 days left until Baby B's due date!!!!

The Bump-y Road

We were on such a high that weekend we found out- everything was so perfect. We had talked about how we were going to tell our close work friends, our bosses, and Konnect.  I was so excited to tell all of my girls.  And then Satan started his attacks.....

Sunday afternoon my throat started hurting a little, by Sunday night it was so painful I could barely swallow.  I went to bed hoping to sleep it off, but by morning time it was much worse.  I called in sick for the day and Brian took 1/2 a day off to take care of me.  We called my PCP to make an emergency appt about my throat- they got me in right away. I absolutely love my PCP, I had only started going to her when I had my gallbladder surgery, but she is so sweet its like we've known each other for years!  She just had a baby, so she totally gets what I'm going through!   I had to do a strep test- it turned out negative, thank goodness!  Turned out I just had bad allergies- allergies, what? I've never had allergies!- welcome to pregnancy :)  She gave me some nasal spray that is safe and I was sent on my way to rest!

Our next call was to the OBGYN- they said my first appt with my doctor would be at 7 weeks- which I thought was so late- I was expecting them to tell me to come in right away! But the more pregnant women I talked to, the more I realized just how lucky I was to get in that early!  They did tell me I needed to come in today to get blood work done to test my HGC and progesterone levels.  I was so sick that day and had already had 4 needles in me at the other office, they agreed the next day would be fine.

The next day I came in, took my blood test (and I HATE needles) and went about my way without a worry in the world.  I was just floating I was so happy that we were pregnant!  My HGC levels were great- I was definitely pregnant.  However, my progesterone levels needed to be above 20 and in the 40's ideally- and mine were at 7. At this point, we had a 90% chance of a miscarriage because my body wasn't producing enough progesterone.

The minute the office got the results back they called and put me on a mega dose of Prometrium and ordered me to bed rest except for sitting at work. I still really didn't have a grasp of what was going on, but I knew it wasn't good.  Once it all started to sink in that the odds were not in our favor of this working, I lost it.  I called Brian and had to break the news to him over the phone and then went into the bathroom with a friend at work and just cried and cried and cried.  I'm very blessed to be surrounded by women who love me, but more importantly who love God at work- and they just laid hands on me and prayed bold prayers.

The Prometium is tough- it makes you tired and nauseated and you just feel awful.  miserably awful. and on top of that I was on the highest dose possible.  I was told to take it for a week while on complete bed rest (except for sitting in my chair at work) and then come back in and retest.  A week has never seemed so long. Every day we just prayed that God would work a miracle, and that our baby was fighting to hang on ,and that we had gotten on the medicine soon enough. I was lucky to find a website about women who went on Prometrium and it was filled with encouraging and positive results- almost everything else on the web was negative.  But we would read other women's testimonies daily on this website, and pray, and read Gods word, and talk to our baby every single day.

Bed rest was tough for me- I am always on the go, I always have a to do list, and I hate just sitting around being lazy more than anything.  It was equally as tough on my husband- he loves relaxing and watching tv to unwind from work.  Normally, our opposite personalities work perfect together, but now we were forced to switch positions.  He automatically had to take over all cleaning, all cooking...anything that had to be done, he had to do it, no matter how tired he was from a hard day at work.  He had to bring me water every 30 min (or so it seemed!), give me all my medicine, answer my phone calls, keep up with the text messages!  He did so amazing, but I know it wasn't easy- not only just the physical labor of doing everything and all the cooking he had to do- and not just any cooking, but healthy cooking- but on top of all that,  he was just as worried and stressed about our baby as I was.

We had already shouted the news out to the world that we were pregnant on facebook, so we shared our pain and need for prayers with everyone too.   It was amazing to see how many people reached out to us and offered encouraging stories, prayer, and support.  Our friends and family just rallied around us saying big and bold prayers daily. I was blown away by the love we were shown from everyone, people who are very close to us, and people we might not have talked to for years! Whether it was  a meal, a card in the mail, a text message, or a facebook message- we were surrounded by love.

I had no idea what a blessing it would turn out to be that my doctor was adamant about running these tests immediately. See, I thought this was just routine.   Turns out, I have talked to very few women whose doctors will run blood work that early and even fewer who will check for progesterone levels.  My doctor is amazing- and their pro-activeness and Gods will saved our baby. I went back in a week later to re-test, and the next day we got results that have no other explanation other than a true miracle from God-  I started at a 7, we were praying for the 40's (medically, that was a long shot)- but the final number? 50! 50, 50, 50 I couldn't stop saying that number after I heard it! Everyone was amazed! I will be forever grateful to my doctor for doing everything she could to help out our baby.  And if there is one piece of advice I could give to women it would be to find a doctor who will test that early and will test for progesterone- it could save your baby's life!  I know that little one inside of me is a fighter- and I know it already knows who God is.  Baby B is already a miracle baby and everyday it hears all about the goodness of God.

 However, one piece of good news led to another piece of bad news.  While the prometrium did work on raising my levels, it was also causing me to bleed any time I was up and moving-- and as any woman who has been pregnant knows, blood= scary!  I continued on the mega dose of prometrium for another week and had to stay on bed rest.

It was finally our ultrasound day!!! We would (hopefully) get to see our little one's heart beat!  With all my research with the progesterone levels I had run across a lot about blighted ovums ( this is when the cells develop to form the pregnancy sac, but the embryo itself does not develop- and there are no symptoms are signs to know if this happened)- this was on my mind, and I was worried about whether this would happen to us or not.  When the tech student first started the ultrasound they put the wand over my belly and on the screen I could see the pregnancy sac, but nothing in it.  Getting more nervous about this blighted ovum thing, I asked- is that the baby?  In which her response was "Well that is where the baby WOULD be, let me get the trained tech to come in" .  OMG- freak out mode for me. Brian tried to keep me calm and reassure me everything was okay, but I was scared to death.

The trained tech came in, and they made the decision they would need to do the inside ultrasound to check everything out.  And as God showed us another miracle right before our eyes- we got to see our tiny tiny baby and its flickering heart beat.  It was such an amazing moment.  Baby B was there- heartbeat and all!  After taking measurements and some calculations we were told we were only 6 weeks and 2 days along (we had thought we were at 7.5 weeks already)- the new due date would be Nov 7, 2012.  We were lucky to be able to see the baby heart beat with it being so early- but I thank God every day we were- He knew I needed to see that heartbeat that day!  They sent us home with a CD of pictures and huge smiles on our faces :)

That next week we met with our doctor to go over everything.  She was able to cut my Prometrium in half- whoo hooo!!!! And told me that I will feel miserable on this medication and that is normal, just rest as much as my body needs too- but that I didn't have to be on strict bed rest anymore! I would continue to have to take this medicine through the 2nd trimester.  We met with all the financial people and signed contracts with both the doctor and the hospital, and we were taken on a tour of the hospital.  Today was a very blessed day!

Cutting the Prometrium in half did help with not feeling so awful all the time, I wasnt as tired anymore, and the bleeding stopped- Hallelujah!  But, the nausea was getting worse and worse- just talking made it worse.  I felt like I couldn't move, breathe, or talk- so I finally caved in and called the doctor to see if I could have some medicine for it.  And boy am I glad I did! The medicine worked amazing! I don't take the full daily dose, only 1 per day and it worked wonders! I feel like a whole new person again:)

While the nausea went away (for the most part)-  I again got an allergy attack! Booo!!!!  So while I'm dealing with stuffiness and a sore throat and not being able to breathe- I couldn't be more thankful that is the most of my problems right now!

It's been a very bumpy ride since the day we found out we were pregnant- but I have faith that there is so much good to come!  Spiritual warfare is real- and whether it is  a negative test result, a bad situation, or hateful words- what Satan means for evil, God will use for good, and He deserves all the glory and honor!

We feel so blessed that we made it through all this and that our baby is healthy- we are so excited to be parents and love seeing how this whole experienced deepens our marriage.  My husband amazes me on a daily basis- there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for him, not a moment that goes by that I don't feel like the most loved girl in the entire world.  Baby B is so lucky to have a daddy like him- he will be the most loving, devoted, and actively involved father in the world.

SURPRISE!

We woke up early Saturday morning ready to the dentist and then off for a full day date- I was so excited for the day- I had been planning it for awhile now and I just knew brian was going to love it!  I gave him his clue card for the themed day (it was a Cars theme)  and he was finishing getting ready, when I decided to just take 1 more pregnancy test....

We had always said we would like to be married for a year and then start having babies, but we had been leaving it up to Gods timing now for about 8 months, so by this time I was pretty used to the routine of taking the test only to see a negative sign a few moments later.

Fully expecting the same result (I had just taken a test a few days earlier which should have been accurate by the timing, and it was negative) , I put the test on the counter- Brian found out what I was doing by this point- and we both watched- and within moments there was a POSITIVE SIGN!! (the line is so faint its hard to see in the picture, but that is a positive sign, promise!)  I was so shocked I was speechless.  Brian was estatic!  I wanted to take one more test before I let myself fully believe this was actually happening, so we took another test- same result just as fast- and now we were jumping up and down with joy!!! We were pregnant!!!!

We wanted to shout it out to the world, but before we did, we wanted confirmation from a doctor. So we called and cancelled the dentist appt, cancelled the date- and drove to the first urgent  care facility we could find open.  They were so nice to us- I took the test and we waited in the room full of anticipation. The doctor came in a little while later with a huge smile on his face and said CONGRATULATIONS!!!! It was one of the happiest moments for us- we just looked at each other full of joy and excitement!

The doctor did some calculations and came up with an expected due date of Oct 31st- we were going to have a Halloween baby! While we don't like that holiday, at least it was all about the color ORANGE :)  That would mean we were already 5 1/2 weeks along!!! (the due date would change shortly, but for now we thought it was oct 31st )

Now it all made sense why I had been sooooo excessively tired for the past two weeks!!!

Once we got confirmation we wanted to spread the news to family!!!  We didn't have much time to plan how we were going to tell everyone, I always thought I wanted to come up with a really cool and special way to spread the news, but in the moment we were way too excited to stop and do anything!

We went to my moms house acting like we were on a video date (that would totally sound like something I would plan, so it worked!)  We were able to tell my mom and catch the whole thing on video! At first she didn't believe us, we had kinda made jokes in the past, so she thought we were just kidding, but she quickly caught on that we were for real this time.  She was soooo excited for us!

Next, we stopped by the hospital to tell my dad-  they knew right away what we were going to tell them- they said we just had a "glow".  While my dads wife was recovering in the hospital bed, my dad took us down for lunch.  The entire way to the cafeteria he told EVERY single person we passed that I was pregnant.  It was so sweet to see how genuinely excited he was for us.  By the time we left that hospital, no lie- everyone on our floor knew the good news!

We stopped by our best friends house- the Belknaps- and did the video scavenger hunt trick with them too.  Made a phone call to the Bolners (they weren't in town for us to make a house visit)- but Darci knew before I could even say a word. That lady amazes me!  Our "brother" Andrew came over to hang out that night and we let him in on the excitement too.


The next day we already had plans to see Brians side of the family- so Sunday was all about spreading the news in the Stillwater/Cushing area.  I am chugging water these days, and so he dropped hints about that, and his parents quickly caught on.  Then he called his sister and referred to her as Aunt Shannon and she knew right away.

We wanted to stop by and tell the Weavers in person since they are such a big part of our lives, but timing didn't work out, so we called them on the way home to tell them the big news!

Our original plan was to tell my brothers in a special way, but that day wasn't until the end of March and we couldn't wait that long-  my oldest brother surprised us with breakfast and we thought that was just he perfect time to tell him, and then called my other brother.  They have been ready for us to start having babies for awhile, so they were so happy for us!

We had talked about waiting until after the first trimester to post the good news on Facebook, based on the advice that everyone always says-- but we couldn't wait that long, we were so excited we were ready to shout it from the mountain tops!  We aren't private people- we're pretty transparent- and no matter what was going to happen, good or bad,  we wanted as many people praying for us and the baby as possible.  So we posted it to share with everyone!


Whew! A whirlwind of telling family and friends, but oh my gosh, it was so much fun sharing our excitement with everyone who loves us. Its amazing how your life can change in a day- in just a single moment! Thank you Lord for this blessing and miracle!!!