Baby Announcement (FINALLY) + 1st Trimester Recap

WELL, it’s been a long time since we “officially” announced that we were expecting, but I still wanted to share our amazing photo session we did a few weeks ago! Shooting these photos made it seem real for me that we were actually going to have a baby. I had mentioned my miscarriage before in my Instagram post, so you can imagine how up until these photos were taken, I couldn’t let myself hope….I couldn’t allow it to feel real for fear of it happening again.

But after our 12 week appointment, and then especially our gender scan at 16 weeks, I cannot tell you the intense relief I have felt, and the joy I have been able to experience now that I’m in my 2nd trimester!

Becky Willard did such an awesome job capturing our exciting and anticipation! She knew our story going into the photo shoot, because I had actually contacted her a week before I miscarried the previous time to schedule an announcement shoot. When I texted her back a couple of days later with our news, she cried along with us. She prayed for us. Which is why I had to contact her again, because her support and connection to us really helped to put my mind at ease and ENJOY taking these photos! If you’re in the Lexington area, I highly encourage you to have Becky take your photos, because she is such a talented photographer, and such a wonderful sweet person to work with!

Belle Badgley Mischka dress (old, similar here) | Sole Society kitten heels | BlushBazaar pink and blue tassel garlands and 36″ balloons

At the time of the shoot, I was 13 weeks along, and am now currently 18 weeks along. I wore a simple white scalloped dress from Badgley Mischka’s Belle collection for Dillards with a cute sash that fit perfectly above my tiny bump. =) Lilly Pulitzer also has adorable dresses, if you’re looking for the perfect Little White Dress! The adorable tassel balloons I ordered from BlushBazaar on Etsy, and my sweet friend made the chalkboard signs for us. I will definitely be hanging the pink garland in Baby Girl’s nursery. 😉

We didn’t do a Gender Reveal party because 1) I was still worried about miscarrying, even though I was past was is considered to be the danger zone, and 2) I was worried people would think it was stupid. I know, I shouldn’t care what people think, but it’s a flaw, and I’m still working on it. There is always next time! 🙂

A LOT has changed since these photos were taken 5 weeks ago, and it’s crazy to me how quickly things change even overnight! For instance, last Saturday I attended a graduation ceremony and had packed this dress to wear. It fit me (barely) on Thursday, and come Saturday morning, I could barely zip it up. The bump could fit, buuuut I was having some issues up top. As in, I could barely breathe and was about to spill out into the world. As soon as the grad ceremony was over and we arrived at my family’s house, I quickly changed into the clothes I had packed “just in case”. I’m going to be honest when in saying I was slightly disappointed, I had hoped to squeeze in a few more weeks (pun intended) into my button-downs and fitted dresses, but it looks like the girls have a mind of their own XD.

Trying to stay positive, growing bump and boobs = a healthy pregnancy, and I really can’t complain about the bump. I never thought I would fall in love with having a bigger belly, but I cannot tell you how much I love seeing it grow bigger day by day! I have always thought baby bumps were the most precious thing in the entire world.

Bumpdate:

Due date: October 10th, 2016 (October birthdays are the best!!)

Gender:

It’s a GIRL!!!!! AHHHH, M and I are so incredibly excited to be having a little girl! We both thought for sure it was a boy, so we were pretty surprised when the technician told us we were having a little princess =).

Baby movement:

Haven’t felt anything, yet, and my doctor said I probably wouldn’t until around 22 weeks. Baby Girl was pretty active on the ultrasound, though, kicking, stretching…She even had the hiccups! <3<3<3<3

Cravings:

currently anything rich like cheesecake and chocolate shakes, but also craving fruit, sushi, and salads. For the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy, I ate zero vegetables. The smell and taste made me want to gag, and unless it was V8 juice, I didn’t touch anything veggie-related. I did eat lots of fruit, but no veggies. I knew my hormones were starting to settle down when I started craving tomatoes and avocados.

Aversions:

Most meat and fish…during my first trimester the sight or smell of meat/fish cooking would literally make me vomit. I had to hide in my bedroom with the covers over my head and a candle burning while my husband made dinner because it was that bad. Now I eat ground beef if it’s in pasta sauce, and I love sushi (once a month only, though!), but steak and burgers are still off-limits!

And garlic. This is huge, because I have always added extra garlic to everything I’ve ever cooked, but like meat and fish, it made me want to vomit. I’ve gotten to where I can tolerate being around it, but unless I am really in the mood for it, it’s still a no-no for me.

How I feel:

1st trimester was pretty awful, I wasn’t just tired, I was exhausted like I’d never been before. I felt like I had completed an intense cardio session every morning when I woke up, and evenings were even worse. My sweet, amazing and supportive husband really stepped up and took over cooking and doing dishes. I honestly don’t know how I would have survived without him, and single mamas and women with deployed significant others should get a medal for going at it alone!

And morning sickness? Whoever named it morning sickness was clearly a man, because it lasted all day er’day. It was like the flu…for 12 weeks straight. I didn’t vomit that much, mostly because I just didn’t eat. I lost over 7 pounds in two weeks, and was back down to my pre-baby weight for awhile. I eventually went on a prescription to help with my nausea, and I wished I hadn’t waited as long as I did to ask for it! Seriously, ladies, it’s not worth trying to tough it out, especially if you work full-time, or if it’s bad enough to where you are losing weight.

I started feeling MUCH better when I entered week 13, and now I feel almost like a functioning human again, lol. I can get through my day without having to run to the restroom to vomit during or in between teaching classes, and I can make it to 3pm without needing to take a nap during lunch. By the end of the day, I am still pretty exhausted, but most days I have even had enough energy to cook and do DISHES!

Maternity clothes:

Yes and no…I’ve been in maternity jeans since week 12. TERRIBLY bloated then, now it’s all baby-bump :D. I’m not in maternity shirts or dresses, yet, but I definitely have a hard time fitting into button down shirts and form-fitting dresses. Actually, I’ve been looking at non-maternity maxi dresses and off-shoulder tops for this summer because I want things that I can wear even after I’ve had the baby.

So there you have it, 1st trimester and weeks 14-18 in a nutshell. It’s been such an incredible journey so far, very bittersweet with still grieving the loss of our 1st baby, but God has been so good in comforting me, and reassuring me that He is in control. My family and friends have been awesome in listening to my complaints and my worries. I couldn’t have gone through what I went through without them!

If you all have any questions about something I haven’t mentioned, or if you’d like to share your story with me, I’d love to hear it! And I’ll definitely have more “Bump-dates” in the future! And you can shop my favorite white dresses below–Now please excuse me while I go hunt down a slice of cheesecake….

Stay Classy!