Seeing our precious baby for the first time!

Matt and I were both so nervous and excited to go to the doctor today. We were a little uncertain of what exactly to expect, and what all we would be told. Like any mother, I was praying for the best. 

Seeing the picture of the little life inside of me was absolutely breath-taking. The baby has definite limbs right now, and we were able to see them all. At one point, a little arm flittered across the screen, and it looked like a wave. The heart was beating 177 times a minute, and watching this happen was pretty cool. Matt and I were smiling so big and could not get enough of it. Seeing the baby brought things into perspective of what is happening. I guess you could say that we are still on cloud 9, and we cannot believe this blessing that God has given us. 

I am at 8 weeks 1 day today, so there is so much ahead of us. I have been feeling great, and I am oh so thankful for that! I am hoping to steer clear of nausea and other not-so-cool pregnancy symptoms!

Anxiety awaits the fist doc visit!

I am right at about 7 weeks, and I am soooo ready to see the ultrasound and hear our baby's heartbeat! I have been feeling fine, and a part of this makes me nervous. I keep telling myself that I am in tune with my body, and I (my body) would know if something was wrong. I get so tired, and it is almost amusing how fast I can fall asleep! Matt has just gotten used to the idea of me being in bed most nights way before 9:00. I know my body needs it, so I do not fight it. The 8+ hours of sleep sure makes teaching 8th graders all day a whole lot easier; I should have been sleeping more all along!

We go to the doctor on Friday, October 31--Halloween! We are both excited and nervous to go for the first time. I think this whole being pregnant thing will really sink in when we see the picture of our little nugget! I am thankful that Matt wants to be a part of this whole thing with me; not all men would find the OB doctor visit a thrill! He has been so supportive, and I know it will only continue!

Telling the new grandparents

Matt and I found out we were pregnant Friday 10/ 3. I did not think that we would know so soon, but boy was I wrong! Four pregnancy tests later, and all of them said yes, you are pregnant. Matt and I were both ecstatic and in shock. After all the deliberation, praying, and talking about this happening, here we were. We had said that we were not going to tell anyone until we went to the doctor, but that did not last very long! I immediately called Leah and Daniel (my siblings), and Matt called Stephanie (his sis). They were all shocked and thrilled to hear the news. Of course, this made my sister's engagement and future wedding plans more interesting, but why not have even more fun?!? It's kind of cool to think about how much my family's lives will be changing within the next year!

I also told a long-time best friend, Jamison, that night. I knew she would almost die when she found out, and I was right! I always told her she would be the first to know, and she was!

We wanted to do something extra special for the grandparents-to-be, so our brains began to think. Here is what we ended up doing on Thursday 10/9:

We first went to Martha and Larry's. We kinda lied to them and told them that we were in the area getting our rings checked and cleaned, and that we wanted to stop by and visit. We chatted for a while, and then Matt gave his mom a present. We had wrapped up a onesie nightgown and the wonderful children's book,  Guess How Much I Love You. Matt wrote a sweet little message inside the book. His parents were blown away and beyond speechless. Martha was so cute as she swayed back and forth reading the card. Larry was rather emotional, especially since he did not think that he would ever live to see us pregnant. I think we have given him motivation to stay with us here on earth a little longer!

Next, I called my parents and said that we were at the mall running a few errands, and that we could stop by for a while. Well, my mom then proceeded to tell me that Dad was not home yet, and probably wouldn't be until about 10:00. Hmmm...we contemplated on what to do, and then decided that we would go anyways because we could not wait. Dad finally got home about 9:40. We also gave them a nightgown and a book. However, the book I gave them was a little different. Over a year ago, Mom had given me the book Someday. It goes through a mother-daughter relationship all the way from birth to the daughter having her own baby. Mom gave it to me to say that "someday" she would be ready to be a grandmother, just not yet. I decided to give the book back to her and write in it that "someday" will be here sooner than we think. My dad got so tickled that he literally picked me up and could not stop laughing. My mom was grinning from ear to ear. 

The reactions from our parents was far better than we could have ever imagined! We are so blessed to have them in our lives, and our precious baby will also be blessed!

Here we go...let's have a baby!

Even before we got married, we talked about starting and raising a family. Both of us love children and have always looked forward to the day when we could love one of our own. Last summer, right after our 2nd anniversary, Matt started talking about us starting our little family. Anyone who knows me best knows that I am a HUGE worrier, so of course, I did not see it as a good fit. I told him that we should wait until the next summer and see how we felt and where we were in our lives. Well, that summer came up rather quickly. Matt and I had talked on many occasions about having a baby, but I still was being selfish, and I was not letting my faith and God take control. I threw every excuse known for why we should not have a baby.  Not enough money. Who is going to watch the baby? He works late nights and Saturdays. We need new carpet. We might need a bigger car. Excuses, excuses. I finally came to realize that we would NEVER be really where we wanted to be in order to start a family. We were going to have to do what is sometimes so hard to do, and that is to fully trust God. If this baby was meant to be, then God, in His own special way, would provide for us.

With all that said, we decided not to tell anyone about trying for a baby. We really wanted to surprise everyone. We did not think anyone would expect it, and that is the way we wanted it. Believe me...it was so hard not telling my mom, sister, and closest friends. Daniel, my brother, would always ask me each time we would talk on the phone or internet, "When are you gonna get started on making a baby?" I always told him we were just practicing, which I am sure is more than he wanted to know! I figured  if people knew that we were trying, then they would always ask us, and I did not want that at all. First of all, it's awkward. Secondly, I wanted to surprise everyone and make it special. So, Matt and I had a little secret that no one would know about until the new life had started!