Week 3: The hype

I keep a lot of lists. I like the feeling of crossing things off. But recently, I’ve started making lists of things I accomplish each day. (Besides keeping a human alive.)

Today, I wrote ‘brushed my teeth’ on that list. At noon. Yesterday, it was 10PM. (And I wish that was something funny you say in a blog, but didn’t actually happen.) 

So, the fact that I’m making time to write this blog post that’s been on my to-do list for 3.5 weeks (with one hand on my iPhone and a baby napping on my chest) feels right up there with crossing off ‘learning Mandarin’. 

It’s a crazy thing when the hype actually lives up. I can only think of a handful of things where the suspense and excitement you build around an event has lived up. If I’m being brutally honest, off the top of my head, this is that list up until now: 
1. Our wedding 
2. Trip to Italy
3. Playing Augusta National

I’m sure I have a few more, but I’m tired. The point is, when I’m really excited about something (I mean Christmas morning of 1994 excited), I usually build it up so much in my mind, it’s nearly impossible for the actual thing to be as impressive as I made it in my head. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like Disney World for the first time was anything short of freakin’ magical, but EXCEEDING the expectation is really hard when you’ve been hyping something for so long. You expect it to be awesome. 

So, of course, there’s a great deal of build up to the birth of a child. 

More hype than an ESPN commentator on the phone with Nick Saban around playoff selection time. 

A lot. Of hype. 

But, it doesn’t matter what everyone tells you. How excited you are. How prepared you are to meet your little one. It exceeds all of the hype. ALL OF IT. In a way most new parents probably understand, that makes these words seem hollow and trite. 

How do you put words to a religious experience like that? My dad always said there are no atheists in foxholes. I’m convinced there aren’t any in a delivery room either. 

I just wasn’t prepared...even though I prepared. A lot. I built it up so much it couldn’t possibly live up. I set the moment up to fail. But, it didn't. 

John Michael's arrival:

This mama was totally done with pregnancy. Complete with a really lovely hormonal meltdown in my doctor's office the Wednesday before John Michael made his arrival. For whatever reason, our viewers recognize me the most at the grocery store and the doctor's office. So, if you saw me covering my tear-stained face with a People magazine, don’t worry. I’m alive. It was just hormones. 

So my doctor, (I like to call her Saint Jennifer Morgan. ‘Dr. Morgan’ doesn’t fully convey how great this lady is) says, “You are progressing great. Baby is great. We can induce you as early as Monday, (39 weeks, 1 day), but that’s your call 100%." Believe me. When you get to the end, the lines get blurry. So after about a five gallon bucket of tears deciding what to do, and a very frank conversation with John Michael asking if he was ready, I said, "BOOK THAT INDUCTION." 

Mother's intuition is a beautiful thing, because guess who was ready to make his arrival, anyway? 

5PM: I went into early labor on the news desk during our 5PM show Friday night. I’d shoot my husband a text from the desk every time one would start. Contractions every 10 minutes. Nothing too painful. 

1:30AM: Hello labor. When the doctor says ‘you’ll know the difference when they’re the real deal.’ They 100% are not lying to you. What in the actual hell?!?! Even with the fake screaming, chick flicks do not prepare you for labor pain. 

3:30AM: My husband is pulling the trigger. We are going to the hospital. Do not care that contractions are not quite 5 minutes apart. We’re going. 

5AM: Waiting to ‘progress.’ No epidural. By this point I have reached ‘cliche pregnant woman status’ and I am ranting to my husband about equal pay for women and basically my disbelief that millions of women do this crap for humanity’s sake with not nearly enough monuments erected in their honor..

5:30AM: Husband still a champion...still has not left me. Still telling me I’m beautiful and strong and wonderful. Spoiler—by this point, I am not. 

6:30AM: The clouds part and an angel in scrubs says, "Just got off the phone with the doctor. We are keeping you. We’ll wheel you back now for that epidural."

6:45AM: EPIDURAL. Say it with me people—-TAKE THE DRUGS. 

1:00PM: Started pushing, and I knew the Dawgs we’re kicking off at 3:30....

1:20: John Michael arrives. Disbelief. Lots of staring at our perfect human. 10 fingers, 10 toes. 

3:30: The Dawgs lost to Auburn that day, but we won so huge. My husband and I kept looking at each other all day saying, “I can’t believe he’s ours...”

3.5 weeks later, we’re still saying that. We’re tired. Sometimes we don’t know why he’s crying. Sometimes I’m curious how such a small human can create three times their body weight in poo. One time I clipped his fingernail too short and he cried for 5 minutes, and I cried for an hour. He peed on everything last night at 3AM. Everything. 

But, guess what? The hype still lives up. 

WEEK 34: Label makers and scare tactics

I bought a label maker. 2017 is a wild time to be alive. I really thought those things had to be at least $40, but no. Two clicks on Amazon and the most amazing label maker was delivered to my doorstep two days later for $10. 

Which means, my pregnancy-induced OCD has shifted to overdrive. Do I need to label each blanket in my closet organizer? 

Probably not. I'm sure I can discern a swaddle from a burp cloth by looking at it, but, you just can't be too sure. 

My husband made his contribution to the labeling....

I think he's making fun of me...

Also, I think I've mentioned this in an earlier blog, but nesting is a real thing. I get these crazy urges for everything to be in its place and everything this kid may need for the first three years of his life to be sitting in our house. But, I'm so torn because I also hate clutter and junk we will never use. It's creating a perfect storm of anxiety in my body, which sometimes rears its head at really inopportune moments. Like when my husband graciously takes my non-verbal clues to come with me to Buy Buy Baby to complete our registry checklist 7 weeks before our due date on a Sunday during football season. (That's true love.) 

The completion discount was only 10%, I thought it was 20%. Then, they didn't have our car seat in stock. Then, I couldn't find the crib skirt I registered for. Then, I started crying in the baby monitor aisle. Why? Who knows. That's when Austin starts getting what I like to refer to as 'tear-induced-panic-syndrome.' I dare you to imagine a more cliche scene than a pregnant lady crying in Buy Buy Baby with an empty shopping cart and a panicked husband. 

We left. I ordered everything I needed online. Umm, why didn't I do that in the first place? Because I am pregnant and my sense of logic and reason is as distant a memory as my high school body. 

Circa 2007/ Teen Miss Georgia USA

RIP high school body! Remember that time I didn't appreciate you? I'm sorry. 

Then, there are the really tough decisions...like whether to buy the freaking Owlet Smart Sock. I SWEAR when the baby 'stuff' industry is coming up with a new invention, they have a bar graph with a sliding parental guilt scale.  THAT'S how they decide if this thing is going to make it on the market. For those of you who raised a kid when 'car seats' were the hot new baby safety item on the market....I'll explain the Owlet. 

Here's my mom's first car seat...that is some of
Darwin's best work. Survival of the absolute fittest.

An Owlet smart sock is this tiny little baby sock that monitors your baby's oxygen level and heart rate. It sends you an alert on your smartphone if either of those drop below acceptable levels. Why? Because of SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. If you want to really scare the neighborhood parents, don't dress up as Dracula or a zombie from the Walking Dead for Halloween this year...just wrap yourself in a poorly tied swaddle blanket that can come loose and suffocate you and watch the neighborhood moms shriek in terror. 

I have never worried about anything like I worry about SIDS. BUT, for the low cost of $300 (payment plan optional) I can ALWAYS monitor whether my child is breathing. Or, I could just, you know, not buy it. Like millions of parents have done before me. Of course, I would never sleep again. And, in my waking hours as I watch my kid breathe, I could dwell on the hypothetical guilt I would have over saving that $300 for something like food, and something happening to John Michael in his sleep without the Owlet's watchful eye. *sigh*

I think we all know who this was marketed for. I might as well have a giant sucker painted on my head. I asked my husband to make the decision. We'll see how that turns out...

Spoiler alert...we're buying the Owlet. 

Why? Because look at this face! (If you've been following the blog for a while, you'll be happy to know that nose-gate has been debunked.) 

32 week sonogram pic

6 more weeks-ish to go. I don't think time could move any slower at this point. We're so ready to meet you, John Michael! (Your foot feels like it's a size 8 already in my rib cage, so it feels like you're probably ready to get out of there and meet us, too.) See ya on the other side! We'll be the ones waiting with an Owlet and way too many labeled swaddle blankets.

​ 28 weeks: What's in a name?

My birthday is Saturday! I'll admit, I'm one of those obnoxious people who absolutely love their birthday. I usually celebrate the whole month of August. But this year, I'm so focused on another birthday getting here, my own has barely crossed my radar. 

My favorite part of birthdays are the surprises that come along with them. So, I decided to write this blog to surprise a few of our friends and family, still patiently waiting to hear what we're going to name our little man. 

Naming a human being is a big responsibility. Understatement of the year? I mean, how often do you get to decide what letters will be scrawled together to claim your kids' food in a break room refrigerator 30 years from now? That's important stuff. But, my husband and I have had this little guy's name picked out for a while. I wonder what he will think of that one day? Before we even knew you, we were thinking about you and what we would call you. 

I've held off sharing his name for a few reasons. Mainly, because I've seen my friends get too many 'helpful' opinions on their name choices. Or my personal favorite, 'Oh! I've only known one other 'fill in name here,' He was kind of a rude sociopath and ended up with a meth addiction. But, love the name!' Gee, thanks. 

I feel like I need a drumroll....or those fireworks you can add to your texts on iMessage...

It's John Michael. And, yes, it's a double name. Not John, not Michael, John Michael. (Maybe JM when we're short on character counts on Twitter.)

He's  named after the two most important men in our lives, past and present. Austin's dad, John, and my dad, Michael. 

If you get even deeper, John means 'God has been gracious; has shown favor.' Michael means, 'Who is like God?'. It's a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. So, to me, it's the perfect name for our rainbow baby. And, a reminder who is really in control of this crazy thing called life, should we ever forget. 

I'll tell you a little about Austin's dad. 

I remember being so nervous to meet him for the first time, which is crazy to think was almost nine years ago. I had heard all of these stories about how intimidating he could be. He was a long snapper for Notre Dame, one of the youngest guys ever to make partner at his high powered law firm in Atlanta, a really smart, really shrewd, straight shooter kind of guy. Well, then there's me. I tried on 3 outfits before this. Super southern. I talk too much when I'm nervous. Sweaty palms. They asked me over dinner what Camilla (my hometown) is known for. I quickly inventory my options: dirt roads, we got a Burger King this year, we won the state football championship when I was in middle school....nope. I land on 'gnats.' Austin's incredibly sweet mom is like, 'Gnats?' 'Yes ma'am. You know, the pesky bug? We have a festival in their honor every year.' 

They love this story. Bless them for not looking at Austin and saying, 'Where did you find this girl?'

I tell you this story because Austin's dad's smile and laugh when he tells that silly story always makes me feel so loved. It reminds me of my own dad, and that's how he's always treated me. As if I was his own daughter. I know when he becomes a Papa, or Pop-pop, or Papa John, or whatever it may be, he will be the best. And, even though he is all of those things I mentioned before: smart, shrewd, straight shooter, tough football guy, a presence that demands your respect, he's also passionate and curious about his hobbies (right now that's red wine, golf, and fly fishing). He's one of the most loyal people you'll ever meet. He's competitive, but fair. (Although, he's not very good at bananagrams.) He's a great judge of character. And, he's also a bit of a softie (don't tell anyone), but you can really see that in rare moments when he lets his guard down. I hope John Michael learns a lot of these qualities from him.

My dad...well, I was definitely a daddy's girl.

I don't talk about him as much as I should. I never want people to feel sad or sorry for me
when I bring him up. But, not a day goes by that I don't wish I could call and hear his voice or ask his opinion on something.

He went in for a biopsy for a spot on his lung the summer after my freshman year in college, but he never left the hospital. It was lung cancer. But, no one, not even the doctors knew how aggressive it was. My dad was larger than life. He could fight anything. He'd already survived the Vietnam War, my rebellious teen years, and prostate cancer. So when I heard the news, I treated it like he had the flu. 

I was a camp counselor that summer, and I'll never forget my mom calling to say, 'You need to come home.' I was stunned. I had no idea it was that serious. I got home in time to see him the day before he died. The time of his diagnosis to the night I held his hand as he took his last breath was less than two weeks. 

So, two takeaways here, life is short, and you never know when it's your time. AND, if you smoke, stop. I know it's hard. My dad told me that all the time. You know what else is hard? Giving your dad's eulogy when you're 19. And, if you don't want to stop for yourself, stop for everyone who loves you. 

Okay, the PSA is over...on to the good stuff. 

My dad and I would stay up until 3AM talking about everything from politics to philosophy. I thought he was the smartest man in the world. He was witty, funny, and would rather play a  joke on someone than breathe. He convinced me, in order to properly ripen a watermelon, you had to sit on them. Basically incubate them like an egg. So I would spend hours as a four year old, 'ripening' watermelons during the summer. Of course, it backfired anytime we went to the grocery store because I tried to sit on every watermelon there. They got a few strange looks. 

When I was 13 and had my first boy/girl birthday party, he convinced, not just the kids, but the parents, too, that he was selling smell-o-vision. I think we still have video of people watching the cooking channel, sniffing the screen, swearing they could smell roast beef. 

He could put the fear of God in you. When he was the supervisor at Bell South (that's when land lines were a thing....) everyone knew not to cross him if he wore his black shirt. That was his 'ass kicking' shirt. My worst punishments were ALWAYS when my mom told me I had to 'tell your dad what you did.' I would start crying and self punishing, working myself into a tizzy before I ever got the chance to squeak out the words. I never wanted to disappoint him. All it took was the 'disappointed look' for me to swear I would never do it again. 

But, man. He was a great dad. When my mom had breast cancer when I was just two years
old, we would spend countless hours at hospitals. He would come up with these great stories to entertain me off the top of his head. Mom says my favorite were the legends of
'Big Brown Bear.' 

He was front row at every ballet recital, pageant, barrell racing competition, and tennis tournament.

He worked his butt off to provide for our family. I've had a job since I was 13, and I know that's because I learned my work ethic from him. He started his own low voltage company when I was in elementary school, and I would wire phones and crawl under houses just to be with him. 

I miss him. But, I learned so much from him. And, I hope even though John Michael will never get to meet him in person, he'll grow up learning some of those traits from me.

And, most of all, I hope John Michael will know how special his name is, and why we couldn't just settle on one. It may take him a little longer to spell out all those letters, but I hope he knows how much love is packed into those two words and three syllables. 

Week 20: Sticks and stones

I think the theory of reincarnation goes something like this: if you're a good person, say your prayers every day, never steal, lie, or cheat, do for others, and never ask for a thing in return, when you die, you'll come back as a University of Georgia freshman during football season.

If you don't, when you die, you'll come back as a perpetually pregnant woman on the evening news, and everyone can share their opinions on what you look like over dinner. 

Okay, this analogy is a little extreme, but you get the point. Being pregnant is already one of the most emotional, insecure times of your life. Am I gaining too much weight? Am I gaining enough weight? Is my bump too high? Is my bump too low? Are these breakouts ever going to end? Is this pregnancy making my hair dull? Why are my nail beds doing this weird thing? 

Now, throw yourself in front of a camera that adds 20 pounds every night, find clothes that not only fit, but also don't make you look like a whale, and cake on enough hair and makeup products twice a day to moonlight as a Las Vegas showgirl, and you'll understand where I'm coming from. 

Most days, nothing would please me more than staying in my stretchy maternity yoga pants, not a hint of makeup on my face, a bucket of fried chicken in my lap, watching Gossip Girl reruns, trying to calculate the last day I washed my hair like it's an advanced Calculus equation. 

But, I picked a career that doesn't exactly allow for that. There are no 'ponytail' days. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. Absolutely love it. My husband once told my boss, every night when I come home, and he asks how my day was, more days than not, I say, "It was so great!" Not, "I survived," or "Ughh...don't even ask," but 'GREAT.' He told her as long as that was the case, he would do everything he could to support my career since I loved it so much. (Yes, ladies...he's real. And, he's taken...) 

BUT, that doesn't mean I don't have bad work days. 

Yesterday, was a bad work day. I checked my voicemail (hoping it was a great story tip...) No such luck. Instead, I heard this peach of a woman on the other end. 

"Please go to Target and buy some decent maternity clothes so you don't walk around looking like you got a watermelon strapped under your too tight outfits. Target's got a great line of maternity clothes in case you've never heard of such a thing. You're getting to where you're being disgusting on the TV."

So, the thick skinned journalist in me who knows better than to give comments like this a second thought says, delete the voicemail and move on. 

Unfortunately, I'm pregnant, hormonal, currently not allowed to drink wine, and feeling extra in touch with my feminist side. 

Here's the stream of consciousness I went through: 

Did she just call a pregnant person disgusting? What kind of...

I am only at week 20 of this? Am I going to have to deal with this crap another 20 weeks? Should I have my consultant or my boss call her and tell her tailored, form fitting clothes look way better on air than baggy ones, especially when pregnant? Is that a WOMAN who called me?!? Is she a MOTHER?!?!? The freaking nerve...

Do I really look disgusting? What outfit is she talking about? Why did she call on Friday, I wasn't even working Friday....did she boil over this all week and wait until I was off to leave me a voicemail? Oh crap, am I tearing up at my desk? NOT here. And, NOT over this. This lady doesn't deserve to get a rise out of  me. Does she know that I'm wearing maternity clothes? What does she want me to wear, a moo moo from the 50's? Does she know this is 2017? WHY DID SHE CALL ME?! And, why can I not stop thinking about this?! Hmm...bless her heart...

So then, I went to our archives to see what could have possibly revolted her enough to find our number, call us, sit through a phone tree, find my extension, and leave me a rude voicemail. Here's my past week's worth of on-air outfits: 

Most of the time, I keep my hands crossed in front of my belly.

  Maybe she doesn't like when I stand at the wall??

 This angle, I move my arms out of the way of the bump...maybe this? 

You get the picture. But, this lady really got me thinking...

I consider myself a confident, pretty secure, independent, woman. Why was I letting this one ridiculous, negative comment ruin my whole day? I've gotten dozens of compliments from viewers saying nice things about my pregnancy, why was this the one that stuck? 

I don't really have an answer. If I did, I could probably solve the world's bullying problem. But, that whole saying our moms taught us about sticks and stones is kind of garbage. In fact, sometimes, I think words hurt far worse than sticks. And right now, we are living in a culture tolerating, often even encouraging bullies. Politicians, angry Democrats and Republicans, anonymous keyboard warriors, social media bullies....How do we teach our kids to be kind when adults all around them can say such cruel things? 

It worries me. Right now, I can protect this sweet little boy. But, I won't always be able to. I certainly don't want him to dwell on the negative things insecure people are bound to say about him.

So, ​I think instead of letting this lady get me down, I'm just going to turn her negative energy into positive energy. I'm going to say as many nice things as I can to as many people as I can, and I'm going to do it in a dress that fits these beautiful new curves with my 'watermelon' stomach showing. 

Week 19: Worry Tetris

Envision a calendar with the most important days color coded. Today has been circled in red, highlighted, with little sticker stars, for months. Granted, that's all purely ceremonial, because there's no way I would forget this appointment. Today was our 19 week anatomy scan. The same scan that turned our world upside down back in October.

So, this day has meant a lot to me for a long time. I've tried hard not to put it on too tall of a pedestal, but in the back of my mind, I've known for months, if I can get past this scan and know everything is okay, it would be a huge weight off my worried shoulders. 

We get to the appointment, and in terms of doctor's office waits, this was like the express lane of medical care. And, if you've ever frequented doctor's offices, you know, that's a rare, beautiful gift. 

For a person who can be so direct as a reporter, I am really terrible at telling people what I need. I should have asked the sonogram tech to talk us through what she was doing. But, no. I'm a polite masochist. So, I just sat there on the table quietly playing worry Tetris in my brain. 

As soon as one worry hole was filled, the blocks would keep tumbling faster until I worked myself into an anxious tear-tizzy, certain her silence meant only terrible things. Turns out, it meant she was just busy doing her job, measuring 124,596 tiny little organs and features on our 12 ounce baby. Everything was great. Heartbeat: great. Brain scan: great. Legs and arms? All there and accounted for. Spine? Straight as an arrow. Measurements? Ahead of the curve. Measuring 20 weeks. 

Relief. Jeez. Like Niagara Falls bursting through a beaver dam. So, after the serious scanning was over, we got to watch him in 4D for a bit rolling around and giving us a cute little thumbs up, kicking his long (perfect) legs...

...holding the bridge of his nose... 

And, this is where our worry Tetris picks up its game. 

He finally moves his cute little hand to reveal his nose...

Is that his nose?! Because let me tell you, that nose doesn't look like my nose or his dad's nose. It looks like Rudolph and Pinocchio had a love child. I mean, a very cute love child, but still...

The sonogram tech says, "He'll grow into it..." That sounds a lot like something people tell you when they're thinking, YIKES?! 

Of course I instantly flash back to everything I was ever teased about in school, and all I can think about is how cruel kids (and adults for that matter) can be. Then, my face splashed across a headline 'Local news anchor arrested for threatening child on playground who teased son.' 

I teared up a few times on the way out of the doctor's office, and I couldn't decide if it was relief that our little one was healthy, worry over his nose, embarrassment over the shallowness of crying about a nose, hormones, or a combo platter. Austin and I shared a lot of nervous giggles about 'nose-gate' at lunch and on the way home. But, the undertone of the laugh was very clearly, but what if it IS really that big?!?!

I watched the video the sonogram tech gave us with Austin, slowed it down, paused it, inspected it from all angles. I mean, he is a cherub. Look at this? Even in claymation view weighing in at 12 ounces, he's adorable:

There is literally ONE four second clip from ONE angle that his nose appears to be a costume piece borrowed from the goblins at Gringott's bank, but is that stopping me from worrying? Of course not. 

One of my best friends pointed out that none of the 2D sonogram pictures of his profile show any crazy nose action, but does that stop me from worrying? Of course not. 

Google was my friend today, though, because apparently a lot of women have this same concern after seeing 4-D images. Since you're taking pictures INSIDE of a human stomach INSIDE of a uterus THROUGH a gallon of fluid, they aren't perfect images. Features can be distorted. Different angles and shadows can play tricks. This early, they can quite literally grow into their features since he has no fat yet. One lady says her son was born with an enormous nose, and now, at age 2, it's completely proportional, etc. etc.

But, tonight at dinner, my husband and I laughed (I cried) so hard at how much things could change in such a short time. We are so freaking lucky to be able to worry about this poor child's nose structure. I mean, in the scheme of things, that is such a non-issue. I know over his life, I am going to worry about 99,999,999 things, and right now, we're worried he may pick up part time work as an ant-eater or training bomb sniffing dogs. But, I bet he'll be the most loved ant eater there ever was! 

And if he's healthy, happy, and loved, then being able to smell roses from 5 miles away will just be a bonus feature for us to love that much more. 

Week 13: 'Red Barbie Corvette' kind of joy

We've been hoping for a surprise free, boring pregnancy, but this past week we got a big surprise, fortunately, the good kind!

I'd been a little nervous for the emotions of this Mother's Day. It should've been my first one as a new mother, posting too many pictures on social media with a new baby. I just never know when a wave of 'what-ifs' and emotions will hit me, you know? But, this week didn't disappoint. Instead of looking back, it's been a week full of hope, new firsts, and looking forward. 

I have been so anxious and nervous waiting for our week 12 sonogram. The night before, I barely slept. My nerves were so shot by the time I got to the waiting room, I think I read the same article in People 4 times, and I still couldn't tell you when George and Amal's twins are actually due. (Although I do remember their romantic trip to Paris was everything Hollywood dreams are made of....swoon, but not the point.) 

We finally made it back to the sonogram room. I was biting my tongue to stifle the worry-tears before I even sat on the table. Hormones are the worst. Mercifully, our sonogram tech was amazing, and she got straight to business. We heard that familiar fast paced 'whoosh' sound that meant I could exhale the breath I'd been holding since I last heard a heart beat on week 8. 

And, the relief and the joy of that next 15 or so minutes...there aren't even words! I mean like, Christmas morning of 1994, the 'Christmas of the red Barbie Corvette convertible' levels of joy. Our little one was putting on a SHOW! Rolling around, kicking what right now appear to be my bird legs, a tiny little profile with the cutest nose that to me, looks like a carbon copy of my husband's. 

The sonogram tech asked us if we were planning to find out the sex, and we said yes. She said, 'I can tell you today if you want?' 

WHAT?! I had no idea that was possible at 12 weeks. I had not in any way mentally prepared for this, but our little one was measuring a little ahead and must be in the perfect position, because the sonogram was clear as a bell. She pointed to the screen and says--"Only one thing would be sticking out right there." I said, "So it could be a boy?" She said, "No, it IS a boy." 

Shocked. I was shocked. My whole life, I've wanted a little boy first. Of course, that all changed when we lost our little girl in October. I'm not going to lie, I had really been hoping for a girl this time, too. My husband and I both had. But, as soon as she pointed to that screen, and my brain made sense of it all, I was in. Completely wrapped around that little boy's finger. There were already dinosaurs and Tonka trucks, super hero capes and little league games playing out in my head. And, the happy tears choking up my husband's voice were all I needed to know he was in love, too. A healthy baby boy.

I've never been able to identify ANYTHING in a sonogram before. I've looked at dozens and mistaken the legs for the head before. I've oohed and ahhhed at what could have been a fuzzy picture of a frog for all I knew, but this was OUR baby, and I could tell exactly what was happening on the screen every time he rolled, his little back facing us, his legs kicking out. I mean, he was just a 2D gray and white silhouette, but I swear he's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I dare Amal and George's twins to rival our baby's sonogram. 

And guess what? Our child is already a prodigy. At just 13 weeks old, our baby is already giving his mom Mother's Day presents. Just when I was thinking Mother's Day weekend couldn't get much better (no nausea on Saturday, my best friend mailed me an adorable onesie, and Austin got me a pre-natal massage gift certificate and indulged my pregnancy craving for PF Chang's and a chick flick) I was midway through my Chang's Spicy Chicken when I felt what seemed like the longest bout of stomach growling I've ever had. But, since I was shoving my face full of gooey chicken, and clearly no longer hungry, I put two and two together..."I think the baby is moving." 

After trying to decipher the morse code happening in my stomach for the remainder of the meal, I convinced myself, nah, maybe that's not it.

Well, today in Lowe's...I had the same feeling! I think I can feel him moving already! Or 'quickening' as Google tells me they call it. How perfect is that? On Mother's Day? Now, if this next six months could 'quicken,' so I could meet our little angel. I can't wait!

Week 9: How many are in there?

So I'm getting too big too early to hide this secret any longer, but I've never really liked secrets anyway....

I'm only 9 weeks, but I look like I'm 15-20!! This was taken during week 7...yeah...I know...They say you show earlier after your first pregnancy, but DANG?!?!

The good news, there's only one in there. I was pretty convinced between my ravenous appetite and bulging belly that I was having a litter until the sonogram. And let me tell you about this sonogram...

I knew I was going to be nervous to make sure everything was okay, but pregnancy hormones and emotions decided to make this a 'next level' experience. The poor sonogram tech didn't know what she was getting into. 

As soon as I laid down on that table in a dark room, the flash backs to the last time I was in that position were all a little too real. Instant waterworks. And hearing the words, "Everything looks good! There's only one in there. Here's the head, arm buds...heart beat.Heart beat looks strong..." As much as I've reasoned with myself that it's all going to be okay, or that it's okay if it's not all okay, whatever Psychology 101 I've decided to dose myself with that week, I just wasn't prepared. I couldn't get a grip. Ugly sobs. 

My husband asked if they were happy tears. My first instinct was to say, yes, the absolute happiest of tears! But, along with salt water and hormones there was so much fear, uncertainty, relief, and hope in those tears, I feel like it wouldn't do them justice to call them 'happy tears.' 

But along with uncontrollable emotions, heartburn, and constant nausea, Holy. Exhaustion. 

Remember the Secret World of Alex Mack? For those of you NOT raised in the 90's, this girl nearly gets hit by a Mack truck full of chemicals and somehow, is able to turn into a Capri-Sun package looking puddle of goo and slide around and then morph back into herself when she feels like it. (It was the 90s, just go with it...) 

Well, that's the best comparison I can give you for how I feel right now. The only difference is it feels like the truck DID hit me, and the only place I slide when I feel like that puddle of goo is into my bed. 

I was tired the last time around, but this is next level. The timing probably isn't helping anything. Last week was our busiest week of the year at work...Masters week. And, this year, we got a double dose with two separate days of tornado-spawning severe weather tacked on. 

I once came into work with a kidney infection and bronchitis, but I was so tired, nauseous and capri-sun-puddley on Tuesday, I took a half day. THAT is the level of exhaustion I'm talking about. 

Thursday...I woke up after 8 hours of sleep to go to the gym. Realized it was just too daunting. Snoozed for another 30. Went to the gym. Left after 45 minutes because I was too tired. Showered. Napped...because showers are exhausting. Went to a board meeting. Came home. Napped for an hour and a half. Drug myself to work...still exhausted. Napped for 30 more minutes on my dinner break. And, I was still tired when my head finally hit the bed. 

But, I promised myself I would appreciate the 'process' of pregnancy more this time around, so that's enough whining...at least for this one blog post. 

Which means I'm out of things to say.

But, did I mention? We're pregnant! There aren't enough words in the English language to express how thankful I am. All-day sickness, exhaustion, weight gain, and all. I'll take it. 

Week 4: Bug on a windshield

I want to shout this and whisper it at the exact same time.....we're pregnant! 

So, I'm basically doing this strange dance of being so grateful and thankful and excited, while at the same time, trying to convince myself it's no big deal. 

The best comparison I have is a really bad, soul crushing break up. Then, a little time goes by, and you get up the courage to have a crush on someone else, but you're terrified to fall in love again for fear of getting crushed like a bug on a windshield. 

Meet me. The bug. 

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post. And, a good bit has happened. For one, we got test results back that told me I have a pretty common gene mutation called MTHFR (yeah, that's exactly what I said when I heard about it...with a few more vowels.) (Some estimates say 40-60% of the population may have it). If I went into the science of it, your eyes would surely glaze over. Because mine have. Several times. 

But in lay man's terms, it means my body can't process folic acid properly. So, even though I was taking it every day, my baby was getting very little, if any of it. 

So the good news, we have a thing that I can point to and say, okay. We can fix this. I just take a prenatal vitamin with the form of folic acid that's already broken down and a couple of folic acid supplements a day, and voila! 

Now, my doctor can't point to this and say 100% this is what caused me to have such a late miscarriage. But, it's a strong possibility, and also helps my sanity to have something to *fix*, to do differently than the last time. 

​One thing I hate, is the innocence is gone for me. The innocence of that first pregnancy, the hope that everything will be alright...that's gone. And in it's place is a lot of prayers, an abundance of caution, and a constant tennis match of logic going on in my head. 

And, I do not like 'worry-wart' Laura. I much prefer care-free, spontaneous, kick your shoes off Laura. 

A day or two after we got the first positive pregnancy test, Austin was asking me how I was feeling. I responded honestly...excited, but trying not to be too excited quite yet. He  was like, well, I totally get that. But, are you going to not be excited until after first trimester? But we made it past that the last time....so 18 weeks? Until the baby is born? Then for the rest of its life, because something bad could always happen? 

And $h!t! He's right. He's so right. And not just about this baby, but about anything in life. Something bad could always happen. But, waiting on the other shoe to drop isn't any way to live a life. So, I guess I'm just going to go all in. 

I'm not going to make any hard and fast rules, because I know some days I'm going to be as nervous as my Meme in a thunderstorm, and look up every terrible scenario ever typed into the Google search bar. But, I'm excited. And, I'M PREGNANT!!! I have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow or 6 months from now or 10 years down the road, but life is too short to just dip a toe in the water.