{Hidden Baby Chronicles} Big Fat Positive

April 11, 2014

This was a day that I will always remember.  It was one of those days where you are very aware that something very significant that will mark a huge change in the rest of your life is occurring.  It's actually been a few days since my big fat positive on April 11, but I wanted to make sure I took the time to sit down and record the events of this day, as it is sure to be a very memorable one in the story of our lives. 

April 11 was a Friday, my sister's birthday actually.  I had taken the day off of work since we were planning on leaving to drive to Austin that afternoon for my race.  I wanted to have some extra time to pack, do some last minute errands, go on one last run, etc.  I had decided earlier in the week that I would take a pregnancy test that day, even though I wasn't due to start my period until Sunday, since we had plans to meet up with some friends for dinner and drinks in Austin that night.  I wanted to make sure I was in the clear for some pre-race adult beverages.  I didn't really put much thought into the fact that I would test that day.  I was pretty convinced that I was not pregnant- just thought I better check it off the list.  This was actually only the second month that we had been "trying," and for whatever reason, I had it in my mind that this would likely take us quite a few months. 

I woke up that morning, went on one last run before my race on Sunday, and ran some errands.  By the time I got home, I was already running short on time, and I hadn't even started packing yet.  I called my sister to wish her a happy birthday, and started unloading groceries.  I hung up with my sister, went and grabbed a test from the bathroom, peed, set the test behind the box so I wouldn't be tempted to peek, and then went back into the kitchen to continue unloading groceries.  I noted the time and started getting a little stressed that I still had a lot to do before David would be home from work and ready to leave for Austin.  I headed back toward the bathroom.  I did pause for a quick second before I moved the box aside so I could see the test.  It was one of those, "is this it?" moments.  But I was sure it wasn't "it."  I moved the box aside, grabbed the test, and saw a faint blue line.  I had to grab the directions to verify the correct reading of these tests... even thought it's pretty straight forward, and I had indeed taken these types of tests before.  "A second line means pregnant!"  I thought to myself in a minor panic.  I actually then put it down on the counter, left the bathroom and calmly headed into our room to start packing like nothing had just happened.  I was definitely in shock, and not really processing anything at that point.  Just a few seconds later, after packing absolutely nothing, I grabbed my iPad and FaceTimed my friend, Kim.  Kim is one of the only people who even knew we were trying, and she had been such a support and encouragement to me- answering questions, offering advice, etc.  We don't ever really FaceTime so I think she thought it was a little odd I had called.  She asked if her son Cooper had accidentally called me on her phone.  I assured her he had not.  We chatted for a couple minutes, before I finally burst and told her that I had just taken a pregnancy test, and I help up the test.  I said something like, "I'm here all alone, the line is kind of faint, and I just need someone else's opinion."  She was so excited and assured me that that line was most definitely not a faint line.  That was when I started shaking and getting a little teary.  Although, surprisingly, being a huge crier usually, I didn't ever really cry all that much.  She calmed me down a little bit, congratulated me, and told me to go call my doctor. 

Somehow after that, I managed to be calm and not think about it all that much so that I could pack for the weekend.  The whole time though, I was calculating how soon David would be home, and how I quickly would need to call my doctor before he got home and also come up with a cute way to tell him the news.  I got a hold of my GP's nurse who gave me the number for an OB in their practice.  I spoke to that nurse who was very nice and congratulatory.  I mostly just wanted to ask her if it was OK for me to run the ten mile race that I had been training for that was just two days away.  She assured me that it was and cautioned me that if I had any cramping to just slow down.  She also set me up for an appointment with the doctor at week 8. 

David actually came home during the middle of that call, so I just moved out into the apartment hallway to finish that call without him overhearing the whole thing.  I was shocked at how easily I was able to act completely normal once David got home.  We finished packing up the car, and hit the road for Austin.  So basically at that point, I had about three hours to decide how I wanted to tell David that I was pregnant.  I was a little bit sad at that point that I didn't have more time to put more thought into it, go out and buy a onesie or something, or otherwise create something more "Pinterest-worthy."  And I was also a little sad that we would be around his family and friends that weekend so we'd have to be very secretive about it even though the news was so fresh and exciting.  I was coming up short on ideas for something cute/creative on such short notice.  I was texting with Kim on our drive over there and she asked me when my last period was so that she could calculate my due date.  I gave her the info, and she sent me back this:

According to this calculator, our due date would be December 18.  Our 4th Anniversary!  What are the odds?  That was when I decided to use one of the photos of the positive test I had taken on my iPhone and just use on of those write-over apps to write "Happy 4th Anniversary" over the photo.  I did all of this with David sitting right next to me in the driver's seat.  When we arrived at his parents' house, we only had about 45 minutes before we needed to leave for dinner.  We went upstairs to get changed and freshened up, and I told him I wanted to show him something on my phone.  He came over, took the phone from my hand, looked at the photo, and said, "Whose is that?  It's not our anniversary...."  He was pretty confused.  Once I helped him figure out what was going on, we just hugged and I filled him in quickly on what had happened that day.  We then had to rush out to dinner, but it was still a special, very memorable moment. 

After dinner with friends, David and I had some time to kill before picking up his sister, Renee, at the airport so we walked around downtown Austin a little bit and went into a few bars.  It was a beautiful night, and it was fun to finally be alone to talk a little bit more about our big news.  David was so happy and excited.  At one of the bars we went to, it was so cute to see how excited he was to tell the bar tender that I had just found out I was pregnant and could he please make me a preggo-safe drink.  It was awesome to see how excited/proud he was to tell a random stranger.  And I actually did get some really good alcohol free drinks.  It turned out to be a really fun night for the two of us to celebrate our big news! 

{Hidden Baby Chronicles} 5 Weeks - An Appleseed

April 17, 2014

Tried a new location for photos this week... not feeling it.  Also, there is an fact a tiny appleseed in each of my hands...

I am officially 5 weeks pregnant today- a little over a month.  That's crazy to me- especially since it hasn't even been a week yet since I found out.  This week my baby has moved up from a poppy seed to a whopping apple seed. 
Isn't he/she cute?!

 

-Epiphany of the Week: Yep, still pregnant.  Duh. Not really an epiphany, but I did break down and take another (my third) pregnancy test.  Since I really don't have many symptoms at all, I think I just needed some reassurance.  That line was full on bright blue before I even had time to put the cap on the test.  That was definitely reassuring!  I guess it just still hasn't really sunk in yet...

-Symptoms: Hardly any at all.  Which again, worries me for some reason.  I have had some mild cramping off and on, but apparently that is very normal.  Still pretty yawn-y during the day, but I don't actually feel all that tired. 

-On My Mind: It's weird to go about my everyday life, work, etc. knowing that I am pregnant and not having anyone else know.  It's especially a strange feeling when I talk to family or friends on the phone.  Inevitably I get the question, "so anything new going on with you?"  It's hard to answer, "Nope, same old, same old."  We haven't really decided yet when we will tell family and then when we will tell friends and the general public... but I can see how it will get harder and harder to keep the secret as time goes on.  Although, it is kind of fun too to have this little secret all to ourselves for a while longer. 

-Notable Happenings From Last Week: I purchased my first case of CAFFEINE FREE Diet Dr. Pepper (and yes, in my world, this is indeed a notable happening).  And much to my surprise, I was happy to find that it really didn't taste anywhere near as awful as I had expected it to.  This will be a much easier change to make than I thought- phew. 



{Hidden Baby Chronicles} 4 Weeks & Some Initial Thoughts & Ramblings

April 14, 2014 - 4 Weeks, 5 Days

I don't really know how else to start off, other than just by coming out and saying it- I'm pregnant.  Preggo.  Preggers.  What?!  It's so surreal even to just type out those words.  Something that I've dreamed about, wondered about, and sometimes even worried about is actually a reality now. 

Apparently I have a little poppy seed baking away in my belly.  Grow, poppy seed, grow!

For as much as I've thought about this time in my life, I'm still surprised how surreal (and really unreal) it feels.  Even just saying those words, "I'm pregnant" makes my heart beat quickly and I get nervous and excited all at once.  As much as I imagined that this would happen someday, I guess I actually really couldn't picture or imagine it.  Still can't, really.  It's truly a mix of emotions- excited, nervous, scared, thankful, hopeful... and on and on. 

I feel good- totally normal.  Which of course makes me logically conclude that something must be wrong.  I'm really struggling a lot more than I thought I would with staying positive and not letting my head "go there."  I always had a nagging, unfounded fear in the back of my head that maybe I wouldn't be able to get pregnant or would have to really struggle to get here.  And now that I was blessed enough to have become pregnant after only two months "trying," you would think I would be nothing but excited and thrilled. Which I am.  But part of me also thinks ridiculous things like, "well it was just too easy, something surely has to go wrong now."  How morbid of me, I know.  But I can't help it.  I know it's nothing I can control, and I just need to relax and think positively, but it's a lot harder of a task than I thought. 

I have definitely had those wow moments where I just stop and think what a miracle this is- a little poppy seed growing furiously inside my body.  You just can't deny that it really is magical to know that there is a little person growing that I will get to meet in eight months or so.  It's fun and exciting to share this special secret with my husband and to go about my daily life with no one knowing our little secret.  We spend lots of time dreaming, planning, and wondering.  I know I sound like a total cheeseball, but it's true.  However, despite that magic, I am finding it really difficult not to let the doubt and fear and "what ifs" creep in.  The fear is real, unfortunately.  It keeps me from getting too excited.  It makes me more cautious and less hopeful.  But I try not to let it completely get out of control.  I think I'm doing an OK job so far. 

I am counting down the days though until my first OB appointment (May 6).  I think that hearing confirmation from my doctor, and even better hearing (maybe even seeing) the heartbeat will be such a relief.  I hate to rush through these first weeks, but I really just want time to pass quickly until I get to a "safer" place and time.  THEN time can slow down.  I get to control that, right? 

As far as symptoms go, I feel almost 100% like a non-pregnant person at this point.  The only thing really even worth noting is that my boobs (my optimistic B's) are on the up and up.  Which isn't hard to do.  That was actually my first hint the day before I decided to test.  I just chalked it up to the weight gain I was still hanging onto from Australia though.  This is probably the only "symptom" that I hope continues! :-) 

On the symptoms note... I've had a "mommy blog" secret addiction for years now.  I've always loved reading mommy blogs- especially pregnancy progress posts.  No idea why, but I just found it fascinating.  While reading those posts, I've always debated about the level of detail I would eventually share when it came to my own symptoms, body changes, etc.  In many aspects of my life, I tend to be more of a private person, but in other aspects (as many of my friends can attest), I can also tend to be a total over-sharer.  So I guess I'm not really sure where I will fall with this... wait and see what happens I guess. I apologize to any friends and family if I've already crossed over to the TMI category.  Forgive me?  Go easy on me? 

That's all for now!  Oh, let me just say it one more time- I'm pregnant! Ack!

Left: No, that's not a baby bump already- just a poor choice on a flowy top.  Center: That's a positive pregnancy test I'm holding, FYI. Right: My race loot from the 10 mile run I completed 2 days after finding out I was pregnant!



Surprise!

 

 

It's official! Christmas is coming early this year (Dec. 18, to be exact)!  I'm 20 weeks along and SO excited to finally have the secret out. 

Please forgive me while I go all "mommy blog" on you for the next couple weeks and post all of the "Hidden Baby Chronicles" posts I've been hoarding. 

Phoenix, Family, & Friends

I'm currently sitting in the Phoenix airport waiting for my flight back to Houston.  I was supposed to leave about two hours ago, but my flight was overbooked, and I volunteered to give up my seat.  Don't feel bad for me, I was actually really excited.  Every time one of my flights is overbooked, and they're offering flight vouchers in return for giving up your seat, it always seems to be at a time when I can't be flexible with getting to my destination at a later time/day.  But this time, it was my time! AND the deal was totally impossible to pass up!  I ended up with a $650 Southwest flight voucher that is good for a year, AND I will still be getting in on the same day... just five hours later.  Totally worth it to me!  The good thing about being stuck in the Phoenix airport is that there is free WiFi.  So since I'm stuck here for a few hours, I figured I'd do something unheard of and start my Phoenix blog recap before I have even left Phoenix.  I know, I'm shocked, too.  But first, I just have to say what everyone already knows- airports have the best people watching.  For example, right now I am totally enthralled with these fully-habited nuns that are chowing down on airport fast food.  I'm making up a great story about what adventures they are on. 

I spent about a week in Phoenix visiting my family and friends, and I had such a nice time.  The last time I was here, it was over Christmas and we had just moved back from Australia, so we were super jet-lagged and everything was just really hectic.  David didn't get to come with me this time, but I'm still glad I got to come. 

When I touched down in Phoenix and turned on my cell phone, this text message from my brother popped up:

 Best greeting ever!  Best breakfast ever.  Oh, and best brother ever, too!  I arrived before 8AM that day, so even though I was tired, it was nice to have the whole day to hang out.  And I actually got a lot done that day- errands with my brother, visiting my grandma, visiting my aunt, and lunch with some family friends that I used to babysit for. 

The next day was my brother's birthday, so we went out for dinner with my parents and then he had some friends over to the house for cake and some drinks.  I can't remember the last time I got to celebrate my brother's birthday with him.  Happy birthday, Mark!

On Friday, I had lunch with one of my best friends at one of my favorite Mexican food places ever- "Reyes De La Torta."  By the way, I have to say that I have lived in three of the cities probably most well-known for their Mexican food- Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Houston.  And I can say that Phoenix definitely has the best Mexican food of any of the other cities.  Like by far!  Sorry, Los Angeles and (especially) Texas, your Mexican food just doesn't do it for me.  Later that night I went out with two of my friends for dinner and some drinks at a cute little spot in Cave Creek out in the desert outside of Phoenix.  We got to see the most beautiful sunset over the prettiest desert scenery (minus the parking lot), but sadly I didn't get any photos of US.  Oops.

Over the weekend, I managed to meet up with several other friends and had a great time catching up with everyone.  My mom and I also managed to fit in a  serious shopping spree.  I also finally got to meet my friend's twins that were born on my birthday!  All the best people are born on March 15!  They're adorable and totally gave me baby fever. 

I got twins for my birthday.  What did you get?

I also got to spend some quality time with my parents' mini dachshunds, Lola and Roxy, and my most favorite pet in the world- Tank.  Have I ever mentioned that I basically had a pet dinosaur growing up?  Well, that's basically what Tank reminds me of.  He's a desert tortoise, and he's probably one of the coolest pets ever- plus, he is seriously GIANT.  I really think he must weigh like 30 pounds.  Doesn't he just looks so prehistoric? I'm telling you- basically dinosaur status! 

Left: Roxy trying to shack up with me one night - Right: Me with both dogs... Lola freaking out, as per usual

Tank enjoying a salad.  Also, I am not stepping on him, I promise- just trying to get a photo with something to reference his size

SO HEAVY!

All in all, it was a great visit home.  I pretty much checked everything and everyone off my list, and now I'm anxious to get back to Houston and my hubby! 

Removing The Cobwebs

Although the intention is always there, I just cannot seem to get back into the swing of regularly blogging.  It's definitely something that I want to be better about, but other things just always seem to get in the way.  But perhaps I just need to accept that that's how things may be for a while around here, stop apologizing for it, and say hey- something's better than nothing.  Right?  So here's a little mish-mash catch up of sorts.  Thanks to those of you who have stuck around despite my silence!

~A beautiful Houston sunset that I caught on my walk home from the gym a while back.  One thing that I loved about living in small town Australia was that the skies always seemed so much more beautiful than anyplace I had ever lived (I wrote about them in a post HERE).  I don't know what it was, but they always seemed bluer, clearer, had the puffiest, whitest clouds, and some of the most breath-taking sunsets I have ever seen.  This Houston sunset almost reminded me of one of those gorgeous Aussie sunsets that I miss so much. 

~A teacher reunion with some of my favorite former co-workers.  You can tell by our clothes how long ago this happy hour actually took place, but whatever.  I miss these ladies, and it was so fun to catch up!

~A funny bookshelf.  I was cleaning and reorganizing a little bit a while ago, and I noticed something funny about this particular book shelf.  Can you guess which one of these books belongs to my husband?  If you know David, you will get a pretty good laugh out of this one. 

~An Aussie care package.  Two of my closest girlfriends that I met in Australia were sweet enough to send me this fun Aussie care package.  Thanks, Jackie and Katie!!

~A visit with some of my former students.  I spent a couple hours one day visiting my old school and some of my former students.  These are two of my favorites (yep, teachers absolutely have favorites).  I couldn't believe how much they had grown! 

~Office View.  This is my view from the office (it's a office run out of someone's home if you can't tell).  I love March/April in Houston because the azaleas bloom like CRAZY.  I had actually never seen white azaleas, so I was loving these ones.  I tried to grow azaleas at our old house in Houston, and I never had any luck (#blackthumb).  They're so pretty though, and so "Houston" to me. 

~A perfect Friday evening.  A while back, I picked David up from work on a Friday and we had the perfect evening.  We started with a couple glasses of wine at a neighborhood bar (the weather was perfect that night so we took advantage and sat outside), then we headed to my new favorite Houston restaurant- Hugo's.  You guys.  If you live in or around Houston, or ever visit, you MUST go here.  I can't believe we only discovered it a couple months ago.  It is some of, no THE best Mexican food I have ever had- super authentic.  Oh, and the best margarita of my life.  I was too busy chowing down and guzzling margaritas to take any pictures though. 

~Hard-working hubby.  Poor David has just been swamped at work lately.  We were talking the other night and honestly, we aren't really sure that the 13 hour work days/6 day work weeks he had to work in Australia were any worse than the current situation.  Sigh... He has been working just about every Saturday, and during the week usually not getting home until between 8 and 9.  A couple times it has even been 10:30.  One Saturday, I walked down to his office (literally like 3 blocks from our apartment) to bring him lunch, and I saw this duck guarding the entrance.  I thought it was pretty funny.  He seriously wasn't budging for anyone trying to get in/out.  And this text message shows you a little bit what life/work has been like lately.  I usually text him each afternoon/early evening to get his ETA.  And just about everytime, the answer gets later as the evening goes on.  Poor guy...

~Texas BBQ!  I can't believe it took us this long, but we finally made it to our favorite Houston BBQ spot- Luling City Market.  There's nothing like eating straight off of butcher paper and piling a ton of meat onto good ol' white bread.  Yum!  Don't worry, I did not eat all that meat in front of me- we shared that AND took home leftovers. 

~Shaking my head at Texas.  I love living in Houston.  And most of the time I forget I actually live in Texas.  Until I drive by things like this on the side of the road.... really?...

~Random Houston statues.  There is a random outdoor statue museum/field... I don't know what to call it... in Houston.  It's filled with these giant sculptures of the Beatles and about a million presidential heads.  So random, but pretty neat.  Not too far from that... display... is the "We Love Houston" sign that I've been meaning to see for years, but never made it there until now. 

 

~Bubba's Burger Shack.  This is another favorite Houston restaurant of ours.  It is a total dive, and as you can tell from the pictures, it is literally a SHACK.  And even better, it is situated basically underneath a freeway overpass... this little shack has been there so long that they basically built the overpass around it.  But oh my god, they have the BEST buffalo burgers ever.  So good!  I had the buffalo patty melt, and David had the double burger.  Nom nom nom! 

 

~A little Aussie reunion.  A few weeks ago, I met up with two girls that I met in Australia who now live in the Houston area.  Kim had just had her second baby boy, so Lori and I drove out to meet the new little guy.  It was a fun day and some much needed girl time.  It's so funny to me that I had to go all the way to Australia to finally meet some Houston friends :-)  I'm hoping that eventually even more of the girls I met there will get moved to Houston, too!  Please note, none of these adorable children are mine. 

~Crazy Houston weather.  A few weekends ago, Houston had one of its famous rain storms.  These things seriously seem to come out of nowhere, and they are no joke- flooding is usually involved.  This photo is a major street in Houston (Richmond Ave, if you're familiar), and it was completely flooded.  Don't worry, about 3 hours later, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  Houston is weird. 


~Bear.  We went to Austin for Father's Day weekend to visit David's parents.  This is their dog, Bear.  I have a love/hate relationship with this dog.  You see, Bear used to be my sister-in-law's dog.  She and I used to be roommates in Los Angeles (that's how I met David).  Renee used to be out of town a lot, and so I ended up being the one to take care of Bear.  He would get mad when she would leave, and unfortunately, he would take that out on me.  TWICE this dog peed on my bed in retaliation.  I still haven't forgiven him. 

Alright, I think that's enough from me for now.  Hopefully it won't be another month before I'm back again! :-) 

A Rodeo Recap - Mutton Bustin' & Usher

Two months isn't too late for a recap, right?  RIGHT?!...

Maybe just don't answer that question.  Because either way, I'm about to recap my trip to the Houston Rodeo which happened back in March.  But really, compared to the rest of the recaps I need to catch up on, 2 months is nothing.  So here goes...

The Houston Rodeo is probably one of my most favorite things to do in Houston.  I've been to the rodeo every year since David and I started dating long distance, and I was sad to have to miss it for the first time while we were in Australia.  So this was my first rodeo since being back, and I was SO excited to go! 

For those of you who aren't familiar with The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, it's basically one of the most amazing and totally ridiculous things you'll ever experience.  It lasts for nearly the whole month of March in Houston, and it's a pretty darn big deal.  It includes lots of livestock/farming things I know very little about, a huge fair grounds with lots of rides and fried everything, cowboys, bull riding, and a concert each night.  I'm always impressed with the level of performers that the rodeo tends to pull- there are always pretty great shows to choose from.  I've seen everyone from John Legend to Rascal Flatts to Tim McGraw to Train.  David can get rodeo/concert tickets through work, and this year we scored tickets to Usher! 

A couple weeks before the show, my cousin Lee Anne found out that she would be in town for work, and David very readily gave up his Usher ticket so that he could avoid hearing my squeals she and I could go together.  I was so excited to finally take one of my out of town friends to the rodeo.  It is such a true Texas experience! 

We started our night off right with some yummy Texas BBQ on the fairgrounds, then we headed to our seats while I gave her a quick overview about what she was about to see.  Before the concert, you get to see all kinds of rodeo events- barrel racing, bull riding, etc.  But my two most favorite (and totally ridiculous) events are the calf scramble and mutton bustin'.  When I explained these events to her before she actually got to experience them herself, I think she didn't really believe me, because it truly just sounds absolutely absurd.  But here's a quick run down for you if you are unfamiliar.  Of course, I will follow it with some photographic evidence so you can see it with your own two eyes.

Calf Scramble.  Basically a group of about 50 FFA (or 4H, I truly don't know the difference) teenagers stand in the middle of the field? stage? (whatever you call it), and about 30-40 calves are released into the field.  The kids then scramble to chase these calves around and catch one with a rope and guide the stubborn thing back into the square painted on the ground in the middle.  If they get it to that point, they get to keep it and raise it.  Which is supposedly a pretty good prize?  It's basically chaos.  And hilarious.

And they're off!

Notice the calf on the right basically dragging the kid behind him

Mutton Bustin.'  OK, now this... THIS is probably one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen.  So essentially, they take little kids (I think 3-5 years old), put them on the back of a sheep/mutton, tell them to hold on for dear life, and then let the sheep run like a bat out of hell and see how long the kid can hang on.  Yes.  This is real life.  And despite how crazy/possibly horrible it sounds, if you see it for yourself, you will realize how seriously awesome this sporting event is.  People do all kinds of sucking up/donating for years to get the opportunity to for their small child to bust some muttons.  Seriously. 

Finally it was time for Usher to perform.  To put it simply- he was amazing!  He is the best dancer ever.  We squealed a lot.  He played an amazing set (lots of "old school Usher" from our college days like "Burn, " "OMG," and "Yeah").  And our Usher crushes were renewed with a vengeance.  See for yourself:

I LOVE this photo with the cowboy hat silhouettes

Thanks for visiting, Lee Anne!  I'll let you know when next year's rodeo line up us released :-)