24 weeks, 3 days: Pictures!

First things first. I just read Krissy's comment about the name. I was going to post this yesterday, but for some reason decided to wait. But, I know a lot of people are wondering. It isn't 100% official yet and may not be until the day she is born, but her name is probably going to be "Addison Grace". Don't hold either one of us to this though. The middle name really hasn't been discussed (this is just what I like) so it's bound to change. There you have it. Hope you like it!

These were taken last night. Yep! The 20 pounds is definitely showing now.

These were taken in the bathroom mirror. My brother is curious to see how big the flower tattoo is going to get.



And here is a pic of some of the clothes we have already accumulated. It's so fun putting stuff away.

One more. This was Christmas Eve!

Love ya! - Erika

24 weeks, 2 days: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Better late than never. Michael and I had a great Christmas. We went to Gainesville the weekend before Christmas to hang out with my mom, Jim, Jesse & Tiffany. We went to Silver Springs in Ocala to check out all the lights. Then we traveled to TN on Tuesday to spend some time with Michael's family in the mountains. We opened gifts Christmas morning with his parents and sister's family and then headed back to Gainesville to do Christmas with my mom that evening. The traveling wasn't bad, but being 24 weeks pregnant does make it a little difficult to get comfortable in the car. The baby got a TON of stuff for Christmas. The nursery is packed with clothes, blankets and accessories already! I can't wait to start assembling everything.

I'll post a picture update probably tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great holiday!

-Erika

22 weeks, 2 days: Doc update!

Another appt, another weigh in. And the number is...124!!! 5 pounds since my last appt, 20 pounds total so far. So far??? I still have 18 weeks to go. I look in the mirror and can't believe it. I don't know how it's physically possible, but people do it all the time so we'll see how I hold up. They reviewed my ultrasound results and everything looks great! The heartbeat was 150 bpm today so she's still growing strong. Who could ask for anything more... I go back in 4 weeks for my next appt and glucose testing. In January we start our childbirth classes. That should be interesting. She's still kicking and moving around all the time in there. My brother-in-law, who is an ultrasound tech, will be giving us a freebie while we're in TN next week. I'm excited about that. I think he normally does heart monitoring, but that doesn't matter. Having access to the machine is great! None of us will know the details of what we're looking at, but at least we'll get to see our little one again. It should be fun!

A few other things...No headaches for awhile now. The heartburn has subsided and the leg tingling isn't as bad as it was. I still have the tiny pain under my upper ribs, but was told today that it is my cartilage stretching and nothing to worry about. I had my first fall about two weeks ago. It was raining and wet and I slipped. Luckily I feel backwards and was able to catch myself for the most part.

I promise to post again before Christmas!

Love ya! -Erika

20 weeks, 3 days: Still growing...

Here's my belly pic at 20 weeks. At my last appt (two weeks ago) I still weighed 119, same as three weeks previous. So the weight gain is more under control than it was in the beginning. Still, I feel huge!

I'm feeling really good. The baby moves ALL the time and I love it! I'm at the point now where I can feel her whether I'm lying down trying to feel her or just standing up moving around. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and she's doing flips. Michael and I sat there one night and just wondered what it is that she's doing in there. I never could have imagined how fun and amazing it is to have a person growing inside of you! I just can't wait to meet her. The nursery is now completely painted and the furniture moved in. It still needs some arranging and a lot of decorating, but I can't believe it's finished. Here's a picture of the walls and the bedding that we have.

It's another two weeks before I head back to the doctor. Until then, I'll keep you updated if anything new comes up!
- Erika

18 weeks, 6 days: A big weekend

A lot of stuff took place over the weekend. Michael, his dad and brother painted the nursery. It turned out exactly like I pictured it. I've been trying to stay away from the smell, so I'll post pictures when it's a little more complete. My brother dropped off the furniture for the nursery and the crib is now set up. And, most importantly, Michael was able to feel the baby move yesterday. It felt like she did a complete flip! It was pretty fun to share with him what I've been feeling for the past couple of days. I can't wait to have more "first's". They're fun to experience...well most of them.

-Erika

18 weeks, 3 days: Our baby girl!

Here she is! Legs spread open for the world to see that she isn't a boy (and you would be able to tell). Isn't her bottom cute...

Profile pic. I love how you can see her spine.
Her little foot...

Another profile picture. That's the cutest nose I've ever seen!

I'm going to work on getting the video transferred to digital so hopefully I can post a link soon. I've already watched it about 5 times so I'm worried I may wear out the tape!

Love ya!
Erika

18 weeks, 2 days: A special note...

Hi all! It's me...the baby! Today was a big day for me. Mom and dad got to see what I looked like today and I was a show off. I was flipping and turning all over the place, but did take a moment to strike a pose for one of my first still photos. And...what did it reveal? I'm sure you all want to know. Okay, okay. Here goes...

I'm a healthy little GIRL and mom and dad are so excited! They were able to see my heart beating, see me take a few breaths, and my feet were kicking all over the place. They have several pictures to post and share, but mom is still working on the formatting. She'll post them as soon as she can (or I'll kick her until she does). As for now, I'll continue to grow bigger and stronger everyday. I can't wait to meet everyone in April!

I better go. It's getting late and I'm sure I need a nap. Hope to talk to everyone soon!

Love,
Me...the little bean!

(P.S. My cousin Hannah helped decorate mom's belly.)

17 weeks, 6 days: Something new!

That something new is some of the worst pain I have experienced in my entire life...a charlie horse! We had our client dinner on Thursday the 9th. I was on my feet all day helping to get ready for the event and really didn't sit down until bed. And that night I woke up, screaming in pain. Who knows what Michael thought. I've only had a charlie horse twice in my entire life so I remembered to pull my toes back and the pain stopped within a minute or two. WOW!!! If I never have another one of those I will be very happy. Saturday my calf was still so sore that I could barely walk. It's feeling better today after doing some stretching exercises over the weekend. Now I'm back on the bananas (only half at a time) hoping that will help.

Thursday is the big day and I can't wait! Michael and I did a lot of prepping this weekend. We took a bunch of clothes to Goodwill, he primered the walls to get ready for the pink or blue paint, and we painted some of the closet doors around the house. We're going to get the chair rail this week and have that and the trim in the room painted by Thursday. Since Michael's parents and siblings will be here this weekend and they're willing to help, we hope to have the entire nursery painted. It feels a little early, but this will keep me from having to be around the paint fumes. Hopefully the baby will cooperate with us on Thursday so we can find out what S/He is. More on that to come.

I'm still feeling good. I have a few head pains here and there (like today), but nothing too major. I love eating the spicy, mexican type food, but I think the heartburn is starting to get to me. Who knows how much longer I'll be able to endulge in my favorites!!!

Better go. I'll post the good news later this week.

-Erika

16 weeks, 2 days: Another picture!

I'm running a day behind, but here's the monthly picture taken last night:

After getting over the initial shock regarding what the doc said about the weight gain, I've taken some of it to heart. I'm trying to tame my appetite a little by eating smaller snacks and drinking more water. It seems to be working. For the past fews days I didn't have the major urge to stuff my face every four hours like I'm used to. And I ate a bigger, healthier breakfast which seems to stick with me a lot longer. I also read up on a few things and the hunger does seem to get better about this time. Exercise? Started last night and did a mile and a half on the treadmill and some other strengthening stuff that I found on the internet. Let's just hope that I can keep it up! With the nausea behind me, the only thing that will get in my way are the headaches...which still sneak up on me. I got one Thursday afternoon (probably from being upset about what the doc told me) and it didn't go away until Sunday. Pure misery!!! I'm hanging in there though.

Everything else is still good. I plan on going to get my blood drawn again today for the neuro test they run on the baby. I wasn't nervous that much the first time, but I'm scared to death now!!! I just hope the same guy is working since he did a good job last time of not hurting me too much. I'm off to eat lunch so I don't pass out at the lab. Be back soon!

-Erika

15 weeks, 3 days: One of the best sounds EVER!

I went to the doctor yesterday and got to hear the heartbeat again. This time, I recorded it!!! I've been working on formatting it so I can post it to the site and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsJHhUDqKI

I love it! I've only listened to it about a 50 times so far. It makes me smile everytime I hear it. The appt went well...most of it. I met with the other doc in the office (they like you to go once just to meet him) and he scolded me for putting on 15 pounds so far. I can't wait to see my doctor again. I was so upset and a little confused on what I was supposed to do since I'm still always hungry. He said I could still eat, I just had to eat better. And for the record, I don't think I eat that bad. And I have to exercise!...(I know this). It's just hard. I mean to walk on the treadmill I have, but I'm now getting about 3 to 4 headaches a week and they're not fun. They vary on the pain scale with the one I have now being up there. When are they going to pass?!

Back to the good stuff. I scheduled my big ultrasound for Thursday, November 16th! They'll make sure things are progressing like they should and we'll find out if we are having a boy or a girl! Either one is fine with us. We just want a healthy baby! I'm kind of leaning towards a girl though. New belly pics next week since I'll be 16 weeks. Can't wait to show you that 15 pounds!

Few other notes (for my reference): I ate some sauerkraut today at lunch and loved it! It was so good. And it wasn't on a hotdog or Reuben sandwich. It was all by itself. I think that's a first for me. Who knows? Before this is all over I could be a vegetable lover. That's a bold statement.

Big game this weekend. Go Gators!

Love ya!

Erika

(P.S. - Love you mom! I know you're strong and you'll be even stronger when all is said and done.)

15 weeks: Quick update...

It's been awhile, but nothing is really new so I guess that's why I haven't posted. This month between doc appt's has gone by a lot slower than the last. But it's almost here. Heartbeat and weigh in on Thursday morning so I'll have more to talk about then. I haven't thrown up in a while and I'm feeling a lot better. I'm still hungry all the time. I think I eat about every 4 hours, if I can make it that long! It will be interesting to see how much I weigh. I finally broke down and bought some clothes over the past week. I'm heading to Gainesville this weekend and may do some shopping while I'm there. That's always fun. The headaches are okay. I had another bad spell about a week ago, but it only lasted about two days. The small ones come here and there, but the tylenol knocks them out if I take it early enough. We're going to start cleaning out closets and reorganizing things over the next couple of weeks. I'd like to have everything ready to be painted when we find out what the sex of the baby is sometime around Thanksgiving. I can't wait!!!

I'll update more on Thursday after my appointment! -Erika

13 weeks, 2 days: Pain in the what?

At the request of my doc, I made a Neurologist appt which was yesterday. It went well considering she couldn't do much. I've been having a lot of neck pain lately so she checked that out for me. Nothing out of the ordinary. I was told to continue using my corn bag (homemade heating pad) and ice packs for the neck pain and the headaches. She also told me to start taking vitamin B2 a.k.a Riboflavin. Studies have shown that it helps with the headaches. What do I have to lose? After telling her that I've been okay since my last 5 day headache episode, I got a headache late last night and woke up with it this morning. I took some Fiorcet and it's not too bad. I'm a little tired today so that may have something to do with it.

I think I'm almost out of the woods when it comes to the morning sickness. I've had a good past week, only feeling nauseous a few times. I'll take it! I'm still eating ALL THE TIME! Yesterday I had a ham sandwich...as my 3:00 snack! "That's a meal", I was told by someone at work. At least it's better than a candy bar or ice cream, right? Hunger is one pregnancy symptom I can deal with.

Better go for now. Talk to everyone soon!

- Erika

12 weeks, 1 day: Picture time!

It's been another month and time sure does fly. I can't believe it! So, it's time for the monthly belly pic. I'm posting 2 pictures today...just because.

This was at 10 weeks. Now for the big reveal...

Well, there you have it. 12 weeks. Granted, it was at night so I'm a little bigger than in the mornings . But, it's official now. I can't fit into any of my normal pants with a zipper and button. I'm done. I can only wear my normal dresses and skirts and probably not for much longer. The elastic waistband is a pregnant girl's best friend! I want to try and make it a little longer before having to completely change my wardrobe.

The morning sickness still comes and goes with some days being better than others. I haven't had a major headache in almost 2 weeks (knock on wood). Everything is really going good so I'll just leave it at that. Talk to you soon!
-Erika

11 weeks, 2 days: We heard it!

It took a minute or two, but Dawn was able to find it...The HEARTBEAT! It was about 173 beats. It's the most exciting thing I've heard in a really long time! I think Michael was able to pick it up before me b/c I kept hearing my heartbeat. Once you make it past all of the background noise it's there, loud and clear! I thought I was sure I was going to cry, but it's too exciting. I think I had a smile that could have been seen from space. Everything else was good. I've gained 6 pounds since my appt a month ago. My bloodwork all came back clean except that I'm RH negative. At this point it's no issue, but they are going to monitor me. I will need to have some more blood drawn in about 5 weeks to test for antibodies and if they show up then I'll be put on meds. Dr. Christian assured me that there is no need to worry so I'm really not going to think about it. The less thinking the better.

He did advice me to make an appt with the neurologist for a checkup. They don't want me to take the normal migraine meds unless I absolutely have to b/c of the lack of research. I'm going to do everything I can to tough it out. They're predicting that the nausea and headaches should get better once I hit the second trimester. I did get the okay to see the massage therapist for my neck and head. Hopefully that will help with the headaches. I'm looking foward to that!

Just a few other notes (mostly for my reference): I'm craving Coke and cheetos! I have cheetos when I get home for work and a small glass of coke every other night after dinner. It's something about the sugar. Sometimes I think I could drink a two litter at a time. And the Carnation Instant Breakfast in the morning with the cereal is still not a good idea. It still doesn't stay down.

Thanks to all for reading!
-Erika

10 weeks, 6 days: I'm such a slacker...

Not really. I know it's been awhile, but I have a good reason. The migraines are back in full force! I didn't even work full days on Thursday and Friday last week. Today is day #5 and still no relief. A little on Saturday - just enough for the Gator game - but it was back on Sunday morning. I called the doc and they gave me some pain meds with codeine, but it doesn't knock out the pain. It does help me sleep, so I've been doing a lot of that lately. I'm trying to tough through it b/c I know it's all part of "the plan", but it sure is hard. I just hope that the baby doesn't inherit them.

Everything else is going good. My belly is slightly bigger than it was before, so I went this weekend with Mom and Michael and bought two new pairs of pants. They're the kinds with the elastic waistband in the back. They actually zip and button - Love them! I have an appt on Thursday morning and I'm hoping we get to hear the heartbeat. The doc did say after 11 weeks. They mentioned doing another ultrasound since I didn't get to see or hear anything on the last one. Maybe we'll get that also. I'd love to get our first baby picture...

I promise I won't wait so long to update next time.
-Erika

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is Jesse's 26th birthday. Hope you had a great day...

Love,
Sis

9 weeks: I told the boss.

Last Thursday. I told him that morning and then made an announcement in our weekly meeting that afternoon. My office is so small that everyone knows everything that is going on and I really wanted to wear some of the new clothes that I bought in TN (which show my little bump)! Now it's out and I don't have to pretend to feel good anymore.

And just as the morning sickness is getting better, along comes a cold. Michael and I always seem to get something after we fly. It started to get worse on Friday night and then Saturday... a migraine! Great - just what I always wanted. I don't think I got off the couch or out of the bed at all this past weekend. I can't lie though - it was kind of nice being lazy. I finally broke down early Monday morning at 2 am and took the Fioricet the doc gave me. I know, I know. He's the doc and he should know, but I just felt a little weird about taking the prescriptions. But the pain was too much. Sad thing is...it helped, but only temporarily. I had to take it again last night. Today the migraine monster is gone and I've finally convinced myself that the meds are not going to hurt the baby (thanks to mom and Michael for the reassuring talks). Things are going great and it becomes more real each and every day.

On a side note...(Insert sarcasm...) Rusty "really" likes the picture of us that I posted below. Did he get a good look at me? I look HORRIBLE! I promise that I'll post redeeming pictures of both of us at a later date. Love ya!

Erika

8 weeks, 1 day: Everyone knows!

All the family, that is. We still have some friends to break the news to. Our trip to TN went great!...as far as telling the family. The actual traveling part was a nightmare, but we only have Delta to blame for that. Since we didn't get our luggage until the last night that we were there, we had to improvise on the t-shirt. We wound up writing the message on a white t-shirt that Delta gave us and giving it to Rusty Saturday afternoon. Everyone was together in the camper and was able to share the news at the same time. Everyone burst into cheers...Angela even cried. And, to her credit, she did know. She even asked me 15 minutes before we told everyone and I had to fib - again. But it was all worth it. The look on everyone's face was priceless.

I was only sick twice this weekend, having to blame the Saturday morning sickness on the mountains. Motion sickness?! Had to come up with something to throw Michael's parents off. It worked. For the most part, the morning sickness has really gotten better. I still feel sick here and there, but not nauseous ALL DAY like I was before. I just have to make sure that I eat before I get hungry. So is that why I can't fit into my clothes? At the doctor last week I still weighed 104, but my stomach has already started to expand. So, I'm starting a new thing. Every month I'll post a picture of my growing belly. Here's the first one...don't laugh!

I didn't believe it myself so I had to show it to Michael. He couldn't believe it either! It's not much, but it's there. It's just enough so that my pants don't zip. At this rate, the people who don't know will know soon. I'm getting my hair chopped off today. Being pregnant changes so many things...things I didn't know would change. My hair being one of them. It's so dry and stringy and I'm sick of it. I can't wait! I guess that's enough for now. More to come soon!

-Erika

What a crazy day...

I went to the doc this morning. I was told that I wouldn't be able to hear the heartbeat in the office until week 11 or so. I can't wait that long!!! They were going to try and fit me in for a sonogram, but the doc who does those is out on vacation...for over a week! What was I going to do? I have no reason to worry, but I really wanted to know how my bean was growing. Dawn, the nurse, was going to see what she could do and then call me. In the meantime, I went to get my bloodwork done (not a fun experience - I HATE NEEDLES!!!) and while I was waiting for my Cruisers burger, Dawn called. She worked her magic and got me in at the hospital for an ultrasound. So now it's noon and I haven't eaten AND I was told to drink 32 ounces of water in 10 minutes. What? Who can do that? I had both an internal and external ultrasound. But, and here's the kicker...the tech doing the scan couldn't show me any picutres (I did sneak a peak when she wasn't looking) or let me hear anything. That sucked! But she did tell me that I was about 7 and a 1/2 weeks and that there WAS a heartbeat!!! What a relief. Dawn called a couple hours later with the results and said everything looked great. That made me so happy. Hopefully some of my anxiety will go away now.

I go for my next appt on Sept 28th and Dawn said they can probably do another ultrasound then - with pictures! As for the morning sickness - I feel so much better today. I was able to get some good sleep last night and that burger today was soooo good. Cruisers is the best! Leaving for TN tomorrow. I'll update when we get back.

Love ya! -Erika

7 weeks, 1 day: You told who?

We told my Mom, Jim, Jesse, Tiffany and Grandma as well as my Dad and Courtney this past weekend. Mom opened the shirt with Grandma and at first didn't get it. Wait...There it is! The light bulb just went off! Everyone was so excited and happy for us. We spent an hour at Mom's picking funny names. (Guess you'll have to wait and see if we choose one of those Jesse.) Mom gave me a bunch of clothes that she had stashed away. And Dad even said "Thank you"! (Insert sarcasm...) He's not excited about being a Grandpa at all! We fly to TN this weekend to tell Michael's family. I'm sure they'll be just as excited!

As for everything else...I'm ill. Very ill. And it changed from afternoon sickness to ALL DAY sickness! Last night was the worst. I woke up at 1.30 in the morning with a bad migraine and an empty stomach. I ate my usual midnight snack - a banana, saltines and water - and tried to sleep. No go! I spent the next 5 hours tossing and turning because of the pain from the headache. And throw in two trips to the porcelain throne...not a fun night! But, in a weird kind of way, I LOVE IT! Hopefully the baby is growing bigger and stronger each day and it's all worth it!

Tomorrow is my first official OB appointment at 10.15. I sure hope we get to hear the heartbeat! That will make my day.

Gotta go. Love ya!

Erika

5 weeks, 6 days: Afternoon sickness?

When is morning sickness supposed to start? Not too sure. What about afternoon sickness? For me, it's started. For the past 3 days I've been feeling ill...not too bad, but if this is just the beginning then I'm in for it. I wake up early in the morning VERY hungry, but not sick. I eat and I'm fine. But around lunch time it hits me. The nauseous feeling in my stomach. It wasn't so bad over the weekend b/c I was able to lie down, but today I found myself hugging the toilet at work. At work? Gross!!! No other choice. It was mostly a dry run, but the feeling is still there, sitting in my stomach, like something is stirring. Oh wait...that's a baby growing! That's the only somewhat good thing about morning/afternoon sickness. When you're in the early stages and you don't "feel pregnant", afternoon sickness is there to remind you that you are...and you've got a long way to go.

More to come. - Erika

5 weeks: Meeting Dr. Christian...

The doc called yesterday. Someone cancelled, so I was IN for 3.15. First things first - had to pee in a cup. Knew that was coming. Another positive!!! Whew...They confirmed what I already knew. I was 4 weeks, 6 days along and due on April 17th! With that all out of the way, Michael (yes, he was able to go with me) and I went and met Dr. Christian. My friend Hollie here at work has had 3 children with him and she speaks very highly of him. And, here's the best part...he looks a little like Santa Claus! "Hello world! Oh, hi Santa!" He explained to us how his office works, gave me some stuff to read, more paperwork to fill out and an updated Rx for vitamins. He also gave me a Rx for Fioricet for my migraines and reassured me that taking tylenol and using my heating pad for my head was totally safe. I can pretty much go about life like I have been doing, just with a little one growing inside of me...My next doc appt is Aug 31st. I'll be a little over 7 weeks along so I'll get bloodwork done then and hopefully we'll be able to hear the heartbeat! (Not looking forward to the needles, but I guess I better get used to it...)

I ordered Tshirts today for Rusty (Michael's brother) and my Grandmother. They both say "I'm going to be an Uncle/Great Grandma again and all I got was this stinkin' t-shirt". The idea is for them to hold up their gift and everyone to read it and be SURPRISED!!! Hope it works. We're heading to TN on Labor Day weekend to break the news to Michael's family and hopefully we'll make it to Gville before then. Not real sure how to tell dad yet, but it will be around the same time.

Oh, one more thing (this if for Angela, Michael's sister)...you called me today and you had a "feeling" that we were coming to tell you that I was pregnant. You were right! I had to tell a fib to throw you off. And yes, it was killing me the whole time I was talking to you.

Love you lots! - Erika

4 weeks, 4 days: You can never be too sure...

I took another HPT Saturday morning. Both Michael and I just wanted to be sure. And...we definitley are now (but I still have one more test). YEAH!!! Nothing really new to report except for the very sore bb's and the exhaustion. I feel tired all the time. The other night I came home and napped from 7.00 to 8.30. Is that a nap or early bedtime?

Michael has been very helpful about getting me on a good diet. I have a glass of milk (not a favorite, but I know it's good for me) and OJ a day and water all other times. The hardest thing so far has been eating breakfast in the morning. I'm not a breakfast eater, but this past week I've been eating a bowl of cheerios with sliced strawberries (that's what was in the pantry). Next week I may start eating some eggs. Getting in the habit now will sure help me when the morning sickness hits. Not looking forward to that...

Only 2 weeks, 2 days til my doc appt. I can't wait!!!

-Erika

4 weeks, 1 day: Surprise!!! I’m pregnant! Here’s what led up to today…

Friday, August 4th – It was only day 24, but I have been having “symptoms” for over a week. After 7 months of trying I broke down and took the one test that I had in the house. Two lines? Could it be? It was faint, but according to the box, a line is a line. Did I do it wrong? I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but that mixed with all the symptoms was a good sign. Still a little early, I decided to wait two days and test again. It was off to the store to get more tests…

Sunday, August 6th – I had to be a little sneaky b/c I didn’t want to tell Michael until I was 100% sure. He had been telling me for months that my so called symptoms were all in my head and month after month he was right. So I hop out of bed and head to the testing sight…the bathroom, of course. There it was again, TWO LINES! And it was definitely darker than last time. Now I was getting excited, but it was still only day 26. Cautiously optimistic…

Monday, August 7th – One more test…just to make sure. I had been using First Response, so I decided to try another brand. This one was supposed to show a plus sign AND IT DID! I was sure now. It all made sense, the sore bb’s, the week when I could barely keep my eyes open, the metal taste in my mouth and the migraine I had since Sunday afternoon. This time it wasn’t all in my head. I WAS PREGNANT!!!

How to tell Michael? I printed the picture I had taken of the tests along with other baby related stuff – crib, mobile, rocking chair, bouncer, changing table and ‘baby on board’ sign. I taped in them in his closet knowing it would be one of the first places he would go when he got home. “What the heck is this?” I hear him say. “Seriously, what is this?” I walk in the room and asked him what he thought it meant. “You’re pregnant?” YES!!! It was the best moment. He was so surprised and I will never forget the look on his face.

So…here we are today. I took another First Response this morning, a day after Aunt Flo was supposed to be here and the two lines are darker than before. That’s a good sign. I have my first doctor’s appointment on August 28th, but hopefully I can get in sooner. I know most of you reading this have not been told at this point, but we both wanted to wait until the first doc’s appointment. I’ll keep this updated with progress reports and pictures. We love you all and can’t wait to share the next nine months with our family and friends.

Love ya! - Erika