Hello all! After a long, 4 month hiatus from blogging, I thought it's probably a good time for some updates!
We spent the Christmas break on a long & wonderful carribean cruise with one whole side of my family. Yes there were 19 of us present on this vacation... for a week! Many families couldn't handle this type of situation, but luckily for all of us, there was no drama & lots of room to roam:) It was such a blessing though, as it was a gift from my Memaw to us all. It was wonderful timing too, as the first half of my school year came to a close & I NEEDED a break. Cody was hired on with his new job right beforehand & was allowed to start when we returned. The itinerary was amazing too. We cruised from Florida to Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Saint Thomas, VI; & a private island in the Bahamas. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful ship & the incredible beaches at every stop. I'll be posting pictures soon!
And the REAL news...
Not long after returning, January 11 to be exact, Cody & I were excited to learn we are expecting our first baby! We had decided that with such an amazing first 8 months of marriage full of incredible journeys around the world, it was the perfect timing to start our family. I tried to contain the excitement as long as possible, but have to admit I've let the cat out of the bag more times than I'd initially planned:) I am now safely in my 11th week of pregnancy & life is slowly becoming more pleasant with each passing day. I had a hard 4-5 weeks there with daily/almost hourly sickness and constant exhaustion. Many have clued into our little secret just by reading my Facebook messages saying I'm going to bed at 5:30 or 6 most nights! This week was much better (with the exception of having a cold), and I'm hoping it continues to ease up. Work is much more pleasant when I feel like being there! I know it's all temporary & just thinking about the life growing inside of me makes it all more than worth it.
We spent the Christmas break on a long & wonderful carribean cruise with one whole side of my family. Yes there were 19 of us present on this vacation... for a week! Many families couldn't handle this type of situation, but luckily for all of us, there was no drama & lots of room to roam:) It was such a blessing though, as it was a gift from my Memaw to us all. It was wonderful timing too, as the first half of my school year came to a close & I NEEDED a break. Cody was hired on with his new job right beforehand & was allowed to start when we returned. The itinerary was amazing too. We cruised from Florida to Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Saint Thomas, VI; & a private island in the Bahamas. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful ship & the incredible beaches at every stop. I'll be posting pictures soon!
And the REAL news...
Not long after returning, January 11 to be exact, Cody & I were excited to learn we are expecting our first baby! We had decided that with such an amazing first 8 months of marriage full of incredible journeys around the world, it was the perfect timing to start our family. I tried to contain the excitement as long as possible, but have to admit I've let the cat out of the bag more times than I'd initially planned:) I am now safely in my 11th week of pregnancy & life is slowly becoming more pleasant with each passing day. I had a hard 4-5 weeks there with daily/almost hourly sickness and constant exhaustion. Many have clued into our little secret just by reading my Facebook messages saying I'm going to bed at 5:30 or 6 most nights! This week was much better (with the exception of having a cold), and I'm hoping it continues to ease up. Work is much more pleasant when I feel like being there! I know it's all temporary & just thinking about the life growing inside of me makes it all more than worth it.
Our baby is now in the "fetal" stage of development and is looking much more like a baby! That's good, because as you can see, the baby looked like a blob just weeks ago! My mom was able to go with me to the first appointment (Cody wasn't able to get off work), which was a really neat experience. I had prepared myself (& mom) that there was always a chance they couldn't find a baby. I know that sounds negative, however I've seen & heard a lot in my profession & wanted to prepare my heart for whatever we faced. Anyway, I think mom was more surprised than I was when the sonographer immediately showed us the baby pulsating there on the screen. That one minute sonogram changed my life. Everything I had prayed for was right there for me to see & the doctor said everything looks perfect so far! I'll post the sonograms as I get them. Hopefully we will know the sex of the baby on the next one in about 8-10 weeks.
My doctor is Amazing, which was incredibly important to me. I learned that she almost Always delivers her own patient's babies & is super-conservative about things such as risks, meds & foods I shouldn't eat. I feel at peace knowing our care is in her hands. Cody is hoping to get off of work for the next appointment in the coming week, as we will get to hear the heart beat for the first time. He is super-excited to be a daddy soon, he's even begun kissing my stomach every morning before leaving for work:) I already know he will be an incredible father.
Well, other than those tiny updates/changes occurring in our lives, I guess everything else is normal... We are loving the house & slowly making it our own. Of course we have a list of things that we would like to do around here, but with the economy in the shape it is, we are resisting the urge to spend for now! I'll have plenty of time for that in the coming months, especially when I'm IN doors during the long, hot summer I have coming:) I promise not to leave this one hanging for another 4 months!
