Pregnancy Update - First Trimester

First I want to start off by thank you all so much for your sweet words on yesterday's blog post! This has been such a whirlwind of an experience so far, where time seems to drag on....then seems to spin so fast!

Today, I'm going to share a bit about finding out we were pregnant and my first trimester, then include weekly updates from here on out.

Jason and I battled infertility issues. We chose to keep our journey private and didn't share with anyone - as a matter of fact, only our parents and very few close personal friends knew.  In a later post, I plan on sharing our entire infertility journey but for now, I'll start when I discovered I was pregnant.

After my family and I returned from the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction in July (Cooperstown), I knew something was up! I was a few days late and couldn't figure out what was going on. I just knew I wasn't pregnant because I had taken two pregnancy tests at 10 days post ovulation and both turned up negative. One was an old test and questionable but the other was a newer test and definitely said no - therefore, I definitely wasn't pregnant....right?

I decided that if nothing happened by the following morning (after returning from Cooperstown), I would take a test. At 5:30 that morning, I couldn't believe my eyes....the pregnancy test had TWO lines. TWO! I was so shocked, I ran and woke Jason frantically (he thought the house was on fire or something)!

He was very excited but encouraged me to purchase extra tests that afternoon...just to be sure! (The one in my cabinet was a little old.) I practically shook all day at work - it was insane. I was able to focus on what I was doing, but I definitely willed the day away. Know how time seems to draaaaaag on...like while waiting for Christmas morning? Yeah, that's how it felt! Finally, the afternoon came and I was able to stop by the store on my way home. I chose two different types of tests - one with a + sign and a digital one that read the words out on the screen.

To my utter shock and surprise, ALL of the test confirmed the same thing - yes, I was indeed pregnant. WOW. (Madalynn wasn't quite sure what was going on...but she wanted to play anyway!)

Jason and I snapped this picture right after we found out our news!

Honestly, I had no clue who to call first...should I call the infertility clinic? My OB?? So, I decided to start with the infertility clinic and go from there. They confirmed that they wanted to follow me for at least 10 weeks, then they would release me to my regular OBGYN. 

I had labwork drawn (the above picture is what I sent to Jason after my first) which confirmed high levels of hcg in my system. Three days later, the hcg numbers tripled like they were supposed to and that's when it all sank in...yes, I was indeed going to bring a new life into this world in just 9 short months.

Since that time, Baby Seal has traveled to two Astros games, been in a wedding, celebrated several family birthdays, and traveled to New York!

It was SO hard to keep our secret in without telling our families because we see them all the time. If you watched the video, my dad asked when I found out, then he gave me a funny look....that's because we had eaten dinner with them at least 6 times since Cooperstown, celebrated my mom's birthday, and traveled all the way to Houston and back...and we still managed to keep it a secret! Whoops.

So far, I've had two ultrasounds...

...one at eight weeks...

 .
..and one at almost 12 weeks!

It's AMAZING how fast this baby has grown in just a few short weeks! Seeing and hearing the heartbeat for the first time was an incredible experience - such a tiny life growing inside of me...the wonders of God are so incredible!

Here's a few weekly pictures starting at 6 weeks to now. I know there's not much to see, but it sure has been fun to document!

6 Weeks...

7 Weeks...

...between 8 and 9 weeks...

...10 weeks...

....11 weeks...

 ...12 weeks!

How many weeks are you now?
12 weeks + 5 days

Baby's size? 
Plum

Symptoms:
Severe fatigue - A friend of mine told me I was taking advantage of all the napping and I had to clarify - the only way I can describe this fatigue is by comparing it to staying up ALL night long...maybe getting three hours of sleep...then having to wake up and go to work. By the afternoon, it's impossible to even move because you're so tired. The crazy part is I've been getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night plus 2 hour naps in the afternoon! Thankfully, the fatigue is not near as severe as it was - it peaked between weeks 6 and 10. I do love my naps, though!

Headaches - I've found that if I increase the amount of water I drink throughout the day, these tend to disappear. More water it is!

Cramping - I had a lot of this in the first trimester, but it makes logical sense to me - baby is growing! 

Thankfully, I've had NO morning sickness BUT if I don't eat, then watch out! We've had a few "food emergencies" where I need food like yesterday...I do try to keep something extra with me on hand at all times, though (read...Cheeze-it's in the backseat of my car)!

 
Weight Gain:
None yet


Body & Changes: 
I can definitely feel my tummy expanding a little day by day!


Exercise:
Still running! However, I've changed my pace up and am now a run-walker...more on that later! :)

 
Clothes: 
Still fit in my normal, every day clothing (for now...)!


Cravings?
 Cereal. Any kind...especially Frosted Mini-Wheats!

Aversions? 
YES! Fish, Steamed Broccoli, and Steamed Veggies. Don't. Bring. Them. Anywhere. Near Me.

Any Movement?
Not yet!

Sleep: 
Great so far!

Purchases:
Diapers and a few outfits here and there!

What I miss: 
Running fast. (That will come back...I'm not complaining!)


What I’m looking forward to:
Feeling the baby move!

Best Moment of the Week: 
Sharing our pregnancy news with everyone yesterday!

Thanks again so much to everyone for your sweet words yesterday....it means so much to me and I tried to respond to everyone. If I missed you, I'm sorry - it definitely was not intentional! 

Did you have any food aversions while pregnant? If so, what were they?