Baby

Friday May 17, 2013

Hello all!

I have some news.

Baby Powell is on it's way!

I’ve been out of town since Wednesday for an adolescent pregnancy prevention conference in Greensboro, NC. On the way home today I had to swing by Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and just out of curiosity I thought I'd pick up a test and give it a shot.

45 minutes later that little, light blue + sign radiated, along with my excitement. Unfortunately, it was around 2:30 when I first found out so I had about 3 hours before I could spill the beans to Bryan. And I was tempted more than a few times to just call and tell him. But I forced my self-discipline to work in full force.

5:30 rolled around and I heard that slow, “where are you” sounding “hellllllooooo” that I hear when he doesn't see me as he walks through the door. My heart skipped at least 3 beats, my palms became more than moist and I couldn’t stop smiling. After letting him tell me the highlights of his day I finally just blurted out “I have a surprise to tell you about, close your eyes!!” Then those round cheeks perked right up as a huge grin traveled from ear to ear.

 I think he knew:)

I made him cover his eyes as I reached for the pregnancy test I threw into our miscellaneous items drawer in the kitchen when I learned that he was about to pull into the driveway.

“Open.” 

I held that little blue + sign up close and personal. And about 2 seconds later he knew. It was the happiest of moments....

 A small moment that instantly transformed into a great adventure. 

Tuesday May 21, 2013

It’s official! Bryan and I had our confirmation appointment this morning and I’m definitely pregnant. I’m 5 weeks along and our little bundle of cells is due in mid January. I got a whole folder of informational goodies and my copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is waiting for me at the library. Our next appointment is 3 weeks from today and we’ll get to see an ultrasound and the heartbeat! And I’m mentally starting to prepare myself for the blood work. Heaven knows that I barely made it through the one time I’ve ever had to do that so far in my life. The nurses in the office found the number of questions I was asking about it humorous.

Naturally, I spent almost all day at work yesterday on the Internet browsing the baby sections of my favorite stores. I could hardly contain myself.  

I don’t know if it’s because it’s still early but things have been pretty smooth sailing so far. Occasionally I’ll get a random bout of mild nausea. However, fatigue hasn’t been so kind. It’s been very easy to notice how much more tired I’ve been. And I humor myself by saying that I'm going to keep up my workout routine, which will certainly replenish my energy a bit.

Bryan is in Greenville tonight for work so I get to enjoy some uninterrupted online baby browsing.

 And I'm just getting started. :)

 ...Hello new loves!  

Tuesday May 28, 2013

Hello week 6 :) Yesterday was Memorial day and Bryan I were able to enjoy a long, sun-filled weekend together. We adventured on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time since we've been here. We also had our first grilled chicken meal of the summer and it was heavenly! AND the fresh produce! Oh my, I can't get enough of it. I went on a little adventure yesterday and found a darling little produce stand right by our house busting with all things fresh and that's when I knew that summer had officially graced us with it's presence. It was a little slice of heaven for me as I drove down the road, sunroof open, munching on perfectly sun-kissed strawberries and blueberries. It was a good day :)

Bryan asked me the other day what I think my first pregnancy craving is going to be. I replied, without hesistation, fried chicken. I'm not quite sure what that means but I do know that buttermilk marinated, perfectly seasoned, truly southern fried chicken is on my mind more than it should be. So we'll see how that goes. I just have to keep reminding myself of my new favorite place down the road.

We went to a Memorial Day cookout yesterday. A few things happened.

1. Because it's so early, Bryan and I have only told a very few select people that we felt needed to know for a variety of reasons. (Family, if you're reading this, we're sorry. But we thought it would be more fun to surprise you later.)

One person that Bryan told was his co-worker and our good friend Todd. Him and his family were at the cookout yesterday as well. His sweet wife, Andi, came and said hello with so much excitement and I loved it! But I wasn't sure at the time if she knew or not and there wasn't a great time to talk to her about it at the party. But her excitement was the first little bit that I've been able to enjoy since finding out and it made me grin from ear to ear. Who knew that an overly joyous greeting could make a gal so happy. Thanks, Andi :)

2. Bryan's boss and his family were at the cookout as well. His wife just hit the 20 week mark and she is as cute as a button! I had to keep reminding myself that that's going to be me a few months down the road. Seeing her perfect bump is helping me turn this little secret into a for sure reality.

3. Corrine. I'm pretty sure she knows. How, I'm not sure. But either someone has spilled the beans or she just has a crazy pregnancy instinct. Not only did she ask Bryan about it at lunch yesterday but at the cookout she rubbed my stomach and asked if I was sure that I wasn't pregnant. Of course I wanted to shout YES but instead I just shook my head and thought to myself "Just wait until you find out!.....Oh I hope she won't be upset with me for fibbing to her straight to her face!!" Sorry Corrine :)

Thursday June 6, 2013

Bojangles.

I caved into my first craving today. I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm guilty but it was delish. Terrible, I know. But something about the chicken supremes and honey mustard seemed to make my leftover baked spaghetti not the least bit exciting. So, for the first time EVER I was the one to text Bryan and see if he wanted to join the party. I knew there would be no hesitation. And I was right.

It was devine.

But about 3/4th of the way through my kids meal with a side of mac and cheese the nausea kicked in and that party ended really quick.

 

Tuesday June 11, 2013

BIG day today! Bryan and I got to take a peek at the 8 week old little bundle!
Exciting!

Expecting a small little computer monitor when we walked into the room, we felt pretty high-class when we saw a big flat screen mounted on the wall. That definitely took the experience to a new level.

 But the best part was seeing Bryan take multiple pictures of the screen with his phone despite knowing the ultrasound tech was going to put them all on a CD for us. Too cute!

Here's one of the first glamour shots of our little rabbit-looking child:)

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

10 weeks in and going strong...most of the time. There are definitely days where I must pry my eyes open. And instead of nausea, instant hunger. Not just "hey, it must be getting close to mealtime" hungry but  more of "if you don't put something in your stomach right now you're going to throw up and die." A bit dramatic, I know, but I'm being honest.

However, that's only half of the story. If I eat too much at any of these mini meals, it's game over. That's when things really go down hill. And instead of throwing up....don't laugh too hard....I have the worst need to burp. You know what it's like to not be able to let a burp out, right?

Just thinking about it is making me cringe.

So I've made ginger ale my new best friend. I drink it at almost every meal to help me burp as I eat and avoid the problem all together. I haven't quite figured out Bryan's thoughts on the matter. But for those of you who are close to me, you know that I am not a soda drinker. At all. So any slight sip of carbonation does the trick every time.

So, 10 weeks in and I feel like I've figured out my how body is working and how to keep it under control. That made for a long 10 weeks.

But on a lighter note, more exciting times are just around the corner. We go home in one week and that's when we're going to share the news. We've told a hand full of people so far but it hasn't really seemed real yet because everything has been so hush hush. However, Baby did get it's first card in the mail yesterday from Chelsea and Chase in Salt Lake. That was very exciting!

I'm ready!

To celebrate, plan, buy things, grow, decorate....the list could go on.

Hooray for reaching double digits!


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Lots to report today! First off, for those of you who made it down this far, thanks for reading!

I had my 12 week appointment this morning and everything seems to be working like it should:) Despite eating like a horse I've lost weight! I was truly shocked. But I'll take it! I hope this means that Baby is eating a lot and will be chunky. I have a thing for chunky, round babies. And we heard the heartbeat for the first time. It was a perfect 169 beats/minute. However, the baby must have been doing summersaults or something because it was moving almost as much as the heart was beating. I hope this isn't a sign of a wild child in the making.

 We were able to take a trip home for the 4th and tell our families. At least that was the plan. Bryan couldn't really hold it in any longer so he told his parents, rather casually, the weekend before when they came up for a visit. We were just riding in the car and a conversation about pregnancy was brought and up and he just said "by the way, did you know that Ashtan's pregnant?" I'm really not a fancy or dramatic person but come on. Regardless, they were SO happy :)

My family was a tad different. I have to give my Aunt Sherri a shout out for this idea. July is a big birthday month for my family so she helped me plan a "birthday" celebration for all of the July birthdays. And instead of cake I made birthday cupcakes. And since I love baking, she bought teeny tiny babies that I hid in the cupcakes and covered with frosting. I only had 12 babies to put in the cupcakes so I stuffed them in random order. And of course, someone (my sister, Carrie) had to bite into one before dinner and gave me and my aunt a mini heart attack. Lucky, she didn't get a baby-stuffed cupcake.

Singing and desert time finally came and Bryan was able to record the reaction. My mom's is the best.

The Reveal (Click to see video:)

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I hope you all have enjoyed getting caught up in our journey so far. I'm certainly glad you're still around! I thought I'd post one more update before publishing this.

13.5 weeks and counting.

I am slightly obsessing over toaster strudels.

Bryan continues to be entertained by my newest skill...mad burping. (Gross, I know.)

My clothes still fit.

The urge to buy baby things is almost uncontrollable.

My new bedtime is 9:00. Sharp. Anything I say or do after that can't be trusted.

It's a girl. I just know it.


xoxo,
ashtan