What an exciting time! I had a feeling that I was pregnant. Why? You see, my FAVOURITE thing to eat as a treat, is New York Fries french fries. I was doing some shopping for our holiday to Hawaii in September at the mall and I was hungry. I walked towards the food court, thinking I'd treat myself and instantly ran to the bathroom when I got in line. Weird.
I went to Wal-Mart, picked up a test (or two, or three, or maybe a multipack box) and couldn't even make it home to see if I was pregnant...I swore I saw two lines, but it was a "squinter". Long story short, 12 tests, two conversations with your Dad, where he said I was imagining lines, an appointment with the Doctor, who said I wasn't pregnant and some tears later, I bought a digital test, had bloodwork done and confirmed that, YES! We were having a baby!!! Funny thing, a woman's intuition is, almost always right.
When I finally got results that your Dad could believe, I happened to be on the phone with my Dad, your Papa. I was SHOCKED that it was for real, rushed him off the phone, hung up and was caught in our bedroom by your Dad, staring at a test in tears! Your Dad asked what I was doing (REALLY?) and when I showed him, he sat on the bed, completely silent. Shows how different we are! It wasn't something that sank in, we knew that it would take time. But on August 26th, your Dad and I went to our favourite restaurant, The Port, to celebrate.
Month Two (September 2011):
This was a busy and exciting month! We started to adjust to the fact that you were going to be in our lives next year. We had a VERY hard time keeping it a secret that we were having a baby, but wanted to wait till later to tell family and friends.
This month, we were going on a vacation to Hawaii, one that almost didn't get to happen, due to a few issues that I was having this month in our pregnancy. It was at this time, we decided to tell Nana and Papa that they were going to be GRANDPARENTS! We surprised them with a Grandparents card, took a video to remember the moment forever and still get emotional to this day, when we think about this amazing memory! Nana and Papa were VERY excited and Nana and I shared some tears together. This is one of my very favourite memories of month two, even though going to Hawaii was a great time with your Dad!
I was feeling okay during this month, although, I was extremely exhausted (I would fall asleep at 8pm in the hotel in Hawaii), despite having some thyroid and a few other issues. I only got sick once during this month and it was on the flight back from Hawaii, after we landed in New York. It was embarassing and I will never think the same of an airport garbage or bathroom again!
Dad and I were getting more and more excited and nervous about having a baby. Me, more nervous than Dad for sure. I was nervous that something might go wrong, that I would get really sick, that I would struggle with being off of my fibromyalgia medication, that I would hurt someone's feelings who wanted a baby and we were having one before them and that I wouldn't be ready for you, when you came. Dad nicknamed you "squidgel", his name for a squirrel, when he was little, as he pictured you moving around like crazy in my belly! He was excited to find out whether you were a boy or a girl (I didn't want to!) in a few months, to teach you things, to take you for bike rides, to be a Dad. I was excited for all of these things and more too, but this was definetely my most nervous time in this pregnancy so far.
Month Three (September/October 2011):
There were so many highlights this month, so many, that we can't decide which one was our favourite!
1) On September 19th, we got to see you on an ultrasound! We couldn't believe how tiny you were! I cried the first time I saw you on the screen and I had tears, when your Dad came in the room, held my hand and we heard your little heart beating for the first time ever. What a magical moment!
2) We asked Papa to help us announce to my Sister (and brother-in-law) and Brother (and sister-in-law), your Aunties and Uncles, that we were going to have a baby. Your Papa said a prayer, before our early Thanksgiving meal, which ended with, "We thank you that next year, we may have an extra place at the table..." It got a reaction of complete silence at first, followed by a "WHAT"?, from your Aunt Jenn! It was a fun way to tell everyone and a very exciting time.
3) We told a few friends. They were VERY supportive to us, surprised, excited and help us keep our little secret for a few more weeks! We loved each of their reactions, all different from the other, but memories that will last a lifetime for sure!
4) We told your Grandad and Yaya (Grandma in Greek). We had to do this at separate times, as Grandad was in Australia and Yaya was in Crete. We also wanted to catch their reactions on video and Skype, which you can't do by having a three-way call, so we talked with each of them one at a time. Grandad was SHOCKED, but sounded very excited! He knew that your Yaya, would be "over the moon". When we talked with Yaya later that day, we caught her off guard, using the same "fake story", that we told your Grandad... "We had a present that we wanted to give them for Christmas, but it would take a little while to get there, so we wanted to show them a photo of what was coming their way"! Your Yaya cried, so happy that we were having a baby and couldn't wait!
5) We flew to England on a business trip for your Dad. We had booked it in August, finding out that we were pregnant, the day AFTER we booked our flights. We had dreamed that this would get to happen, but didn't think that we would actually be able to tell your Grandma, Uncle Tom, Great Auntie Sue and Great Uncle Martin IN PERSON, that we were having a baby! We kept it a secret the whole time leading up to the trip, with everyone knowing we were coming, apart from your Grandma! The plan was to meet everyone at a restaurant in London, for her birthday and surprise her, not only with us showing up for the meal, but to also surprise everyone and tell them that we were having a baby as well! It worked out perfectly (amazing) and not only was Grandma thrilled and surprised to see us, the wedding album that we made her, containing your ultrasound photo, shocked her, on the last page of the book!
This truly, was a month of amazing memories. A lot of them caught on video. A lot of them that we can't wait to show you, or tell you about when you get older! We know that it was hard for family and friends to keep it a secret until we got back from England, but once we got back, the news was out and everything started to feel a lot more REAL!!!!!!!
Month Four (November 2011):
We got to see you again on an ultrasound! You were so much bigger and your heart was beating so much faster! You're Dad only got to see a photo of you though, as this time, I took Nana with me! She was so excited to come and loved getting to see you move, wave, suck your thumb and hear your heart beating. It was such a special time for me to get to share with her!
I was starting to really "show" and was no longer able to wear any of my non-maternity pants/skirts/dresses. I had to go out to buy maternity clothes, which was so much fun for both Dad and I! It meant that you were growing and soon, would start moving so that I could feel it!!! It was one of the things that we always talked about this month, dying for it to happen! At 15 weeks, I could feel little bubbles and flutters, which was one of the COOLEST things that I could ever imagine! Dad LOVED seeing my belly grow, he loved rubbing it, talking to you and telling me everything that he was getting excited about!
Food Aversions, "cravings", kicking, DIY, boy or girl and a QUICKLY growing belly...were all things that were really memorable this month.
I can't stand chicken while pregnant. Chicken and fish were my "go-to" meats for dinner, as I don't usually like red meat...however, I can't tolerate chicken now (it makes me sick everytime), but you seem to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when I have steak! Yup, baby, you love when Mom eats steak and spicy food and lots of fruit and veggies for that matter. You also seem to really enjoy it when I drink chocolate milk, something that I haven't done in YEARS.
I felt you kick inside for the first time on December 9th. I was watching TV with your Dad and could swear that I felt something trying to kick the right side of my belly, near my kidney surgery scar. He was jealous that I could feel it and he couldn't and was hoping that he would feel it soon enough. It was few and far between, which our midwives said was normal, as my placenta is in the front. They even said that I might not feel you very much, which made me so sad. But you showed us all wrong! I felt you kick again on December 13th and this time, I was 100% sure! Not only did I feel you kick, but on the way to going out for ice cream, I felt you turn and flip in my belly! That night, I got the flu which lasted for a horrible two days, but it won't erase the memory of how exciting and amazing that felt!
For the next two weeks, your Dad was DESPERATE to feel you kick on the outside. I had felt it once on Christmas Eve, but everytime you moved and your Dad would put his hand on my belly, you would stop moving. It made him so sad! But December 27th, at 6 in the morning, you gave a REALLY good kick near my ribs. I woke Dad up, told him to put his hand on my belly and be patient. You gave him 5 good kicks to his hand in a row! He was THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!! It took 4 days for it to happen again, but when it did, you kicked his hand so hard during a movie at the theatre, that his hand moved off my belly! He is desperate to feel it everyday and hopefully that will come soon enough, as you get bigger and stronger. But I have to remind him that, some days you turn back to my back, so I can't feel you either...
This month, Dad worked SO hard on your furniture for the nursery. We went and bought your crib in the States and came home to Dad wanting to build it IMMEDIATELY. He was too excited to let it sit in the box! We loved your crib once it was set up, so Dad started doing some DIY work to make your nursery beautiful! He took an old dresser that we had been given and sanded, stained and varnished it to match your crib. We bought a chair for nursing, rocking and reading to you and Dad put it together. We ordered the fabric for your room, getting a friend to make it for us. And while your room is already painted a nice, light blue, which we are happy to leave on the walls till after you're born, your Dad put a fresh coat of white paint on the trim, window and shelves. He learned a lot along the way and worked incredibly hard. I am so proud of him!
We had our big 20 week ultrasound this month as well, where we could have found out if you were a boy or a girl, but where we live, they refused to tell us! I didn't think I wanted to find out, even though your Dad did, but once we got to that ultrasound, I was dying to know! I left feeling so disappointed that we couldn't find out, your Dad trying his best to make me feel better! Our plan was to keep it a special secret between the two of us and not tell anyone till your BIRTH DAY that you were a boy or girl. He got to watch a lot more of the ultrasound, being so excited, as he hadn't seen you on the screen since you were 9 weeks! That's a lot of time to grow, change and look like a much bigger baby! You were bouncing around, kicking, sucking your thumb, giving a thumbs up and refused to give us a good look at your face, as you were facing my back! I had to go back the next week, just because you were too stubborn to move! Typical for a Clarke/Mosselman.
I have one more month before I start my last trimester! I can't believe how quickly time is going by! I lost sight of my feet weeks ago now and can only imagine that this belly of mine and you are going to get much bigger, much faster! I have gained minimal weight, which is surprising to both Dad and I, but everyone keeps telling me that "it will come". For now, I am happy to carry you around, my little "beach ball".
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