Baby!

We are so excited to finally announce that we are expecting!! I'm almost 14 weeks and feeling great! Here is how it all went down:

*We had been trying for several months with no luck and I began to think that my prolactin levels were elevated again (like they were when I first got pregnant with Madison Claire). I went to the doctor and they tested my hormones and sure enough, my prolactin was high. They put me on some medicine to regulate my prolactin - which I only had to take for 1 week before I found out I was pregnant!

*The night of the Goodpasture game, I just had a feeling I was pregnant. I had been at Vanderbilt interviewing that day and just didn't feel very good. I was headed straight from Vanderbilt to the game, so I stopped at the Rite-Aid and bought a pregnancy test. I went to dinner at Calypso by myself and took that test in the Calypso bathroom. I thought that it showed a line that said I was pregnant, but it was VERY faint and I couldn't tell if my eyes were playing tricks on me. So, I went to Publix and bought another test - a digital one this time! I took it in the Publix bathroom and it came back "Not Pregnant". I still really felt like I was pregnant, but was too scared to get my hopes up.

*I went to the game and didn't say anything to Ryan, but I did tell Anne about it at the game and told her I really thought that I was. The next morning, I woke up early and took the second digital pregnancy test that morning. It came back "Pregnant"! I was so excited! Ryan was feeding Madison Claire breakfast so I came out with the test behind my back and said "Do you want some news that will cheer you up?" (they had lost the game the night before in a heartbreaker). I then showed him the test and he was so excited too! We were really just a little bit in shock!

*We sent the picture to our families and then started the waiting game to get through the first trimester.

*I have been blessed again with an easy pregnancy so far. I felt great through most of the first trimester - I felt a little tired, a little sick, and had some breaking out on my face, but each symptom didn't last very long.

*I remember how hard it was to lose the 40 pounds that I gained with Madison Claire so I am trying really hard to make better choices this pregnancy. Somedays it is easier than others. I am making a conscious effort to work out more consistently and make healthy choices. We'll see what happens - I may still gain 40 pounds, but it will be a different kind of 40 pounds this time!

*So far, I've craved baked potatoes, barbeque potato chips and mexican food.

*I went to the doctor at 8 weeks and they did an ultrasound and found out that I was only 7 weeks pregnant - which means I found out super early (explaining the inconsistencies in the pregnancy tests). They also saw during that ultrasound that my uterus is inverted. Basically, that means that instead of facing up and forwards, mine is facing down & backwards. So, when it started growing, it grew down into my pelvis instead of up into my abdomen. Eventually it will have to go up into my abs, but because of that it is difficult to hear the babies heartbeat and I'm not showing as much as some of my friends who are pregnant around the same stage.

*Speaking of showing, I have just started to show in the past week or so. I can definitely tell, Ryan is still a little skeptical that I'm showing - but trust me, I am!

*We've been talking to Madison Claire about the new baby on the way and she knows that it is in my tummy. Sometimes she'll give it a kiss. She is going to be a great big sister and I am so excited for her! I would say I have been excited 99.9% of this pregnancy, but I did have a moment a few nights ago where I got sad thinking about it not just being Madison Claire. I am so excited for her to have a sibling though!

*People keep asking us what we are hoping for, and I'm 100% honest when I say we will be thrilled either way. It would be so fun to have a little boy and experience the difference between girls and boys but I'm super close with my 2 sisters and the thought of Madison Claire not having a sister is so sad to me, so I'll be so excited if it's a girl for that reason. So - stay tuned! We'll definitely find out...we're thinking it will be early January.

Please pray for an uneventful, healthy pregnancy & baby! We'll keep you updated!!