22 Weeks - The Name Game: I think we have a winner!

How far along? 22 weeks when the pictures were taken :) 
Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, slight cramping/minor abdominal aches, had a sore back a couple of days this week ... that's about it. The second trimester is awesome!
Total weight gain/loss: Up 12 lbs. total ... 145
Maternity clothes? I can still wear most of my regular shirts - which I do - and technically I could wear my regular jeans unbuttoned, but who wants to do that when the stretchy waistband is available to me? Love. My. Preggo. Jeans.
Food cravings: Chicken & beef teriyaki, Nutri-Grain Eggo waffles, Spagettios, cereal with LOTS of milk, oranges, Oreos with LOTS of milk, Greek yogurt, Ben & Jerry's "Karamel Sutra" ice cream (My first non-boring ice cream craving since getting pregnant! I'm stopping at one pint, though - I refuse to use the "eating for two" excuse when it comes to ice cream. Soooo good, though ...)
Anything making you queasy or sick: I've come to the conclusion that I probably won't be eating fish - other than canned tuna on occasion - until after she's born. Also, the smell of my "sugar cookie" candle makes me nauseous if I'm too close to it when it's burning. Anything too strong-smelling is tough to handle.
Stretch marks? Nope :)
Sleep: I usually have at least one or two nights a week with CRAZY dreams that keep me tossing and turning ... I'd heard about how weird your dreams can get when you're pregnant, but seriously? And they're some of the most vivid I've ever had, too!
Best moment this week: Deciding on a name for our girl! Woohoo!!
Have you told family and friends: *drum roll* Barring any serious change of heart, our daughter's name will be ...

We love being able to call her by a real name instead of just "Baby," "Baby Nielson," or "Baby Girl." We picked Scarlett because we both liked it (An obvious statement, but honestly - the list of names we both really liked was pretty short. Naming a tiny human is hard!), because it's feminine and strong at the same time, unique without being too weird, and it flowed really well together with the middle and last names. We are using Kathryn as a middle after my mom's middle name and my great grandmother's middle name. Also, mine is Kate, so I loved the thought of continuing that tradition while honoring my amazing mom at the same time :) Plus, I think it just sounds so pretty with Scarlett.
Miss Anything? The usuals. Alcohol, lunchmeat, my "skinny jeans" and "skinny clothes", sushi (Have I mentioned I'm sending Steve for a spicy tuna roll run immediately after giving birth? It's true), being comfortable most of the time, not having to pee ALL the time, drinking caffeine regularly ... I've saved a ton of money not going to Starbucks as much, though!
Movement: I think the name we picked fits her perfectly, because she is a feisty one in utero! She kicks all the time. Today I had the car radio on a country station and she went crazy :)
Belly size: Bring on the belly pics ... Steve was making me laugh the whole time, so it got a little silly.

 Ta-da!!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? Both rings are comfortably on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm happy a majority of the time, but this week I will admit to a few hormonal meltdowns. Steve loves those. He calls them "the batshit crazies." So supportive, right?? ;)
Baby Stuff Purchased? Not this week, but oh, is it fun to look! 
Looking forward to: Planning her nursery some more, my OB appointment next week (actually not really, because I have to do the dreaded glucose tolerance test) and my baby shower in a couple of weeks! Can't wait to see everyone in AZ!!! :) :)
**Oh, and here is a family shot from our Christmas card photo session. 'Tis the season! Merry Christmas!!**

21 Weeks - Our Gorgeous, Growing Girl

How far along? 21, almost 22 weeks ... missed a couple of posts. Whoopsie :) We had our REAL 20 week ultrasound this past week and saw lots of great pictures of our girl! She went from being a little bit on the small side at our last ultrasound to being in the 68th percentile this time - tipping the scale at 1 whole pound, on the dot! Per doctor's orders, I've been packing on the protein in my diet the last few weeks to help her get back on track with growth ... we were SO thrilled to hear how well she is doing now! Also taking extra folic acid on top of my daily prenatal vitamin, as well as one baby aspirin per day to thin my blood and make sure no clots are preventing nutrients from getting to her. Baby and Mama are figuring this thing out :) 

Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, slight cramping/minor abdominal aches, a few dull aches in my lower back, rapidly growing belly, Braxton Hicks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 11 lbs. total ... 144
Maternity clothes? Yep! I can still fit into my regular clothes, but maternity clothes are soooo much comfier ... it's like wearing PJs all day long, but they look like regular clothes so you don't have to feel like a bum. I bought some super cute stuff at the Motherhood maternity store in the mall. Apparently I am drawn to shirts with stripes while pregnant! They really show off the belly ;)
Food cravings: Spaghettios, Chipotle burrito bowls, cereal with LOTS of milk, wheat toast with peanut butter, oranges and orange juice, dill pickles, Oreos, Greek yogurt, chocolate or vanilla ice cream, chocolate milk
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still don't really wanna eat fish ... although canned tuna isn't too bad now.
Stretch marks? Nope :)
Sleep: Sleeping great, except occasionally it's a little tough to get comfortable.
Best moment this week: Learning how fast Baby Girl is growing, and being reassured that she is perfectly healthy and beautiful. Nothin' better.
Have you told family and friends: Yep! Now to tell everyone her name ... ;)
Miss Anything? Drinking on nights out and on football Sundays, lunchmeat, my "skinny jeans" and "skinny clothes", sushi, being comfortable most of the time, drinking caffeine regularly
Movement: Flutters, kicks, & rolls galore! Also my first Braxton Hicks contractions ... those are weird!
Belly size: Here is the latest and greatest belly pic ...

 

Labor Signs: Just a few Braxton Hicks, but those aren't really labor signs ... just my body practicing for labor. Crazy! I still have quite a ways to go, though. :)
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? Both rings are comfortably on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Thrilled!!!
Baby Stuff Purchased? We registered at both Target and Babies-R-Us and it was really tough not to just start buying things for her right now. I did get her these cute elephant PJs from Target, as I am obsessed with anything elephant-related for her:

Also picked out her bedding ... found the PERFECT stuff on Etsy after registering for something totally different at Babies-R-Us. I'll do a separate post about stuff I'm finding for her nursery :)
Looking forward to: Planning her nursery some more, sharing her name, and having family and friends in AZ see the belly in person at Christmastime ... when we'll also have a little shower shindig for her :) :) :)

19 Weeks (again?) and a Beautiful Baby Girl!!!

How far along? 19 weeks - part 2! Here's the story: We went through a VERY stressful week between our first doctor visit and this second visit, because my quad screen blood work that I got done on Halloween came back abnormal. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an optional test (that I NEVER should have opted to do!) that detects levels of different proteins and substances in your blood and CAN detect some birth defects. Well, my abnormal results basically meant that our baby was at a higher risk for Down Syndrome - 1 in 50, compared to 1 in almost 1,000 based on my age and family history alone. There was a lot of crying, stressing out, and obsessive research done (Can you say hormones??), and we ultimately decided to wait to agree to any further testing until our second appointment when they would do the full anatomy scan of the baby and look for other indications of abnormalities. After our second (and much more thorough) ultrasound, a specialist reviewed the pictures of the baby and where I was measuring, and told us we had the wrong due date ... which can significantly throw off the results of the blood work. He said we have a beautiful, healthy baby with no other red flags coming up on the scan :) Talk about some thankful, relieved parents! They reran my blood work with the new dates, and called to let me know that everything is checking out normal now. Baby Nielson is due April 7th instead of March 28th, which puts us about a week and a half behind where we thought we were. Word of advice to future pregnant ladies - don't get the quad screen! Nothin' but unnecessary worrying and stressing about your baby, who is more than likely perfectly healthy.

Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, slight cramping/minor abdominal aches, rapidly growing belly
Total weight gain/loss: Up 9 lbs. total ... 142
Maternity clothes? Yes! Thanks to my sweet friend Katie for sending along some of her cute maternity clothes and gender neutral baby clothes that her son Nathan was done with :) I've given in to the maternity jeans, and I may never go back. Sooo comfy.
Food cravings: Chipotle burrito bowls, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, wheat toast with peanut butter, veggie burgers (which I actually prefer to a lot of meat right now) orange juice, Oreos, edamame, Greek yogurt, vanilla ice cream (only kind of ice cream I've wanted since I got pregnant ... weird, huh?)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still don't wanna eat fish, but all other aversions are pretty much gone.
Stretch marks? Nope :)
Sleep: Sleeping great, except for nights when I have to get up to use the bathroom constantly.
Best moment this week: Finding out that Baby Nielson is a GIRL!!! :) And seeing her adorable face/profile for the first time! :) :) AND finding out that she's healthy and beautiful! :) :) :)

 

Have you told family and friends: Yep!
Miss Anything? Drinking on nights out and on football Sundays, lunchmeat, my "skinny jeans", sushi, being comfortable most of the time
Movement: Flutters, kicks, & rolls galore!
Have you started to show yet: It's a good-sized little bump ...

Gender prediction: No more predicting, and no more saying "it" - it's a she! 

Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? Both rings are comfortably on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!!
Baby Stuff Purchased? Now that we know the gender, I bought Baby Girl her very first new clothes - four adorable NB-sized onesies! This is just the beginning ...  
Looking forward to: Planning her nursery, figuring out a name, and registering for baby stuff ... to name a few things :)

18 & 19 Weeks - Halloween, Election Day, & Ultrasounds

How far along? 19 weeks
Symptoms? Headaches, frequent bathroom visits, and a MUCH bigger belly - wowza!!
Total weight gain/loss: Up 7 lbs. total ... 140.
Maternity clothes? Started wearing my belly bands (Steve bought me a black one and a white one) with a couple of my snugger pairs of jeans ... nothing compares to my yoga pants, though! I need to try those Pajama Jeans ... anyone know if those are comfy for pregnant women? :)
Food cravings: Chipotle burrito bowls, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, wheat toast with peanut butter, oranges, Honeycrisp apples, and no, I still cannot stop indulging in Oreos. One vice when you're pregnant isn't too bad, right?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still don't wanna eat fish, but all other aversions are pretty much gone - yeah!
Stretch marks? Nope :)
Sleep: Sleeping great, when I'm not having weird pregnancy nightmares that make me talk in my sleep and wake up my husband. And I mean WEIRD ... I should start keeping a journal by the bed.
Best moment this week: Easy - seeing Baby Nielson for the very first time at our OB appointment on Halloween!!!

 
It was a truly amazing moment, although the gender is still a mystery ... sweet Baby was face down, curled up, legs crossed. Hoping to find out at our 20-week ultrasound on Thursday! (We'll post some of the 20-week US pics on the next blog update ... we only got a back/back-of-the-head shot, and one of the arms and legs this time.)
Have you told family and friends: Yep!
Miss Anything? Beer/margaritas/wine/alcohol, lunchmeat, my "skinny jeans", and stepping on the scale and hoping for a LOW number rather than a high one ... so strange!
Movement: Flutters, kicks, & rolls
Have you started to show yet: Woah yeah!

Gender prediction: I still say boy, even though Steve is more convinced than ever that it is a girl ... "There was no little white triangle on the ultrasound!" We also didn't get a good enough view to tell ... *sigh* :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? Both rings are comfortably on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy with a side of SUPER moody this weekend ... ugh.
Baby Stuff Purchased? None this week
Looking forward to: Our 20-week ultrasound on Thursday, when we'll get to see our little melon/heirloom tomato again, in more detail, and hopefully really find out the gender this time!

17 Weeks - Our Little Sweet Potato

How far along? 17, almost 18 weeks.
Symptoms? Headaches (which, just to clarify, I take one regular strength Tylenol for ... and only if they headache is unbearable), increasingly painful heartburn after certain foods, and oh yeah - a bigger belly! :)
Total weight gain/loss: Up 4 lbs. total ... 137.
Maternity clothes? Nope, although the best part of the day is when I take off my jeans/pants and change into yoga pants. Heaven.
Food cravings: Apple cider and cinnamon donuts (must be Fall!), kettle corn, wheat toast with peanut butter, oranges, Granny Smith apples, Oreos dunked in milk, salad with Italian dressing
Anything making you queasy or sick: Slowly I find myself getting over my cheese aversion, which is good ... still not a fan of fish, though. The only fish I crave is spicy tuna rolls, and I'm not allowed to have those. Chicken breast has been weird for me lately, too - whether or not I'll eat it depends on the day.
Stretch marks? Nope, but I'm scared they're going to show up!
Sleep: Sleeping great!
Best moment this week: Realizing how much my little baby bump is turning into a round baby belly - I am starting to really look pregnant, which is awesome :)
Have you told family and friends: Yep, just anxiously waiting for Wednesday so we can find out if we're having a little "Jack-o-lantern" or a little "ghoul" :)
Miss Anything? Beer, margaritas (going out drinking in general, really), sushi, and sammiches. I've been seriously careful about lunch meat because of all that listeria stuff, but I gave in and ordered Jimmy John's this week ... now I want them all the time!
Movement: Flutters and little kicks/rolls, especially when I'm lying down.
Have you started to show yet: Yep - check out that growin' bump!

Gender prediction: I still say boy, Steve - and most other people - say girl. We'll find out Wednesday!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? Both rings are comfortably on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy happy!
Baby Stuff Purchased? None this week
Looking forward to: Our OB appointment on Halloween - look for the gender announcement this coming week! :) :)

A Wedding in Paradise at 16 weeks ... Aloha!

Well, Steve and I are officially husband and wife! Earlier this week we returned from Maui/paradise/heaven on Earth, and I can't say enough about our trip, our incredible friends and family who shared it all with us, and our beautiful dream wedding. I'll post more shots of the wedding once we get our professional photos back, but for now I give you one of my favorites - it's amazing what pictures you can take with a cell phone these days - and a belly pic with the BEST backdrop possible. :)

How far along? 16 weeks - I missed a couple posts while I was lost in wedding mania. It's okay, though ... my belly didn't change that much.
Symptoms? Worst one now is headaches ... they've been pretty frequent, and I try not to take anything for them if I can help it. No more queasiness, energy has gone way up from the first trimester, and I've been digesting food a lot better, too. So far, VERY impressed with the second trimester!
Total weight gain/loss: Up 3 lbs. to 136 - yeah!! Our little turnip is growin' and growin'!
Maternity clothes? Nope
Food cravings: Oranges, Granny Smith apples, Hot Cheetos (which I have cut myself off from since they are SO bad for you ... but oh so delicious), Oreos dunked in milk, salad with Italian dressing, pickles, cereal ...
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still grossed out by any cheese that hasn't been melted, fish (although I did eat a little bit in Hawaii that wasn't awful) ... that's about it.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Sleeping great!
Best moment this week: Having Steve wake me up in the middle of the night with his hand on my belly, frantically asking me if I could feel the baby moving ... sure enough, I felt the first flutters! So incredible :)
Have you told family and friends: Yep - just need to find out the gender and spread that good news around!
Miss Anything? Beer, margaritas (not drinking any tropical drinks in Hawaii was sad!), and sushi is still my #1 craving ... probably only because I can't have it.
Movement: Flutters and little kicks/rolls - even woke me up from a nap this week!
Have you started to show yet: Not so much in clothes, although the belly is definitely growing. Won't be long now ...

Gender prediction: I still say boy, Steve - and most other people - still say girl. We'll find out soon!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? BOTH rings (yep, I have 2 now!!) are comfortably on ... still looking to get my engagement ring resized 'cause it's a little too big.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happiest I've ever been!
Baby Stuff Purchased? Mom and Dad (a.k.a. Nana and Papa) bought Baby another adorable elephant wall hanging for the nursery ... looks like we're gonna have an elephant wall! :)
Looking forward to: My first OB appointment/seeing and hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time. We are officially scheduled for Halloween :) :)

And the weekly posts begin ... Week 13

How far along? 13 when the pic was taken ... technically 14 weeks now.
Symptoms? A few mood swings, a headache here and there, but my worst enemy is indigestion - hunger pains/bloaty/gurgling/my stomach hates me all the time. Ugh. (But no significant morning sickness ... and zero vomiting! Thanks, stomach of steel!)
*Also getting over my first pregnant cold, which was about a week of awfulness. Glad that seems to be over, especially before Hawaii. Things they don't tell you about pregnancy - your awesome immune system that you built up from being a teacher is now shot!*
Total weight gain/loss: Nothin' yet ... actually lost a few lbs. during the 1st trimester, but I'm back to 133, which is what I weighed when I found out. Blame the lack of appetite due to symptoms above.
Maternity clothes? Oh goodness, no.
Food cravings: Mostly healthy food, actually - lots of fruit, especially citrus (love putting lemon wedges in my water now!), orange juice, cereal, yogurt, pickles - today's specific craving is grilled cheese & tomato soup.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The thought of most meat, especially chicken breast, and a lot of beef ... fish grosses me out for the first time in my life ... and any unmelted cheese. Yuck.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: A bit uncomfortable some nights ('cause of aforementioned stomach issues - and having to get up to use the bathroom all the time), but sleeping well for the most part.
Best moment this week: Having Sawyer and Isley kiss my belly and say "Hi!" to Baby Nielson :)
Have you told family and friends: Yes, finally!! It is even Facebook official. (Now the weekly blog and picture posts can finally be a regular thing!)
Miss Anything? Enjoying an adult beverage now and then ... that, and spicy tuna rolls. *sigh*
Movement: Nope, but I know our little lemon is movin' and shakin' in there!
Have you started to show yet: Nope! Just hang on a little while longer before making the stomach really poke out, Baby Nielson - Mama's got a wedding dress to wear soon! (Note - this picture is truly me "sticking it out" ... Steve doesn't let me "suck it in" at all for bump pics.)

Gender prediction: I say boy, Steve says girl. Hmmm ...
Labor Signs: Oh goodness, no.
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Wedding rings on or off? Engagement ring still comfortably swings around my finger a bit - actually a little big since losing some weight this past year. (Picked up our wedding rings from the jeweler last night, by the way! Eeeep! :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, except for when food doesn't agree with me ... :-/
Baby Stuff Purchased? We bought our first wall hanging that (we think) is going in the nursery - an elephant watercolor print from an artist at Pike Place Market. I love it! And elephants!
Looking forward to: My first OB appointment/seeing and hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time! Won't be long now ...

Pregnant Pondering at Nine Weeks ...

Today is the nine-week mark in this glorious, beautiful journey that is pregnancy ... and quite honestly I find myself puzzled, wondering when the cute, glowing, beaming, motherly sweetness part of it all is going to start. To be fair, I still have yet to take a real belly pic, see/hear our baby on an ultrasound, and tell a majority of our friends and family about the pregnancy. I suppose these special milestones will help bring up those romanticized, stereotypical feelings ... right? Don't get me wrong - I am completely thrilled to be a mama - but I have spent my entire adult life being stoked for the actual pregnancy part of motherhood. After nine weeks, I am less than impressed. While I try not to focus on the negative, I feel it is important to document this journey in a truthful, genuine way ... so, here goes.

Observation #1: I am in a constant state of digestive discomfort. Let me put it this way ... 99% of the time, I am feeling 1 of 2 ways - ravenously hungry (I don't mean casually hungry, I mean hungry like I just did my cleanse diet for a week hungry.) OR bloated/gassy/in pain/hating myself for eating whatever I just ate because I was so ravenously hungry. And please don't suggest eating healthier ... I have been eating extremely healthy, and it doesn't make a difference. My stomach hates everything I give it, even the things it specifically tells me to eat. I like that I haven't put on any weight so far, but I am not ashamed to admit that I am excited for the stage of pregnancy when I just want to eat everything in site. I miss being able to enjoy food! Note - I still had some of my Isagenix shake mix left over from doing it back in June, so this past week I tried making one a day, in addition to regular food. I still maintain that these shakes are tasty, chock full o' nutrients, and they're one of the few things I can consume right now and still feel GREAT. Definitely going to be relying on these over the next seven months!

Observation #2: I like to yell at Steve ... right after I cry for no reason ... and right before I smooch him and tell him how much I adore him. Yeah, my moods are ALL over the place, and I feel bad for the poor guy who has to live with me right now. Not only does he have to eat weird dinners (Turkey kielbasa, Kraft mac and cheese, and avocado egg rolls from California Pizza Kitchen=what we had for dinner this past Tuesday) but he has to weather the storm that is my fluctuating mood. Still more proof that I am for sure marrying the right man. He is so patient, understanding, and calm. Love you, Honey!

Observation #3: I hate the way everything smells. The two Scentsy warmers I was so excited to have recently acquired? They remain off. The fruity, exotic-smelling body wash I picked out mere weeks ago? Unusable. Everything pretty much needs to be unscented right now. If you douse yourself in perfume/cologne and try to have a conversation with me, I will kindly excuse myself ... and I won't come back. Don't be offended - it's the baby's fault!

Observation #4: You don't know whatcha got till it's gone ... never has that old cliche rung truer than during pregnancy. It applies to things like being able to relax with an icy cold beer at the end of a long day, going out for a nice sushi lunch, and feeling like you're in control of your body in general. My stomach issues really know no bounds at this point, I am no longer a heavy sleeper, and no matter how great I am about taking care of my skin, it breaks out. But it's all worth it, right?

Well, those are my main quirks that I am currently dealing with. On a positive note - inspired by a baby blog I've been following called Little Baby Garvin - I am in the process of creating my very own chalkboard! Hers is so darn cute that I couldn't help myself. I figured it would be a fun, creative way to document the pregnancy, and it can also be our to-do list/shopping list/reminder board. Already did a primer coat and two coats of chalkboard paint today ... just have to paint the edge tomorrow, then wait a few days before I can use chalk on it. So pumped! Once the board is hanging and ready to go, I will post my first official belly pic.

Well, Hubby just got home from work (at 10:24 p.m.) so I should probably go spend some time with him. He is willingly watching Sex and the City in the living room without me ... I think he feels bad that he was at work all day and night. :) Night!

Surprise!!

Welcome to my very first attempt at blogging!

I have never truly blogged before, so I am just now trying to teach myself all the ins and outs ... I am hoping that this online journal will evolve over time into something I can look back on and treasure for years to come. I am such a writer at heart, but rarely allow myself the time to just let the words flow. Couldn't be more excited about this new little project!

Now that the intro is out of the way, time to get down to the good stuff. This is (or, at least, is starting out as) a baby blog. Yep, you read that last sentence correctly. I'm pregnant! Surprise!

July 27, 2012 - It was a hot & sunny Friday afternoon in Glendale, AZ that I was spending with one of my "besties" (she loves that word), Kristie. We were having a girls' day ... heading over to the movie theater at Westgate to finally see Magic Mike (if you haven't yet, don't bother ... yikes.) and doin' some shopping. While browsing around at Target, I reminded myself that my period was exactly a week late at that point. Since our plans for that weekend included going out and getting considerably intoxicated, I figured the responsible, adult thing to do was to rule out any possible pregnancies before getting ridiculous. I realized since she was shopping with me AND I was spending the next couple of night with her, I would have to tell her about the test. I told her I needed to stop in the lady aisle and grab a First Reponse ... very casually, in the same tone I would use to tell someone I needed to pick up more Q-tips or some Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Naturally, she started to freak out (like any good friend) and demanded that I NOT be pregnant. I reassured her that I probably wasn't, and that this would just be to ease my mind. "You'd better not be pregnant," she reiterated. "This is probably your last weekend of non-married drinking. You NEED one more weekend, Alicia!!" I understood her concern, but really didn't think it was warranted. I was sure the test would be negative.

July 28, 2012 - The next morning, I woke up early and went into Kristie's bathroom to get the verdict. After actually performing the test, I took it into the spare room I was sleeping in, closed the door, and called Steve. We had already discussed the fact that I was late, and had agreed to test once I reached the one week point.

I took a deep breath, and decided to walk across the room to look at the results. I looked down and saw the little digital word YES with a + next to it, and decided at that point that I couldn't talk, breathe, or stand up any longer. I collapsed back down on the futon bed, and desperately tried to get those two little words out ... but all I could muster up was, "I read the test." The rest of the conversation went something like this:

Steve: "What? You read the past? I can't understand you."
Me: "No ... I read the test."
Steve: "Yeah? Well?"
Me: (long pause)
Steve: "What does it say, Honey?"
Me: "It says YES, plus sign." (This is where I start to weep.)
Steve: "I love you so much."

So that was it! Our whole lives changed in that little moment. I took another test when I got back to WA, just to be sure (and because there were two tests in the box I bought) and sure enough - another YES+! I am currently 6 weeks, 6 days along, and feeling great. Not too many symptoms reeling their ugly heads yet ... the worst so far are the headaches - I've had five in the last week that were bad enough that I had to take low dose Tylenol - sore chest, feel like I'm almost up one cup size already (seriously - it's ridiculous), a few more trips to the bathroom than normal, and a few food aversions and cravings. Aside from feeling a tad bit queasy once or twice, no real nausea or "morning sickness" to speak of yet. Little Baby Nielson is currently the size of a lentil bean, so that's been our nickname for him/her - our little lentil. :) Steve and I, although shocked at first, couldn't be more thrilled to be on this journey together for the first time. I am so excited to share that journey with others through this blog, too! Thanks for reading and for caring. Love love!