Early Pregnancy Symptoms

On January 22nd, Adam went to the Dollar Store and picked up a pregnancy test. I took it that evening before bed, and it was positive! So beings our 4th journey down this road...

I've been meaning to get on here for a while now and write down some of the pregnancy "symptoms" I've been having, some enjoyable, some not-so-much. Here are the top 3 that have been "ailing" me since about a week ago (about 5 weeks pregnant).

1. Tired. All. The. Time. Chasing around the two littles we already have, one of which woke up twice last night, and being pregnant... yikes! I go to bed when the kids go to bed and struggle to get up an hour or two before them so I can shower and get ready for the day. (That's like 10 hours of sleep!)

2. "Funny tummy," as Nora calls it. No matter when you eat or how often, you just have that "funny tummy" pretty much 24/7. (Again, chasing around two toddlers doesn't help matters any.)

3. This one I just started this morning, and it is always my favorite pregnancy symptom! My hair barely falls out! By the time I have the baby, my hair is so full and thick! I love it! Of course a few months postpartum, it all starts falling out in mass quantities, and I hate it, but at least I can have 9 months of beautiful hair!

My Bereaved Mother's Day Suprise

Originally written May 6, 2012

We went to a wedding last night for Adam's cousin, and Nora had her first overnight with Grandma. It was nice to be able to sleep in and not wake up to feed a baby. Though I did have to get up and pump in the morning, and I did kind of miss having my little girl crawl all over us while we lay in bed hoping she'll fall back asleep, so we can catch a few more zzzs. But I did find out later that morning, that we weren't actually alone in bed!

I got up eventually and pumped, and later Adam came down. Before we ate breakfast, I decided I wanted to shower. And while I was in the bathroom, I decided I should check to see if Nora's new habit of nursing at night had been playing with my cycle or if I might actually be pregnant. So I pulled out my last magic pee stick, and put it to use. Of course, silly me, I didn't read the instructions before (I've done this at least twice before, so I know what I'm doing, right?), and so I set it face down and walked away to read the instructions. Really, I just wanted to know how long I was supposed to wait (5 minutes, not the 3 I was thinking), and I read it's supposed to be face up. So I walked back over, and flipped it around to see two very clear lines. Well, I knew what that meant without reading the instructions (besides it said it on the stick). I decided not to tell Adam (and as I sit here writing this and he sits playing videos games and keeping Nora out of trouble, he still doesn't know. Our anniversary is coming up on Wednesday, and I kept jokingly telling him that since our first anniversary was also my first mother's day (it was the exact same day!), and on our second anniversary, I was pregnant with our second child, that I didn't want to be pregnant with our third child on our third anniversary... Well, I guess we didn't quite make that one! But I'm okay with that!

My sister-in-law is doing this with her pregnancy (She's due in just over two weeks, on Danni's due date, May 22), and I thought it was kind of fun, so I thought I'd try it out. (Copying is the best form of flattery, right?)

How far along?: 4 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Being as I just found out this morning, I wouldn't say anything at this point!
The Bump: So non-existent that Adam doesn't even know! (I think I'll try to do pictures every week for this one, but since my camera man would be a little suspicious about why he's taking a "bump" photo, we'll wait until next time.
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Telling Adam on Wednesday!
Maternity Clothes: My sister-in-law just gave me a bunch of mine back plus some of hers, but I'm not even close to wearing them yet.
Symptoms: Either it's from staying up late for the wedding last night, or it's our new little parasite that's has sucked the energy out of me. (I'm thinking its the wedding... I've been pregnant tired!)
Belly Button in or out?: It's still half-out from Danni & Nora. I guess I can't expect it to go back in any time soon now!
Food Cravings/Aversions: I still hate seafood, does that count?
What I miss: My period? Nope, I guess I don't really miss that!
Milestones: I guess during week 4 our little blob of cells will split into two parts, the baby and the placenta. I should also schedule my first doctor appointment.

Better Kept Secret

With Danielle, we had decided to tell our parents & siblings early on, but then let the rest of the world know after we were through the first trimester. It turned out the news traveled fast, and Adam's brother, Ben, found out we were expecting from his neighbor, instead of us.

Since we had that experience, we said right after that, that with our next child, we would wait to tell everyone until the second trimester. But since our pregnancy with Danni was so public, and people we didn't even know were praying for her (don't get me wrong, we really do appreciate all the prayers), I felt the need to keep the next one to ourselves for as long as we could. We joked that we would show up with a 5-year-old to Christmas one year, and finally tell people.

So far, so good. We have kept our secret, though, we have only really known for about a week. Which I suppose is better than with Danielle, since Adam had told his brother, Jon, the day we found out. (They were up getting the cabin ready for hunting, and I think Adam was just itching to tell someone.)

4 Weeks, 3 Days
I was looking at pictures from when I was pregnant with Danni, and this one would probably compare to a picture when I was about 13 weeks along with her... Maybe we won't be able to keep it a secret for as long as we want!