Weeks 6 to 15...Part 2

...and back to Hawaii we flew.

Monday, June 17: Going back to reality was tough, of course! Luckily I was still feeling really healthy other than getting tired pretty quickly, bloating and the breakouts that seemed to keep creeping up no matter what!

Even though I still felt bloated, I was surprised I looked slimmer this week than 2 weeks ago! No weight change, and my pants were still not so comfy to keep buttoned after I ate. I just kept reading, "It's bloat, not baby," [This date was technically week 9- BUT, we took the picture before]














Monday, June 24: The next couple weeks were pretty smooth, my appetite was gaining- though my sweet tooth was completely gone. My normal chocoholic self was not interested in sweets aside from fruit.

By week 10 I was falling asleep right after work and hardly waking up long enough to have dinner, take Kunu outside and wait for Adam to get home. Luckily I was walking to-and-from work every day, so at least I clocked in a 3+ mile walk Monday-Friday and another hour or two of walking with Kunu every day. I was definitely hungry...for fruit, cheese and plain romaine lettuce with ranch (and I am NOT a fan of ranch ordinarily).










As we got closer to the end of the first trimester it began to get SO much harder not to let the news leak to too many more people. By now, most of the family and Hawaii friends knew- as well as the friends we saw while we were in Minnesota. We had to remind the family not to post anything online! It was tough!

Monday, July 8: WEEK 12! We made it to the 2nd trimester, wahoo! Just one week to the next appointment, and the day to tell everyone our excitement! I started being able to feel how hard the bottom of my abdomen was getting- even Adam noticed and just those little things make this whole thing more real!

At this point I was feeling simultaneously hungry, tired, restless, and had to pee. Still a minimal sweet tooth, but a growing desire for sour and salty. Also, cold showers became my BFF. Feeling hot when the tradewinds disappear is an awful feeling. It drives the hormonal-ness to a new level.

I experienced my first "cry" spell between 10 and 12 weeks...my poor, poor Adam. I was both laughing and crying because I knew there was NO reason for tears, and he was looking at me helpless because I had just freaked out and could not stop the tears. Whoops... but nothing a little vanilla ice cream couldn't mend.






Tuesday, July 16:  WE TOLD FACEBOOK... aka THE WORLD, our fabulous news! We were overwhelmed with love and support by people who already knew, friends and family far away, and a surprising amount of people we haven't spoken to in a long time. At 13 weeks, the only way I could tell I was "with child," was the fact that I have been acutely aware of EVERY smell in the universe, good, bad and ugly- an appetite for days, and the ability to pee every 20 minutes. Thanks, baby, for not moving further up my abdomen yet...

Tuesday, July 30: Time flies when you're busy, pregnant and sleepy! The last few weeks, I think Adam has had more cravings than me. My sweet tooth has slowly returned, unfortunately. I was kind of happy not craving chocolate daily as I used to. Oh well... as long as I get my gobs of fruits, veggies and protein- a sweet or salty treat at the end of my busy day is all good!

I have continued to walk to and from work every day, and we've even found the energy to do a couple long walk/jogs on the weekends as a little family. The last week, my energy has significantly improved. It's nice to not pass out right away when I get home, and then sleep all night.  I think "baby" is finally starting to show a little bit in my midsection. My pants are permanently unbuttoned (out of comfort). They CAN still button, but who likes a muffin top...not this girl.  My skin has cleared up in the last couple weeks (thank goodness!) which has been a super plus!









We are getting excited for the next ultrasound, which is unfortunately still a few weeks away- BUT it's all scheduled! We also get to meet the rest of our healthcare team in a couple weeks, so that will be great, too!

Just an FYI- we are "team green," aka- as much as Adam has tried to convince me we should find out the gender of this little monster...we are not! I am all for surprises, and this will be the absolute GREATEST surprise of our lives up to now.

That's all for now! Every couple weeks I'll have a photo and an update so you can "watch baby grow!"

Lots of love and excitement,
 Momma-to-be

The beginning of an adventure: Week 6 to 15

Ah! We're having a baby!

From the moment I woke from a sound sleep and knew instantly there was a life developing inside me and the ocean of emotions when the home test showed "PREGNANT" almost immediately, I knew the time of my life I've been waiting for since I was a young girl was finally happening! I may be a "career girl," but being a MOM has always been the most important piece of what would define my life.  I could not be more lucky to have found Adam, my loving, goofy, talented husband, the yin to my yang, and he will be the best DAD. This adventure into parenthood is bound to be our most exciting yet (and we've had some great ones already!)

Without further adieu- here is the journey so far:

Saturday, May 11: My 5:00AM stomach cramp wake up call to tell me the good news. All week i was feeling "different" and when I woke up then, there was not a tiny doubt. After I did a tearful happy dance, I looked over to my sweet, sleeping boys and debated for a good 15 minutes whether to wait until Adam woke up to tell him...but decided on jumping on him and waking him up with "YOU'RE GOING TO BE A DADDY!!!"  After he registered what I said, lots of giggles, hugs and kisses followed.

Symptoms: Stomach cramping, fleeting nausea, jawline breakout & extremely sore breasts. Though none of that mattered I was so excited! I was almost 5 weeks in this picture. (Exactly one week after my first positive test) The biggest challenge I had was not blurting it out to everyone!






Saturday June, 1: I am officially feeling bloated. I fully realized there was no way it was baby making me feel like I couldn't wear pants- but it wasn't awesome. Aside from bloating, extreme thirst and insomnia- I felt just fine. We were getting excited to go back to Minnesota to share our news with the family. At the end of Week 6, still just letting this sink in!



Oddly enough I look "biggest" in this picture... Halfway due to bloating the other half, poor body position. Either way, just pure excited!














Monday, June 3: We had our first ultrasound to confirm the due date- baby Keck measured at exactly 7 weeks, setting our Estimated Due Date at January 20, 2014!! The heartbeat was right on track and put our confidence in telling the family the following week even higher!

Wednesday & Thursday, June 12&13: The wonderful days that we got to share our incredible news with the family! First up was the Kecks, since it was the only night we would be out with them. We wrapped up the plaque and let Mom open it up. Here is the "before and after" pictures when they found out. The joy in their faces is priceless.

...and now for the Wiswell's. We had family photos planned with Brandon Tormanen, and lucky for me he's a long-time good friend so I was able to be pretty sneaky! I love their expressions. 

The only reaction photo I didn't get was my Mom- and I am bummed I didn't because she was donned in her work uniform flailing her arms running through the dining room screaming, "YAYY!!!!" It was adorable! I had one of her servers bring the ultrasound picture back and act like an angry customer gave her a "bad note," well, I heard her yelp from all the way back in the kitchen as she burst through charging me with hug arms! 

I am SO glad we got to tell our families in person. It just would not have been the same over a phone call or FaceTime experience. It was so worth the surprise on yet another trip back to the MinneApple! 

...and on to part two (before this gets too long!)