So blessed

My mom and sister went shopping for me! The two of them were graciously thinking of me and picked out the cutest maternity clothes to send my way. I love everything! I am so blessed to have such a loving family. THANKS Mom and Felicia!

a little wiggle

I've been waiting for the moment that I would feel the first little wiggle in my belly. Well, I marked my calendar because today was the day! I was at work, hunched over my desk, when I felt a tiny punch from the inside, low in my stomach. I waited a moment, and it happened again! I think the baby didn't like being squished... so I decided to squish it more to see if that was the case. The more I hunched over, the more kicking and punching went on. Little baby just wanted some room to stretch! It was adorable and quite a moment that I took in fully. I was the only one in the room and just sat there with a huge smile on my face enjoying the miracle I was experiencing. I am amazed at how real this is feeling now and getting more excited every day!

17 Weeks!

Here is everyone in the family at 17 weeks...

Notice my new

maternity work pants. (See blog below)

Jeff's belly...

And Divot's belly!

Room Is Needed

I have been trying to wear my regular wardrobe for as long as possible. At this point, it's just not working, which prompted a minor meltdown today. I have been safety pinning and stretching hair elastics and ribbons across my clothing to give me a couple extra inches in the waist. At first I felt clever and inventive about my efforts, but now it just makes me feel sloppy and uncomfortable, not to mention worried that the elastic may slip allowing my pants to drop to my ankles. I've asked friends about what they wore during the in between stage, and everyone's answer was sweats. Unfortunately, I work full-time and don't have the luxury of wearing sweats to work. So, after attending church in uggs and a sweatshirt, I went in search of maternity wear. If I had an unlimited budget, this process would be a piece of cake with all the trendy options available. But this is not the case. I kept a conservative approach, knowing that I would only be wearing these items for a few months, and headed to Old Navy Maternity and Gap Maternity. Both have an up to date selection, with their best assets being their fabulous clearance racks! I ended up with a pair of elastic banded waist, black work pants and another pair in khaki. Practical, and oh so comfortable. I look forward to being able to sit and breathe comfortably in my new pants at work this week! :)

Things are changing...

Bye bye belly ring, and hello new bra! Today I removed my belly ring and I reached to the back of my lingerie drawer for a bigger, better fitting bra for the growth taking place. Luckily, I'm still fitting into my regular clothes, barely. :)

Happy Birthday Divot!

Today is Divot's 3rd birthday! We love him so much and are so thankful for him everyday. We're excited to introduce him to the new member of the family later this year!

The Secret's Out!

I finally told everyone at work about the exciting news! I figured I was to the 4 month mark and it was about time. Plus, Jeff had been bugging me to do it for weeks. I was apprehensive about telling them because I am the 4th employee in 1 year to announce a pregnancy. There are only 8 employees (all women), and 2 are currently still on maternity leave. I was afraid everyone would be a little baby'd out, but they are all super excited and happy for us! Hooray for another work baby shower!

These days are over!

I think I can officially say that I am not sick anymore... yay! It's been a long time coming, but everyone said it would get better. Food is finally starting to look a little more appetizing. Time to start nourishing this baby!

We'll see...

A few days after the announcement, Jeff's mom wanted to do "the ring test". She placed my wedding bad on a chain and hung it over my wrist to determine what the baby is going to be and how many siblings are in the works.

The results: Jeff and I will have 5 kids - girl, boy, boy, girl, boy

She is very positive about the results. We'll just have to wait and see! :)

Our little 'coffee bean'

Jeff and I were giddy for weeks knowing that we shared such a big secret between the two of us. The dinner topic every night was when and how we were going to share the exciting news. This was a big moment that we wanted to be perfect.

The one time of year both of our familes always get together is Christmas Eve - what a perfect night to surprise everyone one with the news! I have of course been reading, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and keeping up with all the online pregnancy websites to keep me in the know for the coming months ahead. I had read that right around Christmas, the baby would be the size of a coffee bean. Perfect! That's what we were going to wrap up and give to our parents to fill them in on our secret. :)

Here's how it went...

A coffee bean?

"It's showing you about the size of our baby." :)