"Mama's got a baby in her belly"

Yup. And we have been hearing this for the last 4+ weeks. Luckily, most people cannot understand her, so when she told my mom (multiple times), my mom just thought she was saying something about shaking her booty.

Where do I start? Well, I am sure you guys thought I got all uppity since I did a guest post and haven't responded to comments or posted much of anything. The thing is, I have been so sick. This pregnancy has been WAY worse than when I was pregnant with Avery. All day nausea has been killer. It is everything I can do to get up in the morning and to work. I sip water and munch on cheerios all day long. Certain times of the day seem worse than others. And the headaches. And constipation. And Oh My WORD am I tired. Like in bed the same time as Avery tired. Some days I can pull it together and feel somewhat normal, but most days, I am checking my calendar to see how much longer until my 2nd trimester.

There isn't much that doesn't make me feel like I am going to get sick. Looking at a computer screen (not quite helpful when I spend 8 hours of my day doing it), scrolling through my phone. And for the love of food on Instagram! I have to scroll quick but the faster I go, the sicker I get. So I've been trying to limit my time on there. On any screen for that matter. It helps a little.

Enough complaining. It's all for the best reward, right? And the nausea is somewhat comforting in that this pregnancy is moving along and growing a little human.

In true Meg-form, let's keep this nice and long winded. Grab a pot of coffee and find a comfy seat. More points to you if you are fast reader.              

So I had my IUD removed at the end of July with the hope of getting pregnant in August for a May baby. We got pregnant with Avery the first try so I was confident that we would do it again this time. Except we didn't and it took 2 tries (which I know is fast), a lot of me being crazy, and a big thank you to Kaly for enduring my crazy train texts while she is trying to get through her own pregnancy. It seems the magic happened sometime around the beginning of October - because I know all the internets want to know That -and we found out with a good old box pregnancy test on October 23rd. I actually took a test on the 18th, 6 days before my period, because I wanted to give it to Ryan as a present on our anniversary that day. But it came up Not Pregnant. Can you believe those directions on the tests are actually correct? Crazy. So I waited and when I didn't get my always-on-schedule-period the 23rd, I stopped at Target on my way home from spin class and grabbed a test. I took one test before I got in the shower, while Ryan was getting ready to go to the gym and Avery was jumping on our bed, waiting to go to bed. It came up PREGNANT, I walked into our bedroom and handed it to Ryan. He looked a little surprised, since he didn't even know I was taking the test. I think we were both kind of surprised that it happened that fast.

Then we had the longest month ever, waiting for our first OB appointment. Ryan got stuck in traffic on 95 that day and was not able to make it in time but it was a pretty average appointment and my doctor was "pretty certain" that there is only one baby in there. See, there are a few twins in my family. Actually, one of my sisters and one of my brothers were both supposed to be twins but my mom miscarried. I have uncles that are identical twins on my dad's side and my mom has twins on her mom's side. The ultrasound machine was not working properly so we didn't get a good picture of the sweet little gummi bear floating around.

I got to hear the heart beat and that is always the most reassuring part for me. It was 168 so I am calling a girl. Avery's was about the same and my friend at work swears by that old wives tale. We will see though. We are definitely finding out the gender but will probably keep the name to ourselves until the baby is born like we did with Avery. I think it just avoids a lot of the name opinions. I have enough of my own, I don't want to hear anyone elses. The boy names are pretty much set, the same as it would have been if Avery was a boy. I know what girl first name I want, but I'm trying to sell it to Ryan. Middle names are giving me some trouble as I would like to use something that has meaning and honors someone in our family, like Margaret is for Avery. But there are not many names I either like or that haven't been overused by other family members. I know the right name will come. I mean I do have 7 more months to decide.

We have only told a handful of people, and will be telling our families on Thanksgiving Day. Since you are reading this on Friday, everyone knows now! We will be calling my dad and grandparents in Florida Thursday morning, then telling my mom and family around 2 and then Ryan's family at dinner around 5. It should be a very thankful Thanksgiving ;-)

I am due July 3rd and am already praying for a mild summer. Because Avery's shoulder got stuck during her birth, my doctor wants to monitor this baby more closely and if he/she seems to be getting too big or I don't go early, she may recommend a c-section. I really do not care either way, I just want to do what ever will be the best for the baby and my health. It seems Avery's birth was a lot more traumatic than I remember. I can recall the rush of nurses in the room and the nurse on top of me pushing on my stomach but I really have lost most of it these past 2 and a half years.

Besides the 1st trimester feeling like crap, I am really struggling with gaining weight. I have been working so hard to lose it, and now its all I can do just to get to work in the morning and home in the afternoon never mind getting to spin or body pump and forget running! I have been trying to make myself go to at least 1 spin class a week but I spend most of it trying not to inhale the room stank or puking on the person next to me after an interval of jumps. I am really hoping and praying that I can get back to my normal routine once I start feeling better. It is really important to me to stay fit and healthy through this pregnancy so it will be much easier to get back to it and lose the rest of my weight after. It is hard not fitting into those clothes I worked so hard to get into. And to have to put back on the "fat" pants - even though, oh man, are they comfy. I know I have little control of my expanding middle area, but I will do my best to keep my legs and arms in shape and hopefully my double chin at bay. I am in a much better state than I was 6 months ago, 30lbs lighter and a better idea of what I need to do to keep the weight off.

That is about it for now. If you are the praying kind, please keep us in your prayers.
I will leave you with a few cute shots my best friend in real life took of us the other weekend:

xoxo