At the very end of August, Brian and I discovered that I was with child. We had been trying, deliberately, for a couple of months, and the timing was just perfect. We had just moved into our new house... and then we conceived!
We are thrilled, and we long for the day that we can hold this little one in our arms. I look forward to seeing Brian as a daddy. He has been reading about child training for years- long before we were together. I know he'll have that wonderful balance of being a fun-loving, bear-hugging dad, as well as a serious "teacher" who will train our children how to behave/not to behave and most importantly, to love the Lord. We see eye to eye on child rearing, as discovered in our many phone chats over long distance during the course of our courtship.
As for me, well, no words can express this joy. I have been "Aunt Courtney" for twelve years, when my oldest niece, Adriana, was born when I was in college. When Emmy was born, now five, my motherly longings really began to kick into full gear. I would hold her in my arms and gaze at her wee face... I couldn't help but think that my sister's child was the closest thing in the world to being my own. I loved her to pieces and couldn't wait for her to wake up from naps so I could hold her. I love all my nieces and nephews, but I remember those feelings very strongly, very keenly, at that time.
At one time I had thought I wanted to get pregnant right away after I was married. As I said, we didn't deliberately try for quite some time, and I'm glad of it. Both marriage and moving to another state was a lot of adjustment for me last year, and I think being pregnant would have been a lot to handle on top of it all. I feel more settled now here in PA and in our new home. After living here for a time, I already knew where I would go for my prenatal visits. I wasn't scrambling around feeling unprepared. Sometimes God knows exactly what we need, when we need it.
For our niece and nephew on Brian's side, Lauren and Ethan, this will be their first cousin! I'm pretty excited about that. For my oldest niece, Adriana, well, I think she's used to the kids that keep coming at this point. (My sister had four.) For both sets of parents, there is excitement all around.
I'm going to sum up a few points about my pregnancy below.
How I'm feeling: The nausea is basically over (I'm sixteen weeks now), but I've been very lightheaded lately, which brings nausea specifically at that time and the feeling that I will topple over. This is due to my naturally low blood pressure. Strangely, I have felt a bit more tired in the second trimester than the first, and I have needed a couple of naps lately.
How we're preparing: I'm reading up on natural childbirth, and specifically, the Bradley Method. I look to my sister for answers to my every question, as she has been through three natural births, including one with my cutie twin nephews. Even over Thanksgiving, she plans to show me some exercises and things I can do to prepare. I live too far to take the Bradley classes, but my sister knows enough that she can teach me. She also loaned me a book about husband coaching that Brian will be reading in the months ahead.
What I'm craving: Well, I've had my moments. Pizza was a big craving in mid-September, and very briefly, donuts (one satisfied me, though I may have spent time dreaming of more). Lately it's been bagels and cream cheese, and my parents thankfully brought bagels up for me from my favorite bagel place when they visited last week. Yum! I could not get enough.
Am I showing? I'll let you decide.
So I am, a bit, but this is a very fitted sweater, and most shirts don't reveal my belly this much. (A special thanks to my sister for her three big bags of maternity clothes.)
Just before I end this post, I'd like to say I've been sadly behind on posts in general, and even this post came later than intended. The problem for me is not writing. I am lazy when it comes to taking pictures and downloading them, and I fear that posts without pictures are a bore. I'll try to do better in the future!
