Here I am, once again running behind on blog posts and updating on my oh so glamorous life. I turned the big 25 on February 26th. I always have low-key birthdays, so I spent the day relaxing at home and my husband and I went out to Olive Garden for dinner. My husband did gift me a pair of vegan Birkenstocks and I got some Juicy Beauty products (thanks to my mama) that I had been dying to try out, but in more important news, we’ve been keeping a bit of a secret. This may or may not have contributed to my lack of posting…

We are expecting! Our very first baby is due on October 22, 2018!

Continue reading if you want to know the story of how we found out, my symptoms and cravings, how the ultrasounds went and how having Chiari while pregnant is going.

How We Found Out:

February 13, 2018  – We had just started trying for a baby, so I had it marked on my calendar for that week that if I had no cycle that I need to take a pregnancy test.  Me, being who I am, forgot to take one on Monday morning AND on Tuesday morning.

~ 19:00 – I worked all day on Tuesday and was so tired, but I remembered right after getting home to take the darn thing. So I went into the downstairs bathroom and locked the door after my husband tried to peep in on me (I wanted it to be a surprise if I was!). I grabbed a Clear Blue (not the fancy digital just the one that came with my ovulation predictor kit [that I actually never used – I literally used two of them to see if I had been ovulating!]) I saw the lines and I was in instant denial. Maybe since the I had already opened the test a week or two back (on accident), the test was too old and read incorrectly? I went into the kitchen in a kind of dumb-founded state and my husband looked at me and said “What?!” My face was smirking, my heart was racing. I gave him a hug and said “what do you want to eat?” WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT?! That’s all I could muster in my shocked state. We ate dinner and I sat there in a zoned out state, gulping down bottle after bottle of water trying to produce enough urine for the mass of sticks to follow (I’m surprised my hubby didn’t question my drinking vigorously – you would have thought I’d just appeared from the Sahara desert consumed with a thirst no drink could quench). After quickly shoveling my food down I told my husband I would go take a bath (I always unwind with a bath, ESPECIALLY if I work a double, so this was nothing new for him). I ran upstairs gathered another two Clear Blue tests and the cheap 99 cent HCG tester (this was a mistake, don’t buy these ladies). The first of three showed a definite pink line, the second a definite, but lighter pink line (less concentration, makes sense), and the HCG test was a no-go. Of course the 99 center made me question the other two (stupidly because I was trying to convince myself there wasn’t a way, I mean we just started trying and got pregnant within three months of stopping birth control, I had thought it would take six months to a year!). I sat upstairs water running, I got in and then out and then in and out again, but I didn’t actually soak or take the bath because I was in so much excitement and shock. I quickly got my robe on and drained the bath and grabbed the pair of baby Converse (shown in photo) I had bought a year ago just for this moment. I ran downstairs grabbed my husband’s Valentine gift that I had stashed on top of our DVD/Bookshelf Stand and smiled at him running back upstairs and muttering he would get his gift early. I packed the shoes inside some tissue paper along with my positive tests and stuffed it in the gift bag (it had a pug on it naturally) which contained a nerdy Star Wars Valentine card, a Nano MetalFig Dumbledore (as a hint to the movie collection), the Harry Potter 8-Film Collection (may have been more for me than him…) and a cute jar of date night ideas from Hallmark.

~ 20:00 – This is where I kind of gave it away to Caleb. I asked him to go let the dogs out while I set up his surprise Valentine, but he was spying on me from outside as I grabbed and fumbled with the Go Pro. I yelled at him to stay outside (it was like one minute people!), BUT he saw me set up the Go Pro in hopes of secretly capturing his reaction. I was a little irritated, but this moment would be one that we would forever remember so I quickly got over it and handed him the Valentine Day card. He read over it and looked at me and smiled (his face reading is this supposed to be the surprise?). I then grabbed the baby converse wrapped up in tissue paper and handed it to him with the biggest smile on my face. He opened it and looked at me with tears in his eyes: “I’m going to be a daddy?” I quickly nodded and handed him the pregnancy tests. The next several minutes included hugging, crying, and pure excitement. We decided to FaceTime our parents immediately and tell them the good news. It felt like a dream for a long time and just now is sinking in that I have a little being inside. We went to the doctor the following day to confirm our at-home tests and Happy Valentines, you’re going to be parents!

The Ultrasounds

I’ll never forget my first ultrasound. Seeing our baby with such a tiny heartbeat reduced me to tears instantly. On our first ultrasound, we thought we were eight weeks, but turns out we were at six weeks! Our due date of October 14th was pushed back to the 22nd and we were in awe of how tiny our little beansprout was. There is nothing like seeing your baby for the first time: the fear, the worry, the excitement all join together in one emotion until you see that little heart beating away, then just an overwhelming feeling of joy.

The second ultrasound was taken at eleven weeks. I was shocked to see how much she/he had grown. The technician was measuring my ovaries and uterus and we got a quick glance of the baby before the big moment and she/he was dancing around! I exclaimed “Oh my God!” How could our little baby grow that fast! Of course she/he automatically tried napping when the ultrasound technician need her/him to move for the genetic scan. We tried coughing, jumping jacks, and using the ultrasound probe the jiggle the baby to move, but baby was settling in for a nap and just kept rolling over as if to say “leave me alone already!” We have one deep sleeper here, just like mama.

Symptoms

The first trimester was full of symptoms: (incredibly) tender breasts that have doubled in size, occasional nausea and vomiting (out of nowhere sometimes), extreme fatigue/exhaustion and crying over the smallest of things (for example Taco Bell not getting my burrito right, my husband not having breakfast ready when I got home from kennels, and when Biggie Smalls won Best in Show for the Toy Group). I cry hardcore at any sad part in movies now and even scrolling through facebook posts can trigger me. Today I saw a photoshoot of the last day for an old Labrador and I am tearing up just now thinking of the good boy enjoying his last outing and cheeseburgers before going to heaven. Man the onions are strong here. ALL THE TIME. Whew okay, I’ve collected myself to continue on.

My Cravings

 Sonic’s mozzarella sicks with honey mustard. Honey Mustard is a must, no I will not eat them with marinara or ranch. I’ll admit I enjoy these with a large diet coke. The ice there is phenomenal and the only caffeine I get now comes in the form of a diet coke (which I have limited to be in the good range of caffeine milligrams per day). Fried egg sandwiches. My husband is a pro at making them just right with no runny egg whites. I like my bread toasted (like brown crispy, but not burnt), a slice of cheddar cheese (HEB’s delicious slices, not the nasty American individually wrapped crap) and my egg topped with salt and pepper. Yum. Taco Bell’s Veggie Power Burrito, which is a black bean burrito with lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream, with no guacamole and preferably no avocado ranch for me (it comes with these two, but after I got sick back in 2014 from what I believe was Subway’s old avocado… never again) with a perfectly grilled tortilla on the outside. OH and their nacho cheese is the best, so chips and cheese (what used to be called an order of nachos, but no longer is because they have all the fancy ones now) is a must. Subway’s Veggie Delite subs. Lately I’ve wanted Rice Krispies: Birthday Cake Edition, they are so good! Unfortunately I’m not one of those pregnant mamas who say I crave salads and fruits…

Chiari and Pregnancy

My doctor is fully aware of my health problems, he did say I have one of the best CBCs he has ever seen and that I was at a great weight. The biggest concern with Chiari is the actual childbirth: pushing too hard can cause harmful strain (doctor said I could have an assisted birth [which I do not want to do]), getting a spinal can pull the brain material downwards more, and getting an epidural (although my doctor says it’s relatively safe) can also cause problems with my fragile cerebral spinal fluid if they accidentally puncture the wrong area. He seems pretty confident that my Chiari will not cause any issues in this pregnancy. I have no familial genetic issues and I am in pretty good health and spirits at this time. I have had to go cold turkey on a lot of my medicines (no more anti-anxiety, pain or migraine relief), but I am surprisingly holding my own although the pain in my hips, knees, back, and neck can be overwhelming on days. My migraines have actually improved and I have switched to Tylenol as needed as my cure-all. I will not do anything to harm this baby so keeping my stress low is of vital importance for both of our wellbeing.

I cannot believe I am already in my second trimester (that went by fast)! We have decided not to find out the gender until birth. This has been set in my mind since I was a little girl. My mom didn’t find out when she was pregnant with my brother or me and I always wanted to be surprised. I can imagine after spending so many hours in grueling labor that it will be even so much more worth it to find out if your little being is a girl or a boy (I always imagined having a daughter). I am so full of different emotions, but overall we are so excited to start this new chapter in our lives and our pugs will be amazing big sisters.

Xo,

Cass (& little beansprout)