Long Awaited

I started this blog in late 2009 by recapping the wonderful honeymoon that followed our rendition of a fairytale wedding, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't this post, over two years later, that I've been most excited about. In fact, as anyone who knows me even remotely well can vouch, I've dreamed about and longed for this news since I was four years old - the age when my mom and dad gave me a real-life baby doll, my sister, Alex. Lucky for me, thanks to his family-centered upbringing and the wonderful man that he is, Jimmy shared the same dream for our future. That's right folks....

JIMMY AND I ARE EXPECTING A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at the little legs on the left

I'm due May 23rd, making me just over 12 weeks. Hope you enjoy the following recap on our (secretive) last couple months.

Happy Anniversary to Us
The weekend of September 16th marked our two year anniversary and the beginning of our pregnancy test window. What better place to kill two birds with one stone than beautiful Charleston, SC. On Saturday, September 17th, at about 9am our world changed for the great when we got the idiot-proof, digital "positive".  I might have shed a quick tear, but for the most part, we were both instantly gleaming.

Labradoodle Rodeo
It's recommended you wait until the end of the first trimester to share the pregnancy news, but I'm the world's worst liar and we were just too excited to keep it a secret any longer, so news was shared prematurely with immediate family. With Jimmy's family being in MD and us unable to wait until Thanksgiving to tell them, Jimmy used the riddle, "What's one inch long and hyper-active?" (see below) I was still at the doctors when he talked to everyone, but I know there was lots of excitement when they came up with the correct answer. Follow-up calls and texts expressing their love and support were so appreciated. For the Heintzelman family, it was some stackable baskets with a note that said, "It's time to bring out your grandma toys" for my mom, an "I'm going to be a big brother" bandana on Malloy for my dad and Ali, and a call to Colin in AZ. My mom has been collecting "grandma toys" for years, so she instantly got what the reference meant. The reveal was not so smooth, however, with my dad and Ali. Malloy, the high strung labradoodle, was supposed to calmly prance up to my dad and Ali and sit very nicely with his back to them so they would take notice of this bandana. Instead, we ended up having to chase him around the kitchen, wrangle him to sitting position and hold him down just long enough for them to read the bandana. All and all, they were fun reveals!

Excuse the wrinkles - post wrangle shot

One Inch Long and "Hyper-Active"
We went to our first doctor's appointment on October 18th at which point I was 9 weeks along. The warm jelly, the ultrasound wand, the appearance of our baby on the screen - it was even more special than I thought it would be. The most exciting part though was seeing him/her moving around and seeing and hearing a strong heartbeat. The technician was actually surprised to hear that I didn't have any caffeine before our visit because the baby was so active. I think her exact words were, "wow, that's a hyper active fetus." Hence, Jimmy's riddle mentioned above. Oh geez. He/she is going to be a little Jimmy or Kelly!

PEEEAANUT BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom (that's me!) has had an amazingly smooth first trimester. No morning sickness, heartburn, dizziness - nothing. Just really, really unusually tired. Monday-Friday I stay busy at work, usually just have a sinking spell at around 4ish, and then try to rally for exercise and dinner before it's off to bed. I am then dead to the world for 8+ hours, only waking momentarily to sleepwalk to the bathroom...about 10 times a night. Saturday and Sunday, I get out and about and then take a long nap. It's been absolute bliss. I'd like to say that I'm not having cravings, but that would be a lie. I am loving some peanut butter, so much so that Jimmy likes to impersonate me groaning like a cross between Frankenstein and Cookie Monster, "Peeeeaaannnuttt Butter." I enjoy my daily dose with apple slices and then all is well with the world. I also like chocolate milk which I have in the form of hot chocolate with whipped cream on special occasions, but nightly in the form of chocolate soy milk. I am loving all kinds of fruit. I only stomach veggies for me and the baby. I can only choke down minimal meat at this point - I hear meat is a fairly common pregnancy dislike. Lastly, I LIKE savory sides like mac and cheese and comfort foods like pizza. Better keep up the exercise and hope that I return to a healthier palette soon.

This is an extremely long post and I can't share ALL of details at one time, so more to come - including belly(less) pictures - in future posts.

Love,
The happiest me ever