I got home a bit later than normal tonight because I had a recruiting dinner in Durham (Maggiano’s, yum!), so tonight’s post will be short and sweet…just wanted to share some pics from this past weekend (NC State game and quick visit with Jamie). The weather was beautiful and we had a great time with our friends! And I FINALLY made an effort to actually be in the pictures… I have very few pictures with me in them since I’ve actually been showing, so I’m going to try to do better!

The food…hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, and beef-wrapped jalapenos and pineapple

Newly engaged Aunt Bekah and Uncle Kyle

Me and my beautiful little sis!

Jon was trying to do the Wolfpack sign for little miss Hadley ;)

My love and me…Hadley’s 3rd State football game

Me with the birthday boy…Happy 30th Jeff!

Some of the girls…Brittney, Ashley and me (helloooo belly)

Jon and Kyle playing some cornhole

Bek and I playing cornhole (I am terrible, for the record)

Bekah wanted to do a little photo shoot…me at 28 weeks!

As if there was any doubt…!

And finally, a quick visit with my bff Jamie after the game…28 weeks and 18 weeks!

That’s all for tonight, kids… heading to bed! I will try to write an update on our recent car drama tomorrow!

-S

Seeing these boys (and also the girls who aren’t in the pic)…

Eating yummy food at tailgating…

Seeing what Mike Glennon has to offer the Wolfpack…

Enjoying this view on Sunday and Monday…

Some QT with my other “baby”…

Spending time the whole fam damily…

and FINALLY seeing Bek’s bling in person!

I’m REALLY needing Friday to hurry up and be over. It’s going to be a great weekend! Hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

-S

As promised… I have some BIG news to share. I mean REALLY big. And it has nothing at all to do with babies. 

MY LITTLE SISTER IS ENGAGED!!!!!!!!

Bekah and Kyle have been dating for a little over 2.5 years, and I can honestly say that I knew after only the first time meeting Kyle that my sister would marry him one day. It was obvious that he was crazy about Bekah (and the feeling was mutual) and he was polite, smart, and driven…everything I could have ever hoped that Bekah would find. To sum it up…they are perfect for each other, see?!

Hahaha, I couldn’t resist. But seriously, Kyle is SUCH a catch:

Bekah is so lucky to have him! ;)

All jokes aside, I would say that after about the first year of dating, we (my family and I) were all ready for a ring and a wedding at pretty much any time. But Kyle likes to do things on his own time (#1 reason probably being that Bekah was constantly sending him pictures of rings that she liked that cost about as much as Escalades…), so we waited. And waited. And waited. I was really hoping that he was going to ask her this summer…and my wish came true!

The two of them, along with Kyle’s mom, Kathy, drove up to upstate New York last Thursday night to spend some time with some of Kyle’s family who live there. I found out after the fact that Kyle went to see my Dad on Wednesday afternoon and asked for her hand in marriage…so my Dad and Mom both successfully kept their mouths shut and did not spill the beans to me before it actually happened, I am shocked. ;) Anyway, on Saturday afternoon, they went out to a gorgeous piece of property in New York that belongs to Kyle’s uncle, and, with the help of Kyle’s mom and aunt, this is what Bekah saw when they arrived:

Beautiful, right? She was completely shocked (which is the best part) and obviously SHE SAID YES! Just shortly after it happened, she sent a text with a picture of the ring—no explanation or anything. To say I was shocked is the understatement of the century. I can’t believe it finally happened and I had no idea it was even coming! I am so glad, though, that she got to share the news with me herself—it is one of those sister moments that I will never forget. Now, pics of the bling (might want to put your sunglasses on, just warning you):

Great job on the ring, Kyle! And Bek—I would say this was DEFINITELY worth the wait, right? ;) Jon and I could not be any happier for you two (I am still shaking I’m so excited!) and cannot wait for all of the wedding planning and festivities that are to come. Enjoy the engagement, it will fly by! This is going to be (and already is) one of the happiest, most exciting times in your life so make sure you take the time to enjoy it. 

Congratulations for the millionth time, we love you both very much!

-S

**I wrote this on Saturday as soon as I found out the news. She has forced me to wait to post anything until tonight, after she has told all her best friends in person. For the record, I did NOT want to wait. So, it is now 9:30 and I’m going to bed, but scheduling this to post at 11 after her friends know. I am not sure whether it will actually post or not…but we’ll see. The things I do for you, sister. ;)

OK, so I am pretty late on this week’s update, but in my defense, we are on vacation, and I really haven’t even wanted to turn on a computer! We have spent the week at the lake while my parents are in Montana, and it has been JUST what we needed: totally relaxing and low-key (and cheap! ha!).

I am 14 weeks, 6 days today. I have just five words for you: God Bless the 2nd Trimester!!!!!! I officially feel like myself again (well, like myself with my normal appetite multiplied by 5)! The sickness is G-O-N-E, thank the Lord, and in its place is the most incredible appetite I’ve ever had. I am trying to follow my doctor’s advice and eat about every two hours, but I will admit it’s usually more often than that, haha! I guess I am making up for all the weeks of not being able to eat much, if anything. So, to catch you up on the stats:

Size of Baby A: Lemon 

Weight Gain So Far: 0 lbs

Cravings: Currently, ice cream (eating a big bowl as we speak). Lately, fruit, any kind of chips or salty snack.

Aversions: Cannot think of a single one right now. As Oprah would say…Halleluyer!

Symptoms: Other than being starving all the time…still pretty tired. But, luckily, since we’ve been on vacay I have been getting plenty of rest!

What I Miss: Still wine, would have liked to drink a bottle or 5 this week on vacation. ;)

Things I am Thankful For: VACATION!!!

Signs of a Bump: Juuust a tiny bit. I really thought I was finally starting to get one but everyone who saw me in a bathing suit this week/weekend said they see nothing. It has to be coming soon!

Next Doctor Appointment: July 19

Jon and I went shopping at Concord Mills yesterday just to get out of the house, and MAN I can’t wait until we find out if it’s a boy or girl because there are about a million baby clothes stores there that I can’t wait to hit up! We looked around a lot but didn’t buy anything—though there was a CUTE little bulldog shirt in Baby Gap that I felt Baby A NEEDED…hopefully it’s still there by the time we find out. :)

We got to spend a few days with Aunt Bekah & Aunt Heather this week, and it’s cute how excited they both are. Bek got to hear the heartbeat yesterday, I’m so glad we could find it for her to hear while she was here hanging out. :) Now if she would just stop telling me I look fat….jerk. ;)

Hope everyone has had a great week, I know we definitely have! Really cannot believe I will be 15 weeks tomorrow, time is flying. 

Love you all! xoxo

-S

We have always said that we wanted to start a blog once we got pregnant so that our family and friends who don’t live around Raleigh can stay up to date on the pregnancy… well, the time is NOW because WE ARE HAVING A BABY! It is crazy, shocking, exciting and scary all at the same time. 

We have now known for 23.5 hours, but we are still in shock (excited, awesome, amazing shock, of course). Last night, I had a dinner for work at Cheesecake Factory. When I got home, I told Jon that I know it sounds crazy…because I was pretty sure I was not…but I was going to take a pregnancy test. I told him that I had just been feeling weird, and that I would hate to be pregnant and not know it.  He kind of rolled his eyes and said “I’m gonna go ahead and guess…you’re not pregnant.” I agreed, but still took the test anyway.

All it took was about 10 seconds before that second little amazing pink line appeared. I didn’t know what to do. I calmly walked out to the hallway where Jon was standing and doing laundry… and said, “Hey babe? Will you come here for a sec?” He didn’t say a word but came into the bathroom where he and I realized there really was no denying it— that second line was there, clear as day.  If I remember correctly, Jon’s first words were “Take another one. Now.” I told him that I had just peed and I could not go again so soon! So, I ran downstairs, poured a glass of water and drank it (and then 2 more) pretty much as fast as humanly possible. We were so happy and excited that we just hugged and kissed a lot and attempted to take it all in. 

Meanwhile… I just couldn’t stand it, I HAD to call Bekah. She is one of the only people in the world that I had even told that I was no longer taking the pill, and she has been so excited that I just had to call her. I called her and asked what she was up to…she told me she was driving home from shopping, and was by herself. I told her that Jon and I were having a debate, and I was about to send her a picture that I needed her to look at and settle our debate. I took a picture of the positive pregnancy test and sent it to her and waited patiently for her to receive it, for it to hit her, and for her to call me back. It only took a few seconds before she called me back, screaming and in just as much shock as we were. :)

After I talked to Bekah, the water that I had drank finally made itself through me… so I immediately went and took another test JUST to make sure. I took it, and got the same result, this time even quicker! More hugging, smiling and freaking out ensued. 

The next person that I just couldn’t wait to call was my friend Jennifer Compton. She and I have always talked about what we would do if one of us got pregnant, and we have always said that we would call each other ASAP. I know it was (and is) so early still, but I just had to call her. She cried, screamed, laughed, and told me that this was going to be the most spoiled baby in the world.  She is going to be an amazing “aunt”. 

After those phone calls were made…it hit me. Crap. I am pregnant. Now what?!?! I really was not sure what I was supposed to do next. Then it hit me… I see the same doctor as my sister-in-law, Kelley…and she has been through this 4 times in the last 10 years. I knew that she would have great advice for me and could tell me what my next steps should be, so I called her.  My brother, Zack, answered the phone, and when I asked for Kelley, he told me she was at Target. I just told him that I had a question for her and asked if he would ask her to call me when she got home. I guess he talked to her shortly after that, because she called me from the checkout line in Target. We made small talk for a little while, and she started telling me about some super cute clothes she had just found for my niece, Mary, at Target. I said, “Well, speaking of that…I took a pregnancy test, and then I took another one…and they both had the same result.” She screamed “THEY WERE POSITIVE?!?!” When I told her yes, she was so excited for us, it was SO sweet. She gave me a ton of advice and told me exactly what to do and when the doctor would want to see me, etc. I am SO glad I have her here for the next nine months and have a feeling this was just the first of many phone calls asking her what I’m supposed to do next. :)

So, that is pretty much the story of the night we found out that we are having a baby. We went to bed shortly after I got off the phone with Kelley…but we both barely slept at all from all of the excitement. 

There are SO many more people that we wanted to tell this night, but we decided to wait until I at least had been to the doctor before we did. I called Dr. Brannon first thing this morning, and the nurse said that he would like to see me this afternoon if at all possible, so I made an appointment for 3:15. I had to come up with a quick fib to tell my team at work (sorry Sar!), so I told them I was going to the dermatologist (Dermatologist…OB/GYN… close enough! haha). I went to my appointment, and Dr. Brannon was so excited for me. He said that he wanted to do an internal ultrasound just to make sure that everything was where it is supposed to be…and in seconds, I could see just a tiny speck on the screen! He told me that everything looked great, and that based on what he saw on the ultrasound, I am only 4 or 4.5 weeks along right now.  He told me he wants to see me back in 3 weeks for another ultrasound… and for that one, we hopefully should be able to hear the heartbeat for the first time! We cannot wait for the next appointment.

We are going to dinner with Sarah & Dan tomorrow night for my 26th birthday, and I feel sure I will not be able to make it through dinner without telling them.  They are our best friends in the world and cannot wait to share this with them…and for them to hurry up and have one too so they can either grow up betrothed to each other or as BFFs! :)

We are also going to meet up with Jeff tomorrow after dinner just to catch up, etc… Not sure how we’re going to share the news with him yet, but I know he will be excited. Jeff introduced Jon and I almost 6 years ago, and he will most definitely be known as “Uncle Jeff” by Baby A. 

We are also going to the lake this weekend to celebrate my birthday with our families. We are having dinner with my parents and Jon’s parents on Saturday night, and we are currently debating ways to share the news with them. Neither of them know that I have been off the pill for a while or even that it might be soon for us… so we are so excited to tell them. We also plan to get together with Heather and hopefully Miki at some point during the weekend so we can share it with them, too…we know that they will also be so excited.  We really just can’t believe this time is finally here…we have talked about it for so long! 

I think I have covered everything that has happened in the last 24 hours. What a whirlwind. We are blessed beyond measure and are ecstatic to think about what the next 9 months have in store for us!

-S