surprise!

welcome to our blog!

by now, the news is out. the beans have been spilt.

you know that matt and i are expecting a bundle of joy in march!

we could not be more excited. we are feeling so blessed and grateful each day for this exciting journey!

 lets backtrack a little...

matt and i have talked about starting a family for a while now. after a few ups and downs we are thrilled to share this great news with you. 

baby brooks was already on its way back in early july. i had a small inkling that may be the case on our family beach trip but kept it to myself. well the beach trip came and went and then it was time for my period to come. i had already stocked up on some pregnancy test from the good ole target and maybe one or two from the place i call work ;)  i was so anxious, nervous, and excited to finally take a test. so missed period day one i took a test first thing in the morning. matt had already left for work and probably had no idea my period was even due! guys!

much to my surprise there was the faintest, lightest, barely even there pink line!  oh my!  tons of thoughts ran through my head! was this real? was the test even working? what did that mean?

i decided not to stress over it and wait another few days to take another test and see. the rest of the day that faint pink line was in the back of my head. i had not even told matt what i was up to at this point. 

well the few days of waiting ended up being 24 hours!  the next morning anxiety got the best of me and i took about three tests first thing!  i sat them all in a row on the counter and went about taking bentley out to the restroom.  after running back up the steps i found what i was hoping for!

three hot pink, all positive, lines on the pregnancy tests!

holy cow!

i am really pregnant!  bentley was the first to know. i showed him the tests and made him promise not to tell daddy till i was ready! he agreed :)

tons of emotions filled me at once!  excitement. anxiety. fear. joy. happiness.  its amazing what a little pink line can do to a girl.

so then to tell matt!

i wanted to surprise him in a fun way, something he would remember. i decided to go out and get some pink and blue balloons. then write a note on a framed chalkboard. and have it displayed when he got off work!  after running errands and getting supplies i had everything set up!  matt got home that afternoon and i was upstairs waiting with the camera.  he yelled out to me and i told him i was up in our room. then i heard his footsteps. camera ready and i got these shots!

of all days, matt would decide to come home with an unbuttoned shirt! haha 

he did not like the outcome of the photo and made me take a reenactment shot with a clean white shirt!

what a hard secret to keep!  we have been so ready to tell our families. i can not tell you how many times the subject of babies came up between that positive test and now!  

it was such a joy to have this special secret just between my husband and i. that we had started a new life and were going to bring much excitement to so many!!

before our rhode island trip i had ordered some weekly belly bump stickers to document the pregnancy!  natalie was staying at the house with bentley and i just knew the package would come while we were gone! sure enough, it did...with the return address label having "baby" all over it. she texted me the day it came but never really said anything about it or questioned it!

8 weeks - august 15th

first ob appt -- august 27th

9 weeks 5 days

our first appointment was this morning!  and talk about nervous!  all i wanted to see was a real baby, with two arms and two legs and a beating heart on that ultrasound screen. we checked in then had to sit in the waiting room for what seemed like forever. after about 5 minutes the nurse called my name and had me give a urine sample (which i did not overflow like my lovely er patients tend to do).

then it was vitals and off to the ultrasound room.

i got on the table, laid back, closed my eyes and said a prayer to God. I asked for a healthy baby to be inside me, for less anxiety, for normal pregnancy, and for Gods guidance and will for this pregnancy. she started the ultrasound looking at my ovaries!  who cares about the ovaries lady...show me the baby!

then there it was!  a little baby with a big ole head. two arms. and two legs kicking all around!  wow! how amazing that matt and i could make such a miracle. she finally turned on the sound and we got a first listen to our little one's heartbeat!  167 bpm! so fast and strong!  

she finished taking some measurements then printed us copies of our little bundle of joy!

after that was paperwork, exam, and blood work!  we got so much information today it was overwhelming!  but to know we have a healthy baby on the way was such a relief!  

bent does not know what to think about being a big brother!  he will be the best though!

now to tell family!  of course i wanted Natalie to be the first to know!  i knew she was in class most of the day. last monday she came by between classes for lunch. i was hoping she would do the same so i could share the big news with her.  but no, she never texted me back and when she did she said she was just going to head home and study! boring!  haha

i had no way of talking her into coming by without just telling her about the pregnancy via text. so now she has to wait and find out along with mom and dad!

my parents wedding anniversary is tomorrow (aug 28th)!  30 years!! congrats to them. i am so thankful to have such awesome Godly parents in my life!

our plan is to swing by their house later tonight and give them an early anniversary gift! (since I'm working tomorrow and will not see them).  I had ordered these books a while back, even before we were pregnant. me and natalie used to have tons of these books growing up!

hopefully they will enjoy the gift and the baby to come!

we have one for my parents.

one for susan.

and one for david.

i'll post more once we share the news tonight!!

until then...