176

Here is my first baby blog post from June 6, when I was 9 weeks.

176.  That’s the number of times my sweet baby’s heart beats in one minute.  It’s crazy to think that something so small can have such a powerful heart already!  She (I’m going to refer to the baby as a she…much better than “it” J) is only an inch long right now…about the size of a grape.  I am 9 weeks and 2 days.  The weeks are flying by!

I had my first ultrasound yesterday.  Luckily, Clay was able to come with me to see our sweet baby for the first time.  My friends and family can attest to the fact that I was an absolute nervous wreck before the ultrasound.  Besides a little nausea at times, I didn’t really feel pregnant.  I know that’s normal in the beginning, but when something is growing inside of you, you at least want to be able to tell it’s there!  We waited for about 20 minutes and then the nurse came and took us back.  Within minutes, I was on the table and a picture of my baby was up on the big TV.  I can’t even describe the emotions that were rushing through my mind.  As soon as the baby popped up on the screen and she said there’s the heart, I just lost it.  All those worries just slipped away and I was overcome with joy and awe.  Tears immediately started streaming down my cheeks and Clay squeezed my leg to let me know he was there, as always. 

I always wondered what it would be like to hear your baby’s heart beat for the first time.  I can say it is like nothing else you will ever experience.  I remember hearing my niece Zoey’s heart beat for the first time.  Now I know how my sister felt.  It all becomes real.  I am growing a PERSON inside of me.  How crazy is that?!  I never thought I could love something so much.

It all started a couple months ago.  Clay and I walked up to the pool and sat one evening and started talking about when we thought we would start trying to have kids.  As my friends know, I've been ready for a baby for so long, but with school and moving around so much, the timing just never seemed right.  I knew if I could at least wait until March,  the baby would be born after I was finished with school, so any time after that was fair game for me…not so much for Clay.  He wasn't so sure about having a baby yet but finally gave in and said we could start trying late summer.  When we got back into our apartment, Clay was using our living room as a putting green.  I said if I made the ball between the two quarters, we would start trying sooner.  Well, of course I missed the first time.  How about 3 tries?  I miss the 2^nd and made the 3^rd.  Then, we did the quarter flip.   I won, twice in a row.  Looks like we weren't going to have to wait til the end of summer!  Well, two months later, here we are!  I never thought I’d be able to get pregnant so fast.  I always worried that I would have trouble.  

God’s timing was so much better than mine ever could have been.  My due date is January 7, so I’ll have my last month of pregnancy off from school to relax and the first two months after she’s born to spend with her (or him) while I study for NCLEX.   Yes, being pregnant during nursing school is going to be hard, but the majority will be during my 2^nd trimester which I hear isn't so bad.  The best part is that I feel so much more prepared for the pregnancy and what to expect because of all the experiences I've gotten at Northside working in labor and delivery.  Also, I’m in my OB/Peds rotation this summer…good timing, huh?

Besides hearing our baby’s heart beat and seeing her for the first time, telling our families and friends was one of our favorite things so far.  Their reactions were all so different, and each one was precious.  That will be another post…with videos. J 

Thank you all for taking this journey with us.  Please pray for a healthy mama, daddy, and baby!