We're Having a Baby!

It's true! Baby West is due 1/1/2019!  

I am so excited that we have a baby on board!  And in this new phase of life I want to take some time to blog about my pregnancy so I can look back one day and remember this blissful time!  So this post will be all things pregnancy and baby and not so much home/decorating related.

I found out I was pregnant on the morning of May 2nd.  I somehow managed to not tell Chris until after work, partly because I wanted to do something special and partly because I wanted to take another test just to be sure.  So after work I picked up a little something to creatively break the news and another test!  To my shock it was also positive so then I just had to wait for him to get home.  I had picked up two books from Barnes and Noble, one children's book called "Just Like My Dad" and then a book for him called "Rocking Fatherhood."  I had them in the bag from the bookstore, along with the tests.  When he got home I let him do his usual routine then told him I had something for him.  I think he had to read both books titles to really figure out what was happening.  I was giddy with joy and it seemed like he couldn't believe his eyes.

We told our parents relatively quickly.  We were invited to a brewery with my aunt and uncle (like my parents) and so it was obvious pretty quickly when I declined a taste of her beer, my aunt knew right away!  We told Chris' parents and siblings mother's day weekend, turns out it was also obvious to them when I was drinking water.  What does that say about me!? LOL

We had our first doctors appointment at exactly 8 weeks which is the first time we saw our little peanut!  I couldn't help but get emotional, it was so overwhelming.  I was extremely nervous because you really hope that everything is okay but you don't know until you see that little baby on the screen and then hearing that the baby is measuring on track I felt a little relief.

I thought it might be good to answer some commonly asked questions!

How are you feeling?
I'm feeling really good!  I have been so lucky to not be plagued by morning sickness.  I had a couple afternoons of uneasiness but that is the extent of it.  I was definitely very tired from weeks 6-11ish.  I couldn't wait to get home and take a nap, but those days are gone and while I'm no night owl (and wasn't before getting pregnant) I haven't been needing 5pm naps anymore.  

Have you had any food aversions or cravings?
My major food aversion has been pulled pork.  We had a family BBQ Memorial Day weekend and had SO MUCH leftover but unfortunately the thought of eating it made my stomach turn (and still does).  I also haven't been wanting meat such as ground beef, but we don't eat a lot of ground beef in general anyways.  In terms of cravings, during my very mild nausea weeks a lot of peanut butter and jelly was consumed.  I have continued to enjoy them and take them for lunch a couple times a week.  I did recently want ice cream sandwiches which could be due to the major heat wave we had though.  

Do you want a boy or a girl?
This question is hard, I would love one of each eventually, so in that "perfect" world the boy would be first.  I do get emotional thinking about having a daughter though.  My mother was not always present in my life, when she was we did not have a good relationship and to this day we have no relationship so thinking about trying to be everything my mother wasn't to my own daughter is something I both fear but deeply want.

Are you going to find out if it's a boy or girl?
YES!  We absolutely will be finding out, August 8th is our anatomy appointment.

Do we have names picked out?
I never realized how hard it would be to pick names until now.  Most names I suggest to my husand I get responses like the following example. 

Me: "What about Kennedy for a girl?"

Husband: "Like the president?"  

He can't separate anyone he knows (personally or in the public eye) from a name.  Another recent example 

Me: "Do you like Ashton?"  

Husband: "Like Kutcher?"  

Has anyone else had to combat this?  How are we ever going to choose both a first and middle name?  

What color will you do the nursery?
Before we moved in, and before new carpet was installed throughout the house, we painted every single room.  Knowing we hoped to have kids one day, we painted what will be the nursery a light gray, expecting to incorporate a gender specific color through decor.  If it's a boy the current plan is to incorporate navy and white.  If it's a girl, the current plan is to incorporate lavender and white.  Lavender is my absolute favorite color so I don't see that plan changing, but I have seen some cute boy stuff in light turquoise and even some orange so we will see.  I plan to do a full blog post of the nursery once it's "finished," so stay tuned for that in a few months!

We have already ordered nursery furniture, from Wayfair, of course.  We chose the Kalani dresser and crib by DaVinci.  They aren't put together yet, but it's on the list for July so we can make sure nothing was damaged in shipment, etc.

We still need so much for the baby though!  We have picked up a bassinet and floor play mat off of swap sites on FB, Chris' mom gave us a new rock'n'play and my aunt took us shopping for baby clothes when we first found out so we have a few gender neutral things but we have a long ways to go.  I've picked up a couple of baskets, small toys and books over the past couple of months as well.  I'm trying to do as much research as I can about what things are a must have and what things are novelties that don't really get used so we don't waste money but also don't go without something super important!

I'd be interested to know what my momma friends insist I must have before baby arrives!  Please, first timer here, help me!

Love, Britt