We're Having a Baby!

I kept this growing secret for months, and while I shared the news on Instagram and mentioned it in the recent life update, I haven’t really shared any details on here. So, in case you missed it, we’re having a baby!! Baby Godfrey is expected to arrive this September and we cannot wait to meet him or her! The gender will be a surprise and we’ll share baby’s name after she/he arrives. Now here are a few more details, based on the most common pregnancy questions I’ve gotten so far.

How I Knew I Was Pregnant

One Sunday in January, I went to an Orangetheory class and while running on the treadmill my chest felt oddly sore. At first I thought something was wrong with my sports bra haha, but later that day I began to realize I might be pregnant.

That night, I connected the dots. A couple days before my sense of smell was in overdrive. I almost gagged at the smell of gasoline. I had a feeling that I was pregnant and I couldn’t stop thinking about it all night. As soon as I woke up the next morning, I took a test right away. Seeing the words PREGNANT was one of the most surreal moments of my life.

Though I had a strong feeling, I was still shocked by the timing and it took a while for it to really sink in. Of course, I immediately took another test since there were two in the box haha. I also proceeded to take a few more until we had our first doctor’s appointment and heard the heartbeat!

Baby’s first photo. Taken at eight weeks.

How I Told Will

Will had already left for work the morning that I found out. I love surprising other people so I came up with a plan to share the news. I got a onesie and book sent via one day shipping (thank goodness for Amazon Prime lol), designed a little card and wrapped up everything in a box. Waiting a whole day to share the news was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.

When Will got home from work the next day, I told him that a Christmas gift had come late. Will was hungry for dinner so I had to convince him to open it before we went out to eat haha! I’ll never forget his face when he opened the box. He was fully surprised and so happy. It was such a special moment and the dinner that followed will easily be one of my favorite memories for this pregnancy. I can’t wait to see him be a dad!

Pregnancy during COVID

There’s easily one thing about this pregnancy that’s been the most surprising – I never imagined that I’d be pregnant during a global pandemic. I have gotten lots of questions about what it’s been like, so I wanted to share my honest thoughts about it here.

COVID is honestly a big reason why I waited so long to share our baby news. Soon after our 12-week appointment where baby looked good, the stay home situation began and my allergies had me feeling awful. I became very worried about potentially harming our little one. At the time, there was no knowledge of how the virus impacts an unborn child.

That fear compounded with the more typical first-time-mom concerns about pregnancy and baby being healthy, made me pretty concerned. I also have not had regular in-person OB appointments. Since I was 12 weeks my in-person appointments have been spread out to every eight weeks. That’s a longgg time to go, especially that first stretch when I wasn’t far along enough to feel baby’s movements.

I’ve heard it’s normal to worry about your baby while pregnant, but COVID-19 has brought a different level of uncertainty and fear. Thankfully, though, baby continues to look good. And while I am still worried about what the COVID situation will be like this fall and when baby starts daycare, I’ve become more accepting of the anxiety I feel. I imagine too, that in becoming a mom I will have some level of worry for my child for the rest of my life!

How I’m Feeling

Aside from the COVID-related anxiety I just mentioned, my pregnancy hasn’t left me with much to complain about. I had some morning nausea during the first trimester, but thankfully I never got sick (though there were a couple close calls!). As I’ve gotten bigger, sleeping has become more difficult and back pain is felt almost every day. Overall, the hardest thing for me has been adjusting to how much more easily I get tired and worn out. I’m used to moving pretty fast with work around the house and with workouts, but since the first trimester my energy levels have been lower than normal.

Your body changes so much during pregnancy, but I have loved feeling baby grow and move around inside of me. It is really wild what our bodies are capable of doing, and pregnancy has been a humbling experience. I know it doesn’t come easy for a lot of women, and I just want to acknowledge that is not lost on me. I’m very grateful for the ability to carry this child.

So, there is the scoop on our BIG news! We have about 2.5 months til our due date and while my bump continues to grow, I’m not sure it will feel truly real until baby Godfrey is in our arms this September.

For now, here’s a couple snaps from the past few months.