Things I don't want to forget...

This pregnancy is flying by and while I blog about different things there are some things I just don't want to forget so I'm going to document them tonight:)

The good
- The day I found out I was pregnant. It was about 6am, I peed on the stick and just crossed my fingers so hard that I would see 2 lines. My prayers were finally answered and I just couldn't believe it. Going in to tell J was surreal. I loved that we just snuggled and cuddled just spending the morning thinking about how much our lives changed in that instant.
- Seeing your cute "diamond ring" and blob in the first few ultrasounds. It was amazing to watch you grow
- Hearing your heartbeat for the first time. It brought tears to my eyes and I love that I eventually got to record it on my phone just to listen to it over and over.
- Every time we shared our news of your impending arrival with our family and friends. Each person was so excited for us and could not wait to meet you!
- Watching you move around and get comfortable during your first anatomy scan. Learning about your personality that day was amazing and seeing you look like a baby for the first time took my breath away.
- The second anatomy scan was even more amazing. You were moving ALL over the place and it was so neat to see you flip completely over. It was wonderful to see your face profile shot and get to have more idea about what you'll look like. It was amazing to see your heart beating and the 4 chambers pumping blood through your tiny body. Your tiny feet and hands were so sweet and it was so neat to watch you move them around. Made me long for the day when I get to kiss them and snuggle them!
- The day we found out you were a girl. There was so much speculation and almost everyone guessed you were a boy. It was funny because when we couldn't find out at the first anatomy scan, lots of people changed their guesses because they said you must be a modest little girl. You weren't modest that day and we're so thankful! It was the best money spent to find out and just get to plan for your arrival from then on. J initially hoped for a boy but it was so sweet how quickly his tune changed. He was thrilled to know he got to have a little girl to spoil.
- The day I first felt you kick. I was laying in bed in the morning and felt something but I felt that it was way too strong to be a kick. I realize now that it was definitely a kick! As the days and weeks passed your kicks got stronger and each one assures me that you're doing ok in there.
- The day J first felt you kick. He was somewhat impatient in waiting to feel you kick because you'd be kicking up a storm and as soon as he would put his hand on my stomach, you'd stop kicking! One night he waited long enough and felt your strong kick! His face was priceless. I think he was surprised at how strong it was:)
- The day I watched you bounce my belly all around. Your kicks have become more noticeable from the outside and I could just stare at my stomach all night. Watching you move around and make my belly bounce all around its just amazing. I still can't tell what body parts are moving around but it amazes me to know that you're moving around in there and getting comfy! Sometimes I sit in meetings and watch you move under my shirt and I wonder if anyone else can tell how much your moving. It's like my own personal acrobatic show:)
- My growing belly- I definitely look pregnant now and I love showing "you" off! Strangers notice and sometimes comment, thankfully with no mean comments so far:P
- Planning for your nursery. We had a pretty easy time picking out what we wanted your nursery to look like and it all just seemed to fall into place. J even got his girly turtle worked into it:)
- Registering for our baby shower. I've been to so many shower's and it was just an amazing (and overwhelming) experience to pick out what we wanted for YOU. Which crib is best, which baby tub, what shampoo, what carseat, what stroller...?
-Picking out your name. We had a name picked out for years but decided that it was not going to work for you. We immediately agreed that we liked Emily and tried to think of middle names. One night J woke up in the middle of the night, turned over and asked if I liked the name McKinley. Surprisingly, I did. That was another possibility. Then we came up with Piper. Its unique and both J and I love it. We're pretty sure that it's what we're going to name you at this point. We were going to do Piper McKinley but J didn't want two unique names so we're trying to figure out a more traditional middle name. Right now our front runner is Julianne.
- Looking forward to your arrival. I can't wait. I want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy and yet I want to speed up time until you're ready to make your entrance to the world. I can't wait to see what you look like, to see what your personality is like, and to build our lives with you in it!
- Watching J fall more in more in love with you- it's hard because he's not experiencing all the same things I am with this pregnancy but he talks to you and kisses my belly every morning. He's so in love with you already and he always asks me how you're doing throughout the day:) He's going to be such a good daddy to you!


I'd like to say that it's all amazing in pregnancy but there are some cons...
-Morning sickness- I spent many mornings feeling pretty nauseous and got sick a few times. Thankfully food was the cure all and as long as I ate when I felt nauseous I'd have a brief reprieve. It also seemed to end right around 12 weeks! I only feel sick when I don't eat enough but that is my fault.
- The BLOAT- it was pretty constant for the first trimester. It was hard to fit in my clothes even before I had a belly and was pretty painful.
- Lower back pain- it started pretty early on and seems to be the worst after days of a lot of activity and hard work around the house. There have also been a few days of pretty severe sciatica nerve pain. Thankfully it's not constant and if I take it easy my back seems to be ok.
- Constipation- Sorry for the TMI but it's not fun to deal with
- The discharge- I feel like I'm still taking the progesterone suppositories. It's pretty ridiculous!
- Having to sleep on my sides- I'm normally a stomach sleeper and was able to do that until about 20 weeks. Now it's not advised to sleep on my stomach and it's pretty impossible to do even if I tried. I try to sleep on my sides but I wake up constantly to flip over and my sides and hips hurt:(
- Waking up to pee all the time- right now I generally get up during the 4am hour to pee. Seems to coincide with when Simba is awake and wants me to watch him eat. I long for the days of sleeping through the night but know that it will be a very VERY long time before I can do that again.
- Finding a daycare- we're still on the hunt. I hate that I have to leave you with someone else during the day so I can go to work. The emotional side of me just wants to stop working and stay home with you. The practical/financial side of me knows that working is a good idea so I'm trying to figure out a balance. The day care centers and one in home place we've checked out are all fine and you'd be ok at each one, but I'm completely underwhelmed by all of them and don't want you to go there:P
- My growing belly- I love it most of the time but it's causing some self-image issues. It's better now that I'm obviously pregnant but for a few weeks I dreaded getting dressed in the morning because of how huge I felt. I look forward to working off this baby weight as soon as possible.