the beginning

I had every intention of doing a pregnancy blog back when I was pregnant. I really did. But it never happened. So instead, now, nearly a year after Isabelle was born, I’m starting this mommy blog. And what more appropriate way to start things off than to rewind a bit and talk about how it all started.

Yes, Isabelle was planned. And we somehow hit the jackpot on the first try, as evidenced by the two pink lines that showed up on the My First Response stick 2 weeks later. I remember the night I took that test. It was right after we decorated our Christmas tree. What a way to start off the holiday season. The next day, I took another test, just for good measure. Two pink lines again. About a week or two later, we went to the doctor for the official test, and a few hours later, while in an Abercrombie & Fitch store, I got the call that confirmed it. It was for real.

I got morning sickness the day I hit 6 weeks. It might as well have been called “all-day sickness” though. I seriously felt as though I had a horrible hangover all day and all night for three weeks straight. The only way I felt even remotely better was if I stuffed myself with food because I was somehow hungry all the time… yet ironically, almost all food made me want to hurl. I had also become a super smeller, and the smell of anything cooking, or even of the stovetop coils heating up made me want to puke. It was not a pleasant time. Luckily, I started feeling better at around 9 weeks.

At 12 weeks, we saw Isabelle via ultrasound and also heard her heartbeat for the first time. I remember tears welling up in my eyes.

At 22 weeks, after having to drink an insane amount of water and being forced to hold going to the bathroom for an inhumane amount of time before finally having the ultrasound, we found out that Isabelle was a girl!

As for hormonal episodes, I distinctly remember two. The first was that every time I saw this commercial (FYI, I was pregnant during the 2010 Winter Olympics), I’d have to fight to hold back the tears. Um. Yeah. The second was one day where I was really hungry and feeling crappy that I couldn't have any of the foods I wanted since they were on the pregnancy banned foods list, and I went to Husband to vent about it... but he promptly told me that he was busy (which he was--he was doing grad school work)... so I went to our bedroom by myself and cried. After a few minutes, Husband walked in and, genuinely concerned that I was crying, hugged me and asked what was wrong. I replied that I was really, really hungry and that he didn't even seem to care. He then proceeded to laugh. And then I started laughing, realizing how ridiculous I sounded. We then went out to eat. LOL

As for the infamous cravings that pregnant people are known for, there was one night where I really, really wanted lemon sorbet. Luckily, we were already out driving on our way home, so we just stopped by a grocery store. I never did make Husband get out of bed to go on 2 am runs to the store or anything like that. The one thing that I craved like mad all throughout my pregnancy was raw sushi, but I couldn’t indulge that one since it’s on the banned foods list for pregnant people.

Speaking of the banned foods list, that was probably the hardest part of being pregnant for me. So many of my fave foods were not allowed. For 9 whole months. It was like giving up not one, not two, but almost all of your favorite foods for Lent, and then instead of 40 days, it was 40 weeks…!!!!!!

At 32 weeks was our wonderful baby shower thrown for us by my parents and cousin, and then our maternity photoshoot taken by my talented buddy, Marvin. Here are two of my faves from that shoot:

At 34 weeks, we went on a little babymoon to Chicago–my first time ever visiting there.

At 39 weeks exactly, I went into labor–though I didn’t realize it for awhile. But we’ll save that story for next time.