16 WEEKS

January 7th - This appointment was much like the previous visits. I gained 3 pounds since my last visit for a grand total of 2 pounds since I got pregnant. I talked to my doctor about my weight gain, or lack there of, and she isn't worried. She figures I'll gain most of my weight in the 3rd trimester. We decided to take a blood test to test for spina bifida, which came back negative. I am hoping we are done with all the tests. David and I are very excited about our next appointment because we get to find out the sex of our baby, only 4 more weeks to go.

David and I are now searching for a daycare, which I find very stressful. We are putting the life of our child in the hands of people we don't really know and have to trust. Yikes!! I can't talk about it or I'll have a panic attack.

FINALLY

We have finally reached the second trimester and I am feeling so much better. My nausea is completely gone, my energy is returning and my appetite is returning. The cravings have started. I want anything that is salty, such as potato chips, french fries and (I know it is a cliché) pickles. I usually love to eat sweets but now I'd rather have more salty foods. I've heard some people say that means we’re having a boy.

As my belly is beginning to grow it is starting to sink in that David and I are going to be parents. I find myself going between excitement and fear. When I think about the awesome things my body is doing to create, grow and protect this baby, I am truly amazed. I didn’t realize it until I got pregnant but having a baby is such a miracle. However, when I begin to think about diapers, daycare, saving for college and raising a responsible adult I panic. I'm told all these feelings are normal but sometimes it feels overwhelming so I am trying just to think about seeing our little baby for the first time.

14 WEEKS

CHRISTMAS IN NC

Christmas 2007: David and I were able to spend 10 days in North Carolina for Christmas. We both were really excited since we had not been home for that long since we moved. This was the first time we got to see most of our family since we told everyone we were expecting. I caught a cold over Christmas and had to take it easy for a few days. I was excited because we got to attend a NCSU basketball game with my Dad and Julie. One highlight of our trip was a family party we had at my Dad's on Christmas Eve. The whole family got together; we had not done that in quite some time. My brother Mark and his girlfriend were home from Prague. My brother David recently got married. He and his wife Stephanie are also expecting, so we got to meet her, her son Cole and her parents. We had a great time. We also got to spend some time with David's family, which we had not seen in a while. Our nephew Logan is growing so fast and is becoming such a sweet boy. My Mom and I spent some time shopping for maternity clothes and having fun looking at baby things. We really enjoyed the Christmas season and spending it with our families.

ULTRASCAN

December 12th: David and I went for the ultrascan appointment. We could not believe how much the baby had grown in 4 weeks. With this ultrascan we were able to clearly see the baby's head, arms, hands, legs and feet. It actually looked like a real baby. The baby was not cooperating with the technician, so she had me cough to try and make the baby move. Each time I coughed we could see the baby jump and move its hands or legs. We even saw the baby kick. At one point the technician asked me to cough really hard and when I did the baby turned over and showed us its butt. We both agreed we could sit for hours and watch it waiting for it to do something. A few days later we received the results and everything looked normal, which made us very happy.

12 WEEKS

December 10th: David and I had our second OB appointment. We started a tradition of meeting for lunch and then going to our appointment. We were really excited about this visit since we were (hopefully) going to hear the baby's heartbeat. After a couple of minutes the nurse, Sherie - who we love, was able to find the heartbeat. I felt so relieved to hear it; it made me feel like everything was alright and some of my worries instantly went away. Both David and I thought the heartbeat sounded like a bunch of wild horses galloping. When I first heard it I started laughing but David got teary eyed. At this visit we also decided to do an ultrascan to test for Down Syndrome.

CHARGERS COME TO TOWN

December 9th: For my birthday David bought me a Philip Rivers shirt and tickets to go see the Tennessee Titans play the San Diego Chargers. I am a huge Philip Rivers fan since we went to college together at North Carolina State University. We had a great time even though some Titans fans gave us a hard time. The weather was great; it was in the 60's and overcast. The Chargers pulled out the win in OT.

OUR FIRST DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT - 8 WEEKS

We had our first OB appointment on November 12th. We thought that day would never come. As it approached, we began to feel nervous and excited at the same time. The nurse gave Kristin an ultrasound and we were extremely relieved when we saw the baby's heartbeat on the monitor. The nurse approximated the heartbeat to be 170 beats per minute, which she called a "very strong heartbeat". We were able to bring home a few pictures of our baby from this visit. The rest of the visit was comprised of routine procedures, such as blood samples and a vitals check. We celebrated the good news with an early-bird special at Carraba's because Kristin wanted to get home and in bed at a decent time.

WILL I FEEL LIKE THIS FOREVER?

Not long after I found out I was pregnant I began to feel most of the symptoms. First, I began to notice an increase in the number of times I had to go to the bathroom during the night. Second, my breasts became very sensitive. Third, I became tired around 7:00 each night and had to fight to stay awake. Finally, I found that I needed to eat every two hours to keep from becoming sick. When I began to feel these symptoms, David would constantly check on me to make sure I was ok. He graciously began to take on the responsibilities of cooking dinner and cleaning up every night because I was too tired to function after work. He even brought me breakfast in bed each morning so I had the strength to shower and get ready for work. What would I have done without him?? Thanks Baby!!

THE STORK IS ON ITS WAY

On October 24th, 2007 we found out that Kristin was pregnant. That morning before work, Kristin took a pregnancy test. She couldn't believe her eyes when the test indicated she was pregnant. It took everything she had to not run upstairs to tell me the good news. That afternoon, Kristin called her doctor to make her first prenatal care visit. At that point the nurse told her she was already 5 1/2 weeks pregnant. That evening, Kristin presented me with a thank-you card for my "helping around the house". The first thing I saw on the card was a sleeping baby's face. I was in total awe and completely speechless for a few moments. After Kristin reassured me that I wasn't dreaming, I began to run and jump around the house because of the excitement. After we settled down, we went to Cracker Barrel to celebrate because she was craving "extra crispy bacon".