Moving On

I love the house we live in. Brian bought it 4 and a half years ago. It is on a quiet little street with nice neighbors. I moved in a little over 2 years ago when we got back from our honeymoon. Brian and I are very old fashioned. I had a dream in my head of not living together until we were husband and wife. Thankfully, my parents let me live with them until that day came.

On August 3, 2007 (3 years ago today!) Brian proposed to me in our house. We celebrated our first Christmas there and have so many special memories in our house. After many backyard parties, holidays, lazy Saturdays, and overnight guests, we have officially put our house on the market.

If you know of anyone looking for a house in our area, please send it on! Here's all the info and pictures... Shiny and clean and ready for potential new owners.

Listing Price: $138,000

• Great East Memphis location in Colonial Acres - convenient to everything!
• 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen
• Corner Lot (.27 acre)
• Central Heat/Air Conditioning with Built In Humidifier
• 30 year Algae Resistant Roof
• Heated/Air Conditioned 2-car Garage
• Insulated Garage Doors
• Updated Circuit Panel
• New Hot Water Heater and Gutters
• Alarm System
• Security Doors
• Updated Interior, Neutral Paint
• Newly Refinished Hardwood Floors
• French Doors in Kitchen
• New Kitchen Appliances (Purchased in 2009)
• Separate Laundry Area
• Spacious Attic
• 6 Person Hot Tub
• 6 Foot Privacy Fence
• Large Backyard with 2 Patios, Nice Landscaping
• Large Storage Shed with Electricity
  

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

13 Weeks

Woohoo!!! Time to celebrate because the first trimester is over! I hear that the first is the worst by far, and the second is the best, so I am looking forward to hopefully getting a little more energy and being able to go back to eating normally.

So, the baby is the size of a peach!

The baby now has its own unique fingerprints (how cool!), if we did an ultrasound we could see the gender because it is now clearly visible, and the baby can suck its thumb. I am already amazed by this kid.

And here I am!

13 down, 27 to go!

Telling the grandparents

We told our parents they were going to be grandparents on Father's Day. At this point, we were about 8 weeks along. This was exciting for us, because this is the first grandchild on both sides. For several weeks, we couldn't decide how we wanted to tell them. After bouncing a bunch of ideas around, we finally decided on this...

In case you can't see it, it is a Father's Day card with our first ultrasound picture inside. The card says "Happy Father's Day! You're going to be a GRANDPA!"

We went to my parents house first. The whole ride over I thought I was going to be sick. I was so nervous to tell them! I don't know, I can't really explain it. I knew they would be shocked and were not expecting this, so I was prepared for blank stares and "are you serious? no really, are you really serious?" So, holding true to my predictions, that was pretty much what we got from my parents and brothers. It was classic. Before this, my parents had not ever mentioned a word to me about having a child, or giving them a grandchild. I felt no pressure, which meant Brian and I could start a family when we were ready to start a family. This is probably why shocking them with our news was so fun. Personally, a month later, I think they are still in shock.

Several hours later, we headed over to Brian's parents house. Remember what I said about my family? Now think about the complete opposite. That pretty much sums up the Fields' and their reactions. They always talked about how they wanted us to start a family, so I knew that they wouldn't be as shocked, but instead, start celebrating pretty much immediately. It was pretty funny. Especially since it took Brian's little sister a few minutes to figure out what an ultrasound picture meant... haha! Maybe we should have just come out and said "we're pregnant!" instead of implying it :)

After we told them, we made them promise to keep it a secret for a few more weeks. Like most first time moms, I was freaking out the majority of the first trimester that something was going to happen to the baby and we were going to lose it, even though we saw a heartbeat and I was experiencing all the normal symptoms. I just wanted to make sure everything was going to be okay. Making our families promise to keep a secret as big as this was really not nice of us. We pretty much received a daily phone call from both sides of the family asking if they could tell anyone yet, OR "just let us know when it's okay to tell." This was torture for them. We think that the second time around, we'll wait longer... until we are ready for the world to know.

Now that the world DOES know, we feel relieved and finally excited about the reality of being parents. Breaking the news was fun for us, but having something so sacred and special that just the two of us got to share for a little while was probably the best :)

The First Ultrasound

After telling Brian, a few weeks went by before our first doctor's appointment. The day of the appointment we were both really nervous. We just wanted to hear a good strong heartbeat.

The nurse called us back to ultrasound. Brian got to sit next to me as I had a vaginal ultrasound... his first real experience in a woman doctor's office and this is what he experiences. I told him to get used to it real quick. This would be nothing compared to what he will eventually see. His concern for me was sweet though haha!

Quickly after the ultrasound begin, we both saw a big beating heart on the screen! I lost it and cried through the whole thing. I had no idea how emotional it was going to be. Brian just kept saying wow over and over again. At that moment, I felt like I became a mom. It was crazy. I will always remember that day.

Here is our baby's first picture at just 6 weeks with a heart rate of 143!

12 weeks

Well, the first trimester is almost over! Let's see what Baby Fields is up to these days.

He or she is about the size of a lime.

And here is what is going on inside my body. This week, the baby has reflexes. Hands open and close, toes curl. The ears are in place (although they baby won't be able to hear anything for another couple of weeks).

Babycenter.com has all these lovely images you see above. When I first found out I was pregnant, I stalked babycenter.com. No one warned me. It wasn't until I had thoroughly freaked myself out and scarred myself for life when I finally learned that babycenter.com is great for the weekly e-mail updates on how your baby is growing, but other than that.... stay away. And don't even THINK about clicking on any of the "forums" - too many pregnant ladies in one place. They are crazy!

Here is what is going on outside my body. Not much change so far. Just a potbelly.

At my last ultrasound, I found out that my uterus is much further back than in the diagram above. It is actually almost sitting on my tailbone. Because of this, I am in a lot of back pain. Nothing a heating pad on low and a Tylenol can't fix! 12 weeks down, 28 to go.

Telling my husband he's going to be a dad

Brian and I went on our first date December 23, 2003. When I was dating Brian, one of the many reasons I fell in love with him was because I knew he was going to make a great dad one day.

Delta Gamma Anchor Ball

Knoxville, TN 2006

When we got married June 28, 2008 we both knew we wouldn't wait too long before starting a family.

In my mind, I always thought that guys get to decide engagement and tell the girl in a cool, surprising way and girls get to tell guys when they are going to be a father. I always imagined the moment, and I thought I would surprise him by doing something fun one day when that happened for us.

We both wanted to be young(er) parents. After much discussion, number crunching, and deliberation, we decided we would try to start a family. For a little while we just took our chances, not putting pressure on ourselves. I didn't track or chart, and a couple months went by. After talking to my doctor about it, she told me that most couples usually get pregnant after 6 months of trying. So we started trying again, but this time with all the tracking and charting. About two weeks later at 6:30 a.m. on May 27, I took a pregnancy test and BOOM.....

positive?

Or at least, I thought maybe it was positive. I couldn't really tell. Maybe there was a tiny, faint little pink line, but I wasn't sure. "Brian!" I yelled from the bathroom, "I'm kinda freaking out in here." Brian was half awake half asleep and did not respond to my desperate calls. I ran out of the bathroom with my test in hand, shook Brian, and shoved the possibly positive pregnancy test in his face. "Do you see a really faint line there?" Brian - "Uhh, I don't know, maybe, kinda, yea." Then we just stared at each other for a minute. I said "Well, don't get your hopes up or anything, maybe we think we are seeing a line, but really it's nothing. I'm probably not pregnant, just go back to sleep."

We both went to work that day. Of course, all day long I thought about the fact that I might be pregnant. I decided I was going to settle the debate once and for all but stopping at Walgreens on my way home from work and getting one of those PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT tests. When I got home, Brian wasn't home yet, but I went ahead and took the test anyway. Sure enough, the word PREGNANT quickly appeared and there was no denying it.

So, I did what any normal wife would do. Stood in the garage and waited for Brian to come home. As soon as I saw his car pull up in the driveway, I ran to him with the pregnancy proof. Later he told me I completely bombarded him in our garage door area. I guess I was a little shocked, excited, and needed his support.

Even though I had always dreamed of telling him in a fun, creative way, I was too busy freaking out to think straight. I guess it goes to show that nothing is really like you plan it to be! :)

Our lives are about to change...

we're becoming parents!!!! Set to arrive February 4.

Here is our sweet little baby. We've met twice now (June 19 and July 15) and the baby has already grown so much! Poor Brian and my dad had a little trouble identifying where the baby was in the pictures above (before all of this, I would have too) and the baby is close to the bottom of the picture - the head is on the right, body in the middle, and legs at the left. I LOVE the foot picture! Also in the second pic, you can see the baby's tiny arms stretched out over the head and the baby is actually looking at the camera :) We couldn't get a great shot yesterday because the baby was moving SO much! Already feisty - we're a little concerned :)

My appointment went great! No weight gain, which is normal in this stage. Feeling good, pretty tired especially when I get off work. I heard about exhaustion in pregnancy, but never thought I would be THIS tired. When I get off work, I go straight to the couch and literally can't move the rest of the night... usually falling asleep around 8:30. I read in What to Expect When You're Expecting that a pregnant woman uses more energy each day creating a baby than a bodybuilder does in an average workout. Crazy! Thankfully, I didn't have terrible nausea. I had my days, but usually I was affected more at night. So far, no crazy cravings - although I can't let a day pass without eating Honey Nut Cheerios and I don't think I have had those since I was little. Other things I love are Taco Bell, Sour Patch Kids, and of course, pickles.

What blog post would be complete without the infamous belly shot at 11 weeks.... the beginnings of a belly.

11 weeks

Some days I look pregnant, and other days I look normal. It depends on what I wear. I have brought out the Bella Band, which has been a lifesaver when I can't button my pants! Brian thinks it's great fun to document how big I will get (thanks, honey) so he takes pictures of me and uses measuring tape along the wall to document. By the third trimester, I will probably want to burn the measuring tape ;) I should also mention that Brian thought I was sticking my belly out more in this pic. According to him, I look more pregnant in this picture than I do in real life.

Along with this announcement, I'll be blogging a lot more about the baby's developments. Along with a new baby, we have plans this year to move, fix up our current and new houses, and I can't wait to start on a nursery. And YES we are finding out the sex! Already know when - September 16!

Brian and I feel so blessed that this happened for us and we can't wait to be parents. I already feel like a mom... every second of the day my thoughts are consumed by all things Baby Fields. It's such an amazing feeling and I can't wait to experience everything - even delivery! Life is such a miracle and to have it growing inside you is unlike anything I have ever felt. Of course we are a little scared and working at a children's hospital does not always help (especially when I hear about strange diseases, it gives me all kinds of things to worry about), but I am determined to be positive and enjoy every minute. A little less than 7 months to go!