Sorry this is such a LONG post, so many things to catch up on!


                                                   Joys of Pregnancy

                      August 6th 2012, we got the happy news.. We are having a baby!
      It felt like it took us forever, 7 months with an early miscarriage the previous April. I was starting to get worried about fertility issues and what the heck was going on.
     Anyway, the week before I was visiting my family in Sparks and I was tired the whole time! We went to Lake Tahoe one day and I just curled up under the umbrella and my mom's beach chair and passed out for like 30 minutes. I didn't think anything of it though because I didn't have any of the symptoms I had had back in April. My Mom even asked me if I thought maybe I was pregnant and I just brushed it off, not wanting to get too hopeful. 
      The following week, the day after our 1 year anniversary I had a dream that Aaron and I were at the doctors office getting an ultrasound. So that night I decided to take a test, even though it was early I used a cheapy pregnancy strip that the hospitals use. While I was waiting I hopped in the shower to take my mind off of it. When I got out and dried off, I glanced over... 2 Lines!??? NO way! I snuck past Aaron studying into our room and got a digital test, no denying when it just straight up says "pregnant" or "not pregnant". It felt like that stupid little hourglass was blinking forever on the screen, then "pregnant" popped up and stayed up. I hurried and hid it in my robe and ran into our room, wrapped it up in some pink and blue tissue paper with a little baby toy and put it in a gift bag with more tissue paper and called Aaron in.
     Needless to say he was a little confused by the bag and slowly started opening and unwrapping. He saw the test, asked "Is this for real?" and then hugged me and I burst into tears. Finally it was us!
A few days later after setting up my doctors appointment we decided we would tell our families. I went to the store and got some shirts and paint to announce it. 

All of Aaron's family was over for dinner so we just came down to eat with our shirts on and everyone saw right away. Although I think everyone was a little shocked because Aaron's sister Rachel had just announced a few days earlier that they were expecting their 2nd baby.  After dinner we skyped with my family and the little kids were so excited! My parents knew right away, I don't know what it is but they always know when something is up.

The next week I had my doctors appointment and got the estimated due date of April 17th 2013. We got to see our little jelly bean of a baby and I fell in love with it so fast.

We did a professional photo shoot to announce it to our friends and extended family on Facebook

They turned out so original and cute, I haven't seen any like this and I'm glad they didn't turn out too "Pinteresty" 

                                                                 14 weeks

15 weeks

                                 At 16 weeks I felt the first of many many kicks and wiggles

                                                             17 weeks

18 weeks we could see little kicks and nudges form the outside

At 19 weeks we went to our anatomy scan and they measured the baby and checked for abnormalities. The baby was perfect! 

We also found out the gender. I went home after the appointment and made cupcakes filled with the corresponding color frosting. That night my family drove from Sparks and stayed in Vegas for the night then picked us up in the morning and we drove all together to Phoenix for Thanksgiving. The cupcakes were sitting there just teasing everyone. When we got there we had all the family pick one and say what their vote was "boy" or "girl". We did a count down and had everyone take a bite...

GIRL!!!

We were so excited to find out we were having a girl, although very shocked. I thought for sure we were having a boy. Both of Aaron's sisters were pregnant with girls and for some reason I just felt... boy (sorry baby girl). My Mom immediately went online and bought a ton of cute things from Baby Gap. 

                                                                   21 weeks
 For 2 weeks in December Aaron and I used my parent's timeshare points and stayed in a suite at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club here in Vegas. It was so relaxing and just nice to have our own place for a little while.

                                                               22 weeks

                                                    24 weeks, Merry Christmas!

                                                            27 weeks
              This is when people could FINALLY tell I was pregnant and not just a little... plump

                                                                  30 weeks

                                                                   33 weeks
                                             And then I popped! And I was huge!

35 weeks

Til about 2 weeks later when my belly dropped and I looked smaller again.

I am 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant with only 27 days left til my due date. 

Baby Girl is measuring small so they have been monitoring her and checking me for the past few weeks. Next week they will do another growth scan and see if she has dropped even further behind. If she has I will be induced early to ensure that she is getting adequate nutrition. I think she is just a small baby with nothing wrong, but apparently 16 days behind can be a cause for worry. I do want her to stay inside and fully develop til 40 weeks, I'm so excited to meet her! Maybe she will just naturally come a little early on her own. My doctor checked me at my last appointment and I'm already dilated to a 1 and everything is getting "ready" down there. 

I'm so excited to meet our baby! 

So Aaron and I decided that with our baby just weeks away, that we needed to blog about our lives and  make it a little easier for family and friends far away to love our little one as much as we will... Well, almost.
   For those who don't know, Aaron and I live in Las Vegas while Aaron is getting his Masters degree in Kinesiology at UNLV. He will graduate May 2014. He is in the grueling, stressful, ridiculous process and studying and preparing for the MCAT. He is working part-time for one of his professors as a research assistant. And once school gets out he will also be taking on a full time job as an assistant to a Gynecological Oncologist here is Vegas. It will be a very busy summer for him.

   I am currently working part-time at a home building company called Harmony Homes in customer service. It's been a great job and very flexible, which is perfect when I feel like all I do is go to the doctor these days.






      Last August we celebrated our 1 year anniversary by going to see The Phantom of the Opera at The Venetian. It was so amazing! Aaron and I had a great time dressing up, taking advantage of the valet parking, and acting fancy for a night.

   The day after our anniversary we got the best news ever! We were having a baby! I will write a separate post ALL about that.




    All in all, I'm still getting used to living in Vegas. It's so different from anywhere I have ever lived. The winter has been fantastic (I didn't have to scrape my windshield .. not even once!) but I'm dreading this summer with a newborn baby. Especially with the scary flash floods we get here. I hope I get don't get stranded somewhere with the baby either. Wish me luck!