Well it's officially official - John and I are expecting a baby this fall, and we could not be any more excited! My radio silence in the bloggity blog world may make a bit more sense now, but I'm excited to share a little (or very long, rather...) baby Pray Q&A!
You can see our Instagram announcement here!
Finding Out!
How did you find out you were pregnant?
John and I had been watching TV, and I really wanted glass of champagne, but I knew that there was a chance that I could be pregnant. John lightly suggested that I take a pregnancy test to find out. I told him that there would be no point in taking a test since, even if I was pregnant, it would be way too early to show up on a test. I passed on the champagne and went to bed wondering whether or not there was a chance that I actually was pregnant.
In the morning after John left for work, I was like hey, why not just see... and sure enough - positive!
To be honest, my initial reaction was very skeptical – something surely wasn’t right. I decided to take a second test and the test (which was digital) gave me an error sign! At this point I was basically like, hmm, this all seems a little hokey, and decided I would run out later in the day to get a new set. After purchasing and taking a new test later in the day, sure enough it said pregnant again!
What was your first reaction to your pregnancy?
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was really not at all emotional – mostly because I had a hard time believing it was true! Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond excited, and was then too, but the pragmatist in me was more like "hmm, that is interesting information."
I was definitely very skeptical, but sure enough, it was true – I was pregnant! And I am thrilled!
How did you tell John?
I wasn’t about to call or text John while he was at work to tell him the news, because news as exciting as this should only be shared in person! When he got home from work he was very hungry, so I wanted to wait until after he had eaten to tell him the news (that way we could fully enjoy it!).
We went out to eat and headed home. Once we got home I told him I wanted to show him something on my phone (which was a picture of the positive pregnancy tests), and oh man, his reaction was possibly the most wonderful thing ever. His eyes swelled, and honestly, he was a little bit overcome with the news – which was absolutely perfect for the non-emotional state that I was in. Sharing the news with John and seeing his reaction really is what made me believe that it was all possibly real. It was pretty perfect.
What were your first pregnancy symptoms?
I have an immune system like a rock, and am very rarely sick. Yet as soon as I found out I was pregnant I had a terrible sore throat for the next week; I was so uncomfortable! Immediately thereafter, I had a terrible cold/congestion. I’m fairly certain it was pregnancy related (however, it could have just been a normal seasonal cold since my immune system was suppressed), but I’m going to label it as my first pregnancy symptom. :)
Other than a cold, my sleeping rotation looked a little like this... a terrible night’s sleep and going through the day like a walking zombie, and then 14 hours of hard, solid sleep the next night... then, another terrible night’s sleep and a walking zombie the next day, followed by a solid night’s rest. Thankfully that cycle is over!
How far along were you when you found out?
I found out right away (or at least, so I thought). After finding out, I thought that it couldn’t have been more than a week after ovulation (which is part of the reason I couldn’t believe that the test showed positive!). However, after going to the doctor for my first ultrasound, I found out that I was actually quite a few weeks farther along than I had thought I was.
How did your parents/family react?
We told our parents when I was 10 weeks along... not because we were concerned about miscarrying baby (because if something went wrong, we would of course still be telling them for support), but because there are few things in life as exciting as being pregnant and having a child, and John and I really wanted to enjoy the news just the two of us before starting to tell people. It’s fun (and romantic!) having a secret that only the two of you know about! :)
Our families were so, so excited, and not surprisingly, they were my favorite people to tell. They were all so happy for us, and there was so much joy in the news - and as much as we loved secret keeping, telling them made it more fun for us because we had people to share our joy with!
How did you tell your friends?
Oh man, I was so excited to tell our friends too – especially our community group at church. Two other ladies in my group are pregnant (one of which has the same due date as me - how fun is that?!).
I feel so blessed by our San Antonio community, and I think this is truly a testament to God caring about all details of our lives – not only am I pregnant, but I am pregnant at the same time as two other ladies that I get to spend time with regularly. Another momma in the group has three young kiddos, and she has been such an awesome resource to me... y'all - I am not really super comfortable around babies, so this is a pretty big blessing!
Since I do not have family in Texas, this is huge for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Baby Details
Due date?
November 1st, 2016
Actually, it's October 31st, 2016, but I'm not super into Halloween, so I requested that the doctor change it November 1st (just kidding - but she was going back and forth between the two days, so I figured why not throw out my preference... never hurts to ask right?!). ;) It's not like it will make a difference anyway... the babe will come when he comes regardless of the date I tell people.
It is absolutely insane, terrifying, and exciting (all at the same time) to think that come this Thanksgiving and Christmas, the "John and Lisa Pray" family will be a family of 3... I feel like most pregnancies have a holiday season where it is the “last Christmas” as a family of 2, but we didn’t get that – so the thought of how soon this babe will be here blows my mind!
Will you find out the sex ahead of time?
Yes! And we actually already know! Baby Pray is a BOY!
You best believe the planner in me found out the gender of this baby as soon as possible - via genetic testing at 11 weeks! I had zero "mother intuition" as to whether baby Pray was a boy or a girl, but honestly, everyone else guessed boy, so I was like, hey! I guess boy too then! And sure enough, everyone was right. :)
How did you tell John the gender?
When
the doctor's office called with the genetic testing results, I was originally going to
ask them to write it in a envelope so that John and I could find out at
the same time, but I really didn't want to bother the nurse by making
things complicated, so I just had her tell me over the phone.
To
surprise John with the gender I bought a blue cake, blueberries, blue corn tortillas, Blue Moon beer (for him!), and blue Gatorade (for me!)... with just a little bit help
of pointing out that everything was blue, he was able to guess that we were having a baby boy!
Pregnancy Life
Will you be sharing weekly pregnancy updates on the blog?
Fingers crossed, yes! Perhaps not every week, but for sure as often as I can! I really want to make sure that I capture this stage of life - it is just as much to be celebrated and enjoyed as it is when the baby comes... so I want to make sure I can look back on this pregnancy and remember everything.
How far along are you now?
15 weeks - which is so crazy to me!! Time has been flying...
How have you been feeling?
Honestly, I have been feeling pretty great! I did not have any morning sickness (and praise the Lord since I was traveling for work the first month, or so, of being pregnant), and I only really experienced fatigue. But the truth is, I'm always down for a good nap, so the whole fatigue thing didn't seem that unusual to me (regardless of being pregnant)!
Do you have any cravings?
Not really... when I first found out I was pregnant I was drinking a ridiculous amount of ice water - more ice the better. I wanted it to be cold, cold, cold! Other than ice water, in my first trimester I was really enjoying carbohydrates (go figure, right?!).
Have you had a hard time eating healthy?
Eh, not really so long as I have healthy options around me that I can grab at a moments notice... but when I'm starving with no healthy options, all bets are off - just being honest. A few days ago I had no food at home and got take out from Panda Express, and on my way home I stopped at Target to get cookies... basically, I have no self-control once I hit get hungry. Oi vey...
I have been making a concerted effort to not let myself get starving, and to stay filled up on healthy foods as to avoid poor food choices.
Any mood swings?
No way, I’m totally even-keeled 100% of the time per usual... ;) This is probably a better question for John to answer (or maybe not, actually...).
Do you have a baby bump?
I refuse to be one of those “eating for two” people, but the truth is, throughout my first trimester my appetite significantly increased. I didn’t eat huge meals, but I pretty much didn't stop eating... I was hungry, people!! I was even waking up in the middle of the night absolutely starving.
Since entering the second trimester my appetite has gone back to normal (mostly)... but it has left me a little confused on whether I'm growing a baby bump or a first-trimester-pizza-bump. ;)
Pup Questions
Do you think Scout and Lily know?
Do they look like they know...? Yeah, no. ;)
--
Okay, mommas... your turn: what are all of your go-to resources (blogs, apps, books, etc.) that I should know about?!
I had that What to Expect app but got over it pretty quick with people posting questions like "can I hula hoop pregnant?" ...really? Any other apps that you recommend instead?!
