18 Weeks and Counting

Here's a run down of the last 18 weeks of life!

As I mentioned, I started feeling some pregnancy symptoms the week before I took a test. They gradually got worse. haha. I am not among the lucky that don't get sick, even though I thought I might be since I got away with it the first time. I may have actually prayed for morning sickness, though, because I thought I'd appreciate the reassurance that I was really pregnant and that everything was probably fine. Big mistake. I was lucky in the sense that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was able to control it a little bit and it didn't affect work a whole lot. There were times where I had to throw up at school, but I was always able to hold out until I had a break. I actually felt the sickest right before lunch, when I needed to eat. I was usually always fine after that.

That brings me to the next challenge - deciding what to eat. I felt bad for Bruno. Every night it was like a game to try and figure out what I was hungry for. I haven't had any crazy cravings yet, but if I found something I was hungry for, I HAD to eat it. One day I wanted waffles, strawberries, and chocolate, so that's what we had. haha Another night I desperately wanted cake, so yes, I did make Bruno go buy a cake mix and we had cake right before going to bed. Overall, fruit and milkshakes were my diet. They were usually the only two things I could count on.  Not having an appetite was awful.

Overall, the first trimester was just hit or miss. I literally woke up every morning not knowing what the day was going to be like. There was really no rhyme or reason. It was hard not knowing what to expect, but I'll be grateful knowing that I probably had more good days than bad. I didn't think the sickness was ever going to stop, especially since it was still happening at 16 weeks. However, I think I'm finally past it! My appetite has come back and I'm feeling a whole lot better now. I actually enjoy getting out of the house and overall things are going well.

At the end of November, around week 10, Bruno surprised me with a doppler. We were excited that we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat right away and we've been listening to it once or twice a week since. We haven't ever not been able to hear it, so it's been a great comfort.

We visit our doctor every four weeks, so we had another appointment right before we went home.  Everything went well. I did loose some weight, but it wasn't very concerning since that seems to be common during the first trimester. We felt good about sharing the news to everyone just a couple weeks later!

We flew home on the 22nd and it was immediately hard not to say anything! My mom even thought something was up when she picked us up because we were both really quiet. I'm not good at hiding things! By the time we got back to my house, I HAD to at least tell my sisters. I bought a blank puzzle and I had my friend Kelsey write, "You're going to be an aunt!" on it. I ended up telling my sisters separately. I gave Taylor the pieces and told her it was a hard puzzle that I couldn't figure out. She quickly put the pieces together, but didn't get the message until it was all done. She was excited and started asking tons of questions. I swore her to secrecy, but quickly started to fear that she'd spill.

I did the same thing with Kayla.  Except, I gave her the pieces and she said, "it says you're pregnant." I tried to brush it off, but I couldn't. She figured it out right away, even though no one told her. She eventually put the puzzle together anyway. She couldn't promise that she wouldn't tell, so I started to feel really nervous and decided that I'd tell my parents the next day. I thought my sisters would've loved to be in on the big secret, so I was shocked that they had such a hard time!

I ended up not telling my parents the next day because the timing was just never right. I figured I'd just be strong and wait until Christmas and hope that it wouldn't be ruined in the meantime. Christmas morning came and we couldn't wait!! It was also fun for me because I was in on another secret. My mom bought Bruno a Viking's jersey - something he's always been asking for. I've known about it for months, so I was just as excited to see his reaction.

After all the gifts were opened, I gave my mom the box with our surprise. I put together an ornament that had the ultrasound picture in it and it said, "Baby Flores June 2016." I think it's safe to say she was genuinely surprised! She had to ask if it was real. She asked a few questions. I think she mostly wanted to know who knew and was surprised that her own sister and best friend (Aunt Melanie) knew, since we secretly told her the night before. :P My dad was excited too. I couldn't believe we managed to pull it off.

We called my grandparents in Idaho and of course my grandma claimed to have known. We visited them the week before and she actually asked if we'd be having a summer baby. She even said June would be a good month. ha! We called my Aunt Tracy and texted my cousins. I messaged a few more people on Facebook. Finally everyone that needed to know finally knew. I wanted to wait a few more days before posting online, but at that point, I was too excited to have it be public knowledge. haha So, we ended up posting that night.

The rest of the break was nice. I didn't see everyone that I was hoping to see, but I really needed the time to just relax. It was good to just breathe. We came back and the first week back to school wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I was really sick one night, but I think it was more due to my cold than anything. Things have been going well since then. Some people have made comments about a baby bump. I really don't see it yet, but I guess I'll start taking pictures soon. I had another appointment and everything continued to look good. The most exciting thing was scheduling our ultrasound to find out the gender! February 2nd can't come fast enough! In the meantime, I'm trying to come up with a creative way to tell my class! They still don't know yet!