Monday, August 20, 2012

The Jarrett Family is Growing!

Life has been crazy! So much has happened in the past few months. Last time I updated the blog, I made a comment that I was going to make 2012 my year. Well, actually, 2012 is going to be Savannah's year. Who is Savannah? Oh, she is only our 23 week old, unborn baby girl! Yep, I told you life has been crazy! Crazy and wonderful.

As most everyone that reads this knows, WE ARE HAVING A BABY! It has been such a great experience so far. I want to start blogging again so I can have a place to document this special time. What I want to do in this entry is set up a timeline and share a few highlights. Going forward, I plan to keep blogging about our vacations, friends, projects, etc. But also make this a space to share baby pictures and keep everyone updated on what is going on with little Miss Savannah.

When We Found Out

On April 5, 2012, our whole life changed. I bought a pregnancy test after work and to my surprise - there was a '+' sign! I ran in the living room to tell Brian, but then I changed my mind after I had already said, "Oh my gosh, I'm..." I stopped mid-sentence and ran back in the bathroom to gather my thoughts. I had always heard these adorable ideas of how to tell your husband you are expecting. After about 30 seconds of pacing in the bathroom, I knew I was not going to have one of those adorable stories. I ran back in the living room and just blurted out to Brian, "I think I'm pregnant!" Needless to say, he was stunned. SO excited, but really, really shocked. We both were! I mean.....Us.....parents...for real!?! After a couple of days (and and a couple of boxes of positive pregnancy tests-haha!), the shock faded away and the excitement took over!

First Trimester (Week 1-13)

The first trimester is strange. You know Baby is there and growing like crazy (thanks to the 8 week ultrasound), but you don't LOOK or FEEL pregnant. You just kind of feel...exhausted and bloated.  The first 9 weeks or so I was ready to go to sleep by 7:00 every night! I was very fortunate because I never once got nauseas or sick to my stomach. Baby was very nice to me. One surprise preggo symptom - my skin decided it wanted to revert back to its 13 year old self. The break-outs were not attractive at all. All this talk about pregnant women "glowing" is a load of crap. Overall, I had it pretty easy so I cannot complain. I did, however, welcome the second trimester with open arms!

Second Trimester (Week14-26)

The second trimester is where I am right now. I could stay in the second trimester forever. Okay, that is a lie. But seriously, my energy level is back to normal, my face has cleared up, and I can go about my life without constantly day dreaming about naptime.

At about 16 weeks (around July 4th), I decided to break down and buy maternity clothes. My regular clothes worked (with the help of a belly band), but they were so unflattering. Maternity clothes are fabulous. I don't know why I dreaded buying a few pieces. They make such cute jeans, dresses, and tops. Also, no zippers, no buttons, and completely stretchy material. Amazing.

At about 17-18 weeks, I felt like my belly started becoming more noticeable to other people. I know it seems weird to WANT to look pregnant, but it was such a relief when people started commenting on my baby belly. At least then, I knew that I didn't just look like I had eaten one too many cheeseburgers.

Between the 17th and 18th week, I started feeling Baby move! The first time I felt her, I was at work. It was at the end of the day, and I was just typing away at my computer. All of a sudden, I felt this little flutter. Someone told me it would feel like having butterflies in your stomach, and I think that is a perfect description. The first few times I felt her I would scream at the top of my lungs (no matter where I was..a little inappropriate, I know) and then immediately follow up with a "SHHHH SHHHH". Like I needed everyone to be quite so I could feel her or something. Haha. I was dramatic.

Week 20 has to be the most exciting week of the pregnancy so far. On July 25th, we found out our little Baby was a little Baby Girl! It is so nice to call her by name. Actually, it is just nice to stop referring to her as an "it." Everyone in my family thought we were having a boy. I said from the very beginning that I thought she was a girl, but then I started changing my mind as I got farther along in the pregnancy. About 2 weeks before we found out, Brian and I both started thinking "it" was a "she". When the nurse told us we were having a little girl, I just started crying. Happy crying, of course! I don't know if I have ever seen Brian smile that big. We would have been SO happy either way, but we cannot wait for our precious, sweet baby girl to get here! (I am going to write a separate post about our "Gender Revealment Party". We had such a blast.)

At 21 weeks, on August 5th, I felt Savannah kick from the outside. This was one of my favorite moments because it was also the first time Brian felt Savannah kick. I was lying on the couch watching TV and as soon as I felt her with my hand I yelled at Brian to come over. Luckily, she was really having a kicking fit so he was able to catch her in action! His face just lit up. I loved it.

Now, at week 23 (almost 24), I feel her all of the time. Usually, I feel her more at night when I am laying down being still. She isn't kicking hard enough to really hurt or make me uncomfortable yet. I am just enjoying the sweet little kicks while I can. I hear they soon turn into not so sweet and not so little kicks!