Yes, That Was an Announcement

[Editor's Note: I know most of you already know this, because you probably got a phone call or read it on Facebook. But, just in case...]

WE ARE EXPECTING!!!

We enlisted the friendly Pumpkandersons to share the news, but since they're pumpkins and can't actually speak, they used their own cryptic method instead.

I am 14 weeks pregnant at this point, with an expected due date of May 13th (but of course we all know I'll go over). My OB here in Tulsa is fabulous and likes to do ultrasounds at every appointment through 20 weeks, which means that we may find out the gender as early as my 16-week appointment. Here's hopin'! As with my pregnancy with Weston, it's once again hard for me to really envision the baby and understand the upcoming change to our family dynamic until I know whether it's a boy or girl. Once I find out, I can start to either get excited for Weston's future brother-best-friend and breathe a sigh of relief that we don't have to buy a million new clothes, OR get excited that I'm going to have a little Jean and go out and buy a million new clothes.

Weston and Pumpkin (thank you all for the nickname suggestion) will be just over 3 years apart (39 months, to be precise). He is slightly aware that there's a baby in Mommy's belly, but rarely mentions it anymore. Perhaps he'll understand when my stomach begins to swell, but for now, it's probably just a strange, hard-to-grasp concept for him. On the upside, he seems to love babies in general. He's always excited to see babies, and he's always very cute with them.

I'm a little happy that I'm once again avoiding a third-trimester-in-the-sweltering-summer. But seriously, I have had some SERIOUS nausea this time around -- WAY worse than with Weston. With Weston, there were a handful of bouts of nausea, and only one that was severe enough to actually remember. (I had eaten a breakfast burrito, and then realized that eggs were the most horrid thing ever. So, I laid on the floor and moaned, "That was a bad choice...") This time around, I started feeling nauseated at 6 weeks, and it didn't go away until 12 or 13 weeks. I know, that doesn't sound like very long. And no, I never actually threw up. But, geeeeeeeez, you guys!!! I had no idea how awful that first trimester can be! I hate nausea. I HATE IT.

I eventually realized that my stomach had to be in some sort of perfect, mystical equilibrium between hunger and satiety to avoid feeling overly nauseated. If I was the slightest bit hungry, I felt sick. If I was too full, I felt sick. So, I started eating crackers and snacks ALL the time to avoid even the tiniest onset of hunger. I seriously decided that I'd rather gain 25 pounds in the first trimester alone than endure the constant nausea. And I also realized that it is entirely possible to be both nauseous and starving at the same time. Although I felt awful, I was still having cravings, particularly for salty, salty foods, like tater tots, cheddar-sour cream chips, Ramen noodles, mac & cheese, etc. Apparently when I'm pregnant, I craaaaave salty foods!! One night I thought it would be a brilliant and perfectly nutritious idea to make pigs-in-a-blanket for dinner. (... And I wonder why I didn't feel well...)

Anyway, the nausea is gone now, and I feel splendid. I still don't look pregnant, and I doubt I will for several weeks still. (I looked back at my pregnancy calendar with Weston and saw that I didn't even start unbuttoning the top button of my jeans until 20 weeks. That's just the beautiful, squishy, freak body shape with which I am blessed.)

Anyway, we're excited, and in case you are, too, I posted a Baby Ticker over there on the right side so that we can all observe my pregression. Huzzah!!!