Adventures with Baby Sister | First Trimester

Shortly before Ryder's second birthday, Stewart and I decided that it was time to start trying for another baby. 

We always knew that we wanted two children, and during the previous few months, as we watched Ryder interact with other children, it suddenly became clear to us that we really wanted him to have a sibling.

It didn't take long, and by the beginning of June, we got our wish.

By the time I took the test, I was already three-and-a-half weeks along and still feeling great.

However, considering the horrible morning sickness that I experienced with Ryder, I immediately contacted my doctor and asked her for a prescription for anti-nausea medication. Not only was I unprepared to come clean at work yet (and, as a general rule, I prefer not to puke repeatedly in public bathrooms), we had a family trip to Hawaii coming up, and I certainly didn't want to spend my time in tropical paradise vomiting into the sand.

By the time we got to Maui, I was starting to feel the effects of being pregnant, but so far it was limited to feeling extra tired and occasional bouts of morning nausea. It was somewhat disappointing to miss out on all those tropical cocktails, but overall it was a great trip.

At nine weeks, I saw my doctor for our very first prenatal appointment to confirm the pregnancy and establish a due date. We waited anxiously, but it was only a second before we were able to hear and then see the tiny flutter of a heartbeat on the monitor.

By this time, our families and close friends already knew that I was knocked up, but we hadn't come clean to the general public yet. This meant that I slyly had to get through quite a few events without drinking... some more successfully than others.

I made it through Brett and Haley's 4th of July barbecue without arising suspicion, claiming designated driver status for the evening. However, I totally got called out at the wedding of one of Stew's friends the following weekend (no one was buying the fact that I wasn't drinking when we had a hotel room right next door). Rats. The following weekend, we went up to Bellingham for a little getaway, where I immediately had to admit my status when I realized that the first trimester was really no time for a strenuous hike, and I forced our group to slow to a crawl as we made our way up the trail. However, I was determined to keep my condition on the down low from the guests at my future sister-in-law's bridal shower, because I really wanted the day to be all about her. That time, I was able to pull it off. 

From then on, I had only a few weeks to go. 

My brother's wedding was coming up the first weekend of August (right at my 12-week mark), and I really wanted to make sure that their day was special; I didn't want family members talking about me and my pregnancy, thus taking their focus away from the bride and groom. However, it was getting tight, literally, as my belly started to swell.

Things seemed to be progressing much more quickly this time around!

Days before the wedding, I shopped frantically for a dress that would hide my growing baby bump, and each day getting ready for work and selecting an outfit that would hide my widening midsection became more of a struggle. The wedding was a blast, but I was fairly relieved once it was all over and we could finally come clean.  

Due to the fact that I will be 35 when this baby is born, my pregnancy is technically classified as "high risk." My doctor just kind of rolled her eyes at this distinction, but the bright side was that it qualified us for early genetic screening.

This meant that we got to find out the baby's gender at only 11 weeks!

Traditionally, the Alway family only produces boy children, so Stew and I couldn't have been more shocked and excited about the fact that I was carrying a baby girl. Secretly it was what we had both been hoping for, but neither of us expressed out loud.

I wish I had a photo of my cheesy smile and tears rolling down my face when I first found out.

That being said, I did kind of have a feeling that this baby would be a girl. Mainly due to the difference between this pregnancy at my previous one. I was already through the first trimester, and had somehow bypassed all the horrible things that I experienced with Ryder: awful morning sickness, a miscarriage scare, extreme exhaustion, horrible back pain, an insane work schedule, and turning into a complete emotional basket case. (Actually you may want to confirm the validity of that last one with Stew...)

Anyway, because being pregnant with baby #2 was so drastically different, intuition told me that this little angel just might be a girl...

And I was right! 

We could not feel more fortunate and overjoyed at the impending arrival of our daughter.

I just can't say it enough: We are so...

LUCKY. IN. LOVE.

We can't wait to meet you, sweet baby girl!