Roasting and Toasting the Mason Baby-to-Be

The word's out... I'm pregnant and we're expecting to have another little mouth to feed around November 20th - just in time for Thanksgiving! At this point, being pregnant has finally sunk in and I'm no longer really in that 'surreal' frame of mind. I'm still nervous, anxious, etc., but now that our little peanut is no longer a 'secret' to the rest of the world it all just seems a bit more real.

Pregnancy has been good to me so far... which I am very appreciative of! I've had 'morning sickness' that lasted all day (but have only thrown up once!) and am now only feeling really queasy when my tummy's not full or I'm really tired. I think (hopefully) I'm almost finished with that phase and will soon move on to the next... maybe it will be heartburn or leg cramps... or a combination of the two. It's so odd to me how my body has reacted to pregnancy... I guess I've always been the type that feels that I can control how I feel by my actions... well, that's totally out the window. And I'm actually loving every minute of it! ha!

Many of the foods I used to LOVE to eat... I can't stand the thought of (except watermelon - which I cannot get enough of!). Apparently milk is a total turn-off for a pregnant Amanda - which at first was difficult for me because I LOVE cereal - mostly because of the milk! I don't want to think about chicken... or salad, pasta, fat-free cheese, Boca burgers, hotdogs, etc. I'm hoping that my aversion to these once loved food items will subside the further in my pregnancy I progress. For now I tackle meals one day at a time. If something sounds good... I eat it. Normally, afterward it no longer sounds good to eat anymore. (Except for potatoes.... which I could eat pounds of and never tire! - which is totally funny, because I never ate them too much before!)

I've still kept up my exercise regime... however, now I just bike and walk and plan to start swimming again this summer... no running, weight training or conditioning training for now. I'd rather stick with stuff I can do outside and have complete control over. I know some of that other stuff is safe, but I'd prefer to stick with what I'm comfortable. I try to walk or bike for at least an hour each day... at least 5 days a week. Nothing too strenuous.... but I just want to make sure that I take care of my body so my body can take care of the baby.

I only gained .5 pounds between weeks 8 and 12, which concerned Sam and me at first - but the doctor said that was completely okay - especially since I had not been throwing up. Sam looked at the doctor and said 'well - I can't believe that because she eats like a horse!’ I had to laugh - a lot - and agree with him. My eating habits have totally changed... and I do eat much more than I did before I became pregnant.

Sam and I are both so incredibly excited. We've been trying to have a baby for about 3 1/2 years... we've dealt with a lot of issues along the way but have always known that God would bless us with a baby when the time was right. We just pray now that that Mason baby will be healthy, happy and at home with us by the end of November.

Be prepared for a barrage of blog posts in the future.... as we now have a whole new chapter in our lives to share....