You read the title right … If you haven’t heard yet, I’m pregnant!! Jimmy and I are beyond excited to announce that we will be welcoming a new baby girl or baby boy into our family in February!
(Our announcement video is at the bottom – keep reading!)
I’ll never forget that evening – Wednesday, June 6, 2016 – when I took my [very first] pregnancy test. I was five days late, and I’d had a feeling for quite some time. Jimmy and I were about to clean the house and make dinner, but I wanted to get the test out of the way to get it off my mind. I took the test, put it in a shoe box on the bathroom sink, and headed into the living room to start picking up. I was going to get all my chores done before looking at it because I knew we’d both be too excited to do anything if it said “yes,” and probably a little disappointed if it said “no.” Jimmy asked how long the results would stay on the screen, which I hadn’t even thought about. I read the package and it said it would display for up to thirty minutes after taking the test, so we decided it was time. I made Jimmy go in the bathroom with me and open the lid of the box – I was too nervous. He opened it, looked inside for about three seconds, calmly placed the lid back on, and suddenly lost all color in his face. I knew what that meant. I looked in the box and just stared at him with huge deer-in-the-headlights eyes. He said, “Holy s**t,” stared at me blankly, and we both just started laughing. For the next 20 minutes we stood in the bathroom crying, laughing, hugging each other, and trying to figure out how the heck we were going to be parents. Forget dinner … we headed straight for the freezer, pulled out our very own pints of ice cream, plopped on the couch, and ate straight from the carton while trying to take it all in. Even if you convince yourself you’re ready, seeing that confirmation in front of you is a whole different story. Seeing that “YES” was the most exciting yet most terrifying feeling I’ve ever felt in my life.
(P.s. That pregnancy test package lied. That sucker showed a big fat “YES” on the digital screen for THREE DAYS!!!)
We had friends coming in town the next night and staying through the weekend, so we weren’t really able to process the big news. Instead, I had to act like everything was completely normal, pretend to drink my cocktails when we went out for a birthday dinner (which I made Jimmy drink, or I’d send him to the bar to get me a Sprite with lime so it looked like vodka and soda), and be typical life-of-the-party Blakeley and Jimmy. That was the hardest weekend EVER, though I think I deserve an Oscar for my acting skills! The next week everything started sinking in, as did the excitement. The more real it became, the more excited we became. And now, here we are, scheduling dates for baby showers, starting a baby registry, and trying to de-clutter so we can make room for a nursery! It still seems so surreal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know Jimmy is going to be an amazing dad (even though he’s never changed a diaper, freaks out when he thinks about a baby pooping and peeing inside my stomach – his words, not mine, and says he’s not holding the baby until they clean it and cover the umbilical cord!!), and I cannot wait to be a mom and welcome this new chapter of our lives into our Adventures of B & J storybook.
So since everyone has been asking (and you may be wondering, too), here are a few honest answers to the blunt questions that seem to be top-of-mind:
Q: How far along are you/when are you due?
A: As of today I am 16 weeks! The best part? My due date is set for Valentine’s Day!! How fun is that?
Q: Are you going to find out the gender?
A: Absolutely!!! I am way too much of a planner. No way could I wait that long! I must know: pink or blue.
Q: When do you find out the gender?
A: My appointment for my level two ultrasound is scheduled for September 19th. However, as hard as it’s going to be, we aren’t going to find out the gender during our appointment. Instead, we are going to wait until that Sunday to find out with close friends and family at our gender reveal party! (Something I said I would never do. Oops. I’m a liar.)
Q: Do you want a girl or boy?
A: Ugh, such a tough question. Ideally, I would like one of each. I always said I wanted an older boy and for him to have a little sister. However, now that it’s actually happening I’m secretly praying for a girl. I still want a boy, but I definitely want a girl, too, and having her first would leave room for less anxiety for #2. C’mon … y’all know I must have a little mini-me whose hair I can braid and who I can dress up in sequins, monograms and tutus! But honestly, as long as it’s a healthy and happy baby, I don’t care what the gender is. I already love him/her so much that I won’t even care. Jimmy’s prayer every night before bed is “Boy, boy, boy, very tall boy” … if that tells you anything about what he wants! (For the record, I think it’s a boy.)
Q: Do you have names picked out?
A: We have a few that we like, but nothing set in stone. It’s so hard! This is a name that they have to live with forever, after all. I’m pretty sure, though, that once we do have a name picked out we are going to keep it our little secret until the baby is here. That way we aren’t swayed by any opinions, no one can steal our names, and we can make sure it suits the baby when he/she arrives.
Q: How are you feeling?
A: Ugh, I’m pretty sure my body is allergic to being pregnant. I am finally feeling better for the most part, but the first 13 weeks were absolutely terrible. I had horrible nausea almost 24/7, and I have never been that tired in my life. And pretty much any pregnancy symptom a woman can get, I’ve had: nausea, fatigue, tenderness, headaches, stuffy nose, clumsiness, pregnancy brain, melasma … yep, I’ve seen them all. Not to mention my prenatal gummies make me feel so sick. Fortunately I hear it only gets better, and I know it will be completely worth it when I see that little bundle of joy for the first time.
Q: Was this planned?
A: We weren’t tracking anything on an app or waiting until the exact right time of day on a specific day … we were just taking life one day at a time and letting what was meant to be, be. We both wanted a family (two kiddos for us, please!), and knew we wanted to start one fairly soon. We didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it did so it caught us a little off guard, but we are so thrilled that it did. I can’t imagine anything better than sharing the love that Jimmy and I have for one another with a tiny person that we created, and get to raise and watch grow for the rest of his/her and our lives. And, since my birthday is on Match 5th, I’ll be able to have a glass of bubbly on my 30th! Hallelujah.
Q: How did you know you were ready?
A: We weren’t. We aren’t. I don’t think anyone really ever is. If we’d waited until we were ready ready, it never would have happened. We would never have the right house, we would never have enough money saved, we would never have done all the things we wanted to do and visited all the places we wanted to visit … we would just keep pushing it back and making excuses. I am almost 30, Jimmy is almost 32, we’ve been together seven years and married over a year-and-a-half, we have great jobs, we are so happy together, and we have a phenomenal support system. There’s no reason we can’t be wonderful parents now, and still enjoy our lives as a couple. I say as long as you’re in a good place in you’re life, can take on the responsibility of another human, and have a lot of love to give, more power to you.
To share our excitement, we put together a little video as our pregnancy announcement. It was so much fun capturing the reactions of friends and family, and documenting “baby things” along the way! (I’ll be sharing all kinds of video updates throughout my pregnancy and once the baby is here, so subscribe my my YouTube channel if you want to catch them!)
If you want to stay up-to-date with all of our baby-on-the-way adventures, be sure to subscribe to my blog as well. Thanks for stopping by, and see you again soon!
XO,
Blakeley
Congratulations! Finding out is a great experience and I am sure there is much more excitement in store for you. My wife is in her 22nd week and we are already enjoying talking to the bump. However, we decided not to find out the gender because the element of surprise became too big a factor, otherwise even I am a big planner too. Good luck!
Thank you so very much! And congratulations to you, too!! My husband wanted to wait, but there is no way I could have this time. I promised him we’d keep #2 a surprise whenever that time rolls around :). Good luck to you and your wife!