Letter #2 - Someone's watching over us

Dear acorn,
I wish today's letter could be a happy one telling you how cheesy and goofy your mom is, but it isn't.  This is your first real letter... about people I wish you could have known.

Last night your great grandma (Pap's momma) passed away.  She was a remarkable lady with a whole lot of spirit.  So much so that I even tried to call her a "fiery pistol" in her obituary.  I do hope that you are the miracle God is sending us in her place.  I pray you have half of the feisty traits she had.  She kept me when I was your age, and I can not wait to tell you stories about her and what I call antics.  One neat thing about her that I promise to never forget is that she couldn't smell... that's right, those nasty diapers you are planning on dishing out, she would have never smelled you! The cool thing now is that I know there was a huuuuge bouquet of flowers waiting for her at Heaven's gate and for the first ever, she could smell how sweet they are.

I also can't help but think about the most important man in my life that I wish could meet you.  No... the greatest man ever is not your dad, at least not in this story... although, I hope your daddy means the world to you.  The greatest man I have ever known is your NeeNee's daddy, my Papa.  He was the most incredible, and probably smartest man, ever.  His hugs made me feel safe and I always knew he loved me.  Before I meet you, he is the light of my life.  I hope I can see him in you too.

As I sit here working on a tribute video for her, my eyes well with tears and my heart aches a little... until I remember, I have to be strong.  Sooner or later you are going to depend on me to be the strong one and I hope I can measure up.

I know this is a tough letter to write, and it will probably be tough for me when you read it someday, but I am thankful that these two people have you in their sights from up above.

Love,
Momma

Letter #1

Good morning acorn,
This is just going to be a short little note. This morning I got a blog on my reader that was all about your mom's favorite holiday... Valentine's Day! Yes, you will learn when you get here... it's a big day, as are all birthdays, including your own (someday).

It got me to thinking how much more fun my birthday is going to get in the next few years.  I can not wait until I get to make valentines with you and  help you write all of your friends' names on them!!

Another fun thing I thought about yesterday as at my lunch was packing lunches for you.  My mom, your Nee Nee, used to write me notes on napkins.  They were the best part of my day when I was little and I can't wait to do things like that for you.

I know it's cheesy, but it makes me smile.

Love,
Momma

12 weeks

Wow! We are already 12 weeks!  The first trimester is almost done!!

1.  How far along? 12 weeks
2. Weight gain? I have actually now lost a few pounds.  I had stomach bug last weekend and haven't regained a full appetite yet.
3. Maternity clothes? Not yet…I ordered some great deals from Old Navy this weekend though.
4. Sleep? Still sleeping a ridiculously amount each night!  I am starting to wake up more on my own in the mornings and feeling more refreshed than I have lately.
5. Best moments this week? We cleared the nursery!  What used to be my art studio is now an empty room just waiting for Acorn's stuff to start filling it up.
6. Food cravings? Nothing really...
7. Food Aversions?Still avoiding really smelly stuff like garlic.
8.   Looking forward to? The big announcement!
9. Milestones? Making it to 12 weeks is a big deal to us.  I know risk really reduces in the second trimester, and we are almost there!
10. Pregnancy thoughts this week: It has been awesome to see how excited people are for us. We are incredibly excited... and I can't wait until I can feel acorn wiggle around in me!!

Ultrasound - 10 weeks

Here is a photo from our ultrasound that I posted about in my last survey.  Acorn measured 10 weeks and everything is looking healthy!

Survey I stole from Blair (Thanks, love!)

1.  How far along? 11 weeks
2. Weight gain? At my appointment it was 3 pounds, but I stand by that it includes Thanksgiving and Christmas!
3. Maternity clothes? Not yet… I have done the rubber band trick on a couple pairs of pants, but overall, everything fits still!
4. Sleep? I have never wanted sleep as much as I do now! I am averaging 9-10 hours a night and it is a double-edged sword.  It’s glorious to get so much sleep, but sometimes I feel like I sleep too much. 
5. Best moments this week? We had our ultrasound a little early; the baby measured at 10 weeks, but this moment has been the best one so far!
6. Food cravings? Sour candy.  For a week all I wanted was sour gummies. I finally found one that hit the spot and bought a ton of it… now I don’t want it so much.
7. Food Aversions? Garlic and other foods that have strong smells.  I guess you could say meat too…I have been a pescaterian for about 7 months, but I am considering adding grilled meats back into my diet to ensure I get enough protein for the baby.  When I was just eating for me, I didn’t stress over protein, but it’s too important to overlook right now.
8.   Looking forward to? Telling everyone!  So far only a handful of people know about this adventure.
9. Milestones? I am going to consider the ultrasound our milestone this week.  I am also always concerned with my blood pressure because all of the women in my family have high blood pressure, and so far, it’s staying right where it should be!
10. First thing you thought when you found out you were pregnant? “Well that was fast!”  I had only been off my birth control for 2 months before God blessed us with this adventure.
11. What’s your baby’s womb nickname? Acorn – squirrels are my sorority mascot and I have been “Nanna Squirrel” to the younger sisters for a while now and since Nanna Squirrel is becoming a Momma Squirrel, it just happened that I started calling the baby Baby Acorn.
12. Craziest thing that has made you cry? Discussing maternity leave with my mom.  I blame it on being tired, but who knows.
13. Weird pregnancy symptoms so far? So far I don’t think anything has been “weird.” Philip may have something different to say though.
14. Decorating the nursery? The room that is going to be the nursery is still full of junk from when it was my art studio so that would be a no.  Although, I did order some amazingly cute alphabet cards to hang on the wall.
15. Dads response so far? When we left the ultrasound Philip looked at me and said “Well… this shit just got real.”  When retelling the story, one may think, “really? That’s what he said??” And the answer is… yes… that’s what he said.  Until that moment he knew it was happening, but when he saw acorn with little arm nubs and heard baby’s heartbeat, it all got real.