It’s Friday! And I have checked out for awhile now. I had an extremely busy day that had some good and not so good parts to it. I won’t say bad times, but not the best. I’m going to get this post up quickly so I can vent and then just veg the rest of the night. I need at least some chill time every day.

I started the day with some light cardio at the gym while putting a big dent in the book I am currently reading. I finished Harlan Coben’s Caught a few days ago (GREAT suspense novel!) and now I am reading James Patterson’s new book The 9th Judgment, which is another good suspense. I’ll try to get some reviews of these up eventually…but in case I don’t, I’ll go ahead and say check them out because they will be worth your time.

After my workout, I rushed home and took 30 minutes to shower, get myself ready, get M some food packed up, give her a snack, and get some directions for later in the day. It was a mad dash because I had a doctor’s appointment to confirm the pregnancy at 10:45. Unfortunately, I had my first moment of forgetfulness and didn’t grab a snack in the mad dash. Did not help me out later in the day.

Back to the doctor visit. I did the pee in a cup thing for them to try to confirm the pregnancy. Um, nope! It wasn’t showing up on their tests. I had to have blood drawn so they can test that way and I will get the results on Monday. Then, I went back to a room to be observed by the midwife. She told me not to be nervous because it’s still early and just to keep taking my prenatals and taking care of my health. Then she checked me out, told me my uterus is enlarged already (I TOLD you there would be TMI at times ;)) and that things look good. Then they scheduled me for a visit about 2 weeks from now to redo blood work, get an internal ultrasound, and a general workup.

I would be lying if I said the test not showing up positive right away didn’t freak me a little bit. Increasing levels of the HCG hormone during early pregnancy is important and I did have thoughts of “What if mine isn’t increasing? Is this a bad sign? I KNEW I should have kept it to myself!” I laughed at myself on the last one. My mouth wouldn’t have stayed shut if I glued it. Besides, I wouldn’t have the ability to share here if not for sharing early, but that’s besides the point.

For the most part I know the logistics and have faith everything is just fine. I was shocked they wanted to see me this early (about 4 weeks along) and I know that doctor’s test strips often times aren’t as sensitive as some at home pregnancy tests (since most women in an office visit are further along and don’t need the lower sensitivity), which explains mine not showing up yet. I also know there is no such thing as a false positive and the few at home tests I have taken are distinctly positive.

I know that I am experiencing changes I only experience in pregnancy – easily tired, super sore tatas, BLOATING beyond your wildest imagination, and of course the lack of period. Most importantly though, I also know to trust God. I mean, I just have to think about the past week and all He has done to know that. And I know this isn’t uncommon and was told by the midwife herself not to be concerned. BUT that doesn’t completely get rid of the tiny niggling, fretful feeling that is lurking inside. All I can do is pray and trust, so that is what I’m going to do. Oh, and take another test tomorrow to be sure my tests aren’t changing on me. 😉

Enough about all that. After my doctor appointment I headed out to meet Lindsey for a lunch before she flew out to see her friends in Ohio for a wedding.We were planning to meet at a restaurant close to the airport, but neither of us could find it. We were on the phone with each other both flustered and lost, so we just ended up going to the airport and eating at a restaurant there. We actually had our first meet-up here at Houlihans and it’s sad to think this will be one of our last since she moves back to Ohio soon. This was the most enjoyable part of my day to sit and relax with her. We spent the time talking and eating up the delicious food. Sadly, I had another forgetful moment here and when I went to take pictures of my gorgeous fish tacos I realized I left my memory card at home. 🙁 I guess this Google Image search photo will just have to do.

Although mine had broccoli and it tasted as delicious as it looks. I ate it all. Remember my missed snack? I was h-u-n-g-r-y. Yum! Nothing much has happened since then. I headed home, got stuck in traffic, got M down for a nap, and crashed on the couch, which is where I am now. I guess I need to get into gear to make dinner, get M to bed, and enjoy a movie night with Peter. Thank goodness this weekend isn’t busy!

• What are your weekend plans?
• What’s something you have forgotten or fretted about recently? Let’s help each other forget the fretful and not fret over the forgetful. Oh, I’m so wise with my words. 😉 HA!

If you haven’t noticed yet, I am one very happy person right now. I was already above cloud nine after the exciting things I announced in my vlog, and then two more amazing things happened today. I am not in a place to disclose them, but they have just topped off my past couple of days better than I could ever imagine. I know it’s a pain not to know immediately what they are. I promise not to say “curiosity killed the cat” or “patience is a virtue” because those sayings can get frustrating, so just know I will fill you in as soon as I can. Am I driving you crazy, yet? 😉

Now, I would like to extend a huge thank you to each of you for your comments and congrats. Every single one put a smile on my face. I know it is extremely early to be announcing it, since I literally took the test yesterday, but I knew I would not be able to keep it in. Also, since you all know how much this has been weighing on me recently and are smart cookies, I figure you would have noticed something sooner rather than later anyways. I just have to keep on praying for this to be as healthy a pregnancy as my last one and nothing to cause me to regret making this announcement early. I’m enthusiastic to take this next step in my life and continue combining my passions for healthy living in all areas of life.

Before I move on, I do want to be clear on one thing. This blog will not become a blog solely about pregnancy. I plan to keep my content similar to what it currently is; continue branching out in new recipes; share healthy living tips; details of my life; etc. I will discuss my pregnancy on occasion (how could I not?), but I don’t plan on leaving behind the topics and form of my current blogging at all. Basically, don’t ditch me because you think all I will be able to talk about now is morning sickness and cravings for ice-cream & pickles. Speaking of which, is there any woman out there who has been pregnant and actually craved those two things together? If so, please let me know because that is just an ick combination…pregnant or not.

Okay. Time for some of today’s fun and adventures. The ones I can share anyways. *insert evil laugh here*

This morning I slept in for an extra 1.5 hours. It was glorious. Especially since I woke up at 5 am yesterday morning. The bummer about this was it had me missing spin, but that is okay. I still hit up the gym for a variety workout on the cardio equipment. I actually like cardio equipment right now. My intensity is low enough that I can read the entire time. Two birds, one stone? Suits me! I read my Harlan Coben book while I did 20 min incline walking on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the stepmill, 10 min on the elliptical, and followed everything up with a good stretch.

Later in the day I fiddled with my camera and my lunch. I also welcomed the fun of microwaving deli meat back into my life. You have to do so while pregnant to kill any possible bacteria. Who knows how much longer I will be able to stomach this for lunch.

My tastes go all sorts of crazy during the first trimester. In fact, on Thursday night I spit out the salad I made for dinner because I couldn’t eat it. The first trimester is a sad time because many of my favorite veggies do not agree with me during that time.

After lunch, I headed to the store to get some supplies for how we plan on telling others I’m pregnant. I told my mom on Mother’s Day because she knew I was trying and knew I was testing that day. I can’t lie so I had to go ahead and share. Same story with my sister. She knows about us trying and will be asking me for results when she comes to visit tomorrow. So I am going to beat her to the punch and have Makenzie wear this shirt to surprise her.

Cute, huh? Although I don’t think it is near as cute as who will be in the shirt.

These pictures are from our friend Dan who does photography.

I wish there was more for me to talk about today, but there isn’t (besides playing with M and tutoring) and this post is already long enough. Enjoy your night and I will see you tomorrow with a great giveaway. I’ll give you hint…$60 worth of stuff YOU get to pick! If you can’t wait until tomorrow, Morgan is having a cool giveaway you can check out now.