Something New is Sprouting on the Hopkins Farm!

I was 12 weeks on Monday! We have been keeping it mostly a secret, but now we want to tell the world! I'm practically telling strangers on the street. I had my 12 week appointment on Monday and cried like a baby hearing the heartbeat. I could listen to that all day. The ultrasound we had done at 8 weeks 4 days....so the baby is much bigger now! Too bad we won't see him or her again until Christmas time. 

Speaking of that....YES, we will find out if it is a him or her! You know me! I am such a planner. And Adam totally agrees. We will be able to find out around Christmas.

More details will be coming soon! I have been blogging every week, but keeping them as a draft, so I will post them soon so you can keep up to date with how everything has been!

For the most part I have felt pretty good! I have had icky days here and there. And THE FATIGUE! OMG! No one prepares you for that! I'm at the point now where I am SO STARVING, but if I eat more than a little bit I am SO FULL! So that has been interesting getting used to only eating a little at a time....all....day....long. 

Overall, it still doesn't feel real! But telling people has been super exciting and makes it feel more real! 

YAY BABY!

Oh, and PS....thanks Erin for taking this photo for us!!

12 Weeks

How far along: 12 Weeks

How big is the baby: The length of a clementine-2.1 inches. (The apps all say a plum, but Target and Jewel don't have them this time of year and at Costco they are monster sized! Not 2.1 inches!)

Weight gain: I thought I was officially up a pound, but today I was back to normal. But I think my stomach is starting to push out a bit. Well push my fat out. Grrr. What did Jillian Michaels do for me this summer? Nothing!

Doctor: Had my 12 week appointment today. Everything was great! I was getting a little (a lot) nervous beforehand, but they started with the heartbeat so I got my relief right away. I cried. And then she left the room and I sobbed. So amazing. I could listen to that all day.

Clothes: Mostly regular clothes still. Depends on the day. 

Sleep: Had a late night again Friday at a concert. Wanted to sleep all day Saturday! Last night couldn't sleep. Grrrr.....

Movement: Not yet!

Food/Aversions: Starting to get to the point where I am STARVING, but after eating not a lot I am SO FULL. Yuck. Portillo's to celebrate the good appointment and I'm still groaning. 

What I miss: Nothing yet.

What I am looking forward to: Telling everyone this week!! After our appointment today we told some extended family by texting/emailing them our announcement picture. The rest of the family will find out Wednesday after Mommom and Poppop find out! It is SO fun to tell people!!!!! I want to shout from the mountaintops! I'm excited to tell my work friends tomorrow!

Oh! And This: My mom is totally goofy and over the moon about this baby. She giggles all the time. It is the cutest. Oh! And Erin came over this weekend to take our announcement photo for us. I am so excited to share it with the Internet later this week after all family/friends know. Then I will be able to publish all these posts I have been writing to myself!

Some pictures from the Joe Nichols concert this weekend!

I was feeling brave with this outfit

Man! Is he a hottie!

Chips, guac, and a virgin margarita. I posted this picture to Instagram and Erin texted me "LIAR!" But I explained it was a lie of omission. I said it was a margarita. I just didn't mention it was a VIRGIN margarita!

Oh, and I bought this adorable onesie at Target. I couldn't help it. It jumped in my cart. I know I should wait for the after Halloween sales. But what was I supposed to do? It was already in my cart! 

11 Weeks

How far along: 11 Weeks

How big is the baby: The length of a small lime-1.6 inches

Weight gain: 0.0-Though depending on the horrendous bloat I can look 6 months pregnant!

Doctor: 1 more week until my 12 week appointment. Then I will be so relieved and we will tell everyone!

Clothes: Mostly regular clothes, belly band once in a while and my fat pants today!

Sleep: Saturday I couldn't get enough of it. Slept late. Took a nap. Ready for bed early!

Movement: Not yet!

Food/Aversions: Ate too much this weekend and paying for it now. Actually chose a sandwich over pizza when I went out to lunch with Erin today. 

What I miss: Nothing right now!

What I am looking forward to: Telling people next week!!!!!!!!!! Everyone at work has to be wondering what the heck I have been eating lately. Thank goodness for scarves. The one in the picture today I actually wore to work tied and hanging down covering my belly!

Oh! And This: Friday was my friend Amanda's wedding. It was a blast! I enjoyed a couple Shirley Temple's (Kiddie Cocktails). They are really underrated. Yum! Right towards the end of the night, my friend Katie and I were dancing with Amanda and she said, "I haven't seen either of you with a drink all night." Then she looked right at me and said, "Are you pregnant???" I couldn't lie! So I said "Yes" and she started squealing and crying and so did her sister who quickly figured out what was going on (she actually caught me not drinking at the bachelorette party during the summer when we were trying). In between hugging and answering questions and apologizing for breaking the news on her big day I was also frantically saying, "But it is still mostly a secret!!!" I didn't want the whole wedding to know before friends, family, and co-workers!

Kristin, Katie, Amanda, and me

10 Weeks

How far along: 10 Weeks. My sister pointed out that it is a quarter of the way through my pregnancy! Crazy!

How big is the baby: Size of a prune

Weight gain: 0.0

Doctor: 2 more weeks until my 12 week appointment. I can do this! I can! I'm just so excited to hear the heartbeat!!!

Clothes: I have been wearing all my regular clothes this week.

Sleep: Normal except for sometimes waking up and not being able to go back to sleep. I love sleep! I am only going to the bathroom about once per night now.

Movement: Not yet!

Food/Aversions: Nothing really. I found out that soft serve ice cream is a no-no this week and that was sad. Risk of listeria in the spout since it isn't sterilized often. I guess I will have to make do with store bought! I almost went into a depression when I heard that Jimmy Johns cuts their meat and cheese on the same slicer. 1) As a vegetarian: gross. 2) As a pregnant lady: could increase risk of listeria. I wasn't just going to let that one go though. I called a local JJ and asked "Do you cut your meat and cheese on the same slicer?" and the guy said, "Yup". Adam thought I should ask if they sterilized so I called back another one (so I didn't sound too crazy) and asked the same question. He said, "Yes, we cut all the cheese, meat, and veggies on the same slicer, but it is completely sterilized between each item." I said, "Wiped down? Or sterilized?" He said they wash it with hot water and soap and then sterilize the whole table and slicer with a bleach solution. Phew! I know you can't make yourself crazy with what is "safe" and what isn't. But, I am a rule follower, and I would rather be safe than sorry. Eating something that is possibly risky would stress me out more than stressing about what is safe. 

What I miss: Nothing right now!

What I am looking forward to: Looking pregnant

Oh! And This: We told a few more people this weekend! Amy was over helping for our Pumpkin Day before everyone got there. I said, "Oh, look at this. Which one should I buy for next summer for when I am gardening and at Family Fest?" (Family Fest is the fair at our church and Amy and I chair the ice cream booth). She look confused a second. I said, "For me! So I can still garden and stuff next summer!" Then she started crying! =)

(These are just random pictures. I don't know what kind I want yet!)

Her mom (my "Aunt" Judy) got there (luckily) before too many people so I was able to tell her too! I showed her the ultrasound picture on my phone and said, "I don't know if you can see this, but I wanted to show you!" It was really fun to tell them

9 Weeks

I'm starting with typing this post, even though I am actually going to publish these posts out of order. We have been taking weekly pregnancy photos since 2 days after we found out. I realized this weekend that I better start getting my thoughts written down before I forget! What better way than through my blog? Then I can share our updates with friends and family who are so excited about Baby H being on the way. Though....at this point only immediate family knows! But by the time you are reading this, it will be public knowledge!

Anyway....

How far along: 9 Weeks

How big is the baby: Size of a grape! That seems so large!

Weight gain: I still weigh the same as when I got pregnant. I've been up and down a few pounds here and there.

Doctor: We had the ultrasound on Friday and it was truly an amazing experience. First, I almost cried because my bladder was so full (they have you come with it full for a better view), so the tech let me empty it some. Then I really cried when we saw our teeny baby and saw that tiny flickering heart. Afterwards I asked Adam if he was excited because he didn't seem as excited and he said, "You weren't looking at me when we saw the baby! I was VERY happy!" I could have laid there all day watching that screen. And our baby actually looks like a baby! It is so cute laying all snuggled in there. 

Clothes: Mostly my regular clothes. I just feel yucky and bloated sometimes. Pants that were a little too tight before are really uncomfortable now. I got a couple belly bands from Target and have worn them twice. 

Sleep: Though I normally can sleep for days and I have been so tired, once I wake up I can't fall back asleep. Unfortunately sometimes that is at 3:30 am. 

Movement: Not yet!

Food/Aversions: For the most part my appetite is the same. Sometimes I wish I had more food aversions and could get away with just eating apples and bagels. But since I can eat whatever I want most of the time, I had stupid broccoli with dinner. 

What I miss: This is going to sound weird. But I miss having symptoms. Well, I haven't really ever had any that were super strong to miss. But I wish I did. I know anyone who has had bad morning sickness would slap me, but at least it is reassurance that the baby is OK. The last few days last week my symptoms almost completely stopped. That is scary! At least we had the ultrasound Friday to tell us everything was OK then. I know I should just count myself lucky, but it is hard to believe there's really a baby in there when I mostly feel completely normal. I could totally be one of those people who didn't know she was pregnant for months and months! My icky days I could chalk up to bad food or random heartburn! I could explain away my tiredness because I'm teaching two university classes this semester!

What I am looking forward to: Telling people!

Oh! And This: We are never ever going to agree on a boy name. And I would bet this baby is a boy! 

I stole this from Erin! I will use it for my updates from now on!

And now I will blab on and on....

A funny story: Auntie Erin said she was having a hard time believing that blob on the ultrasound was a baby. I pointed out the head, body, little arms and legs. Then said said, "OOOOHHHH! I thought the black part was the baby! They need to put that label on the right place!" I couldn't stop laughing!

Adam and I spent the weekend with our pumpkins so I had to include a picture of them. Saturday all afternoon we picked the pumpkins and gourds. Don't worry, I didn't carry any really heavy ones and I didn't carry them for long treks. But! Most anything you could handle before pregnancy, you can do during! Sunday we washed all of our pumpkins and gourds! We are ready for Pumpkin Day next week. Well. Not really. But the pumpkins are ready. 

The hugely exciting news this weekend was that we invited Adam's family over for a taco night Sunday night to announce our good news to everyone! We put the ultrasound picture in a frame on the counter/table so everyone saw it as they got there! There were lots of hugs and cheers. 

We gave his parents some gifts to announce to them. We got a book for his dad called "Grandpa's Tractor" and a mini photo album for his step-mom that says "Grandma's brag book". They are grandparents many times over, but they were still super excited for us! His step-mom said whenever she has a rough day this school year (she is a teacher too), she will just think of this and smile!

Exciting news around the house is that...oh about....3.5 years after starting the master bathroom, we finally have mirrors and glass! We have been using it for about a year....but it just made a mess. Now we just need to finish decorating. I am waiting for Adam to stain some crates I bought to put on the walls in the water closet. I love progress!