Miracle.

Olivia Rae,

(that's her name)

You are a miracle. I'm 22 weeks pregnant and feeling so wonderfully joyful about it all. I felt you move inside me for the first time on Saturday (11/24/12). It was a peaceful morning. Your dad and I slept in and were just enjoying our comfy bed, relaxing, with nothing much on our agenda for the day. All of a sudden, there you were! If I had to describe what it feels like, it really just feels like something is moving around inside you. It wasn't fluttery or popcorn-ish to me. This may be because I'm feeling you so much later in my pregnancy (due to an anterior placenta- look it up if you care). I felt you all morning and later that night and pretty much every day since. The past 2 days at work, you tend to get feisty during my 2nd period conference, around 10:30 am. It may be because I am usually sitting still at my desk at that time, or maybe because you are getting hungry (I assume you are hungry when I'm hungry).

Honestly, it kinda creeped me out at first to feel you move. It is just very bizarre. But it is reassuring to know you are there and doing ok! Your daddy and I are getting SO excited to meet you! Now that you have a name, we've picked out what your room is going to look like, and you have gotten a few gifts, it feels like you are a real person (which you are!).

You are loved by so many people. Your cousin Austin knows you are in my belly and lifts up my shirt to tell my belly "Hi, Baby Olivia!" You guys are going to be fun friends. Your grandparents (both sides) are overjoyed to have you join our family. It's a crazy family, but so full of love, joy, and life. The best part is that you are joining a family full of people who love Jesus. If we only teach you one thing while we have you, I hope you learn to love Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Stay put for a while, Olivia, but I am so looking forward to meeting you!

    My 22 week belly- you are moving around in there!

 

Judge was bored of picture-taking... 

Lita (my mom) took us shopping!

 
















Our friend Nancy at the gym gave us these cute shoes! You are gonna be GIRLY.

Bliss.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I would have told you that I was NOT going to be one of those women who just loooooved pregnancy. Honestly, a whole lot of the time, you feel like poo and definitely not like yourself.

These past couple weeks, however, I am LOVING it!. I feel much more like my normal self, plus we have a little gal to be excited about. It is really neat to see my husband get so excited and start "preparing" in his own way. He has really blown me away with how he is preparing to be an excellent father, husband and head of the household. He has initiated some "family rules" so to speak- things he wants us to start NOW, so that they will remain foundations for our family as we grow. He has also been very "into" making sure I am eating well, continuing to exercise, and get my rest. I am proud of him and so confident in his leadership for our family.

Energy: Awesome! Like pre-preggo normal, plus very motivated to "do" things. I guess it's that "nesting" instinct.

Diet: Better than ever. I have a great appetite and am back to eating our "normal" foods. I think that cleaning up my diet has probably played the biggest role in getting some of my energy back. And I'm back on eggs in the morning! I have to eat a huge breakfast in order to stay satiated throughout the day-especially after a morning workout! For dinner and lunch I am loading up on the lean meats and greens and snacks usually consist of fruit, nut butter, or nuts. I usually have to have a snack RIGHT before bed or I wake up STARVING in the middle of the night.

Exercise: Feeling good! Jumping still feels fine-but I'm not getting very high off the ground! Those extra pounds make me a little less springy :) I'm no longer doing any prone (on my back or tummy) exercises- burpees are now "squat thrusts", sit-ups are knees-to-elbows, etc. I'm still doing light bar work although less explosive than normal- from hang position instead of the floor, power clean and doing a front squat rather than doing a full squat clean. I increase weights for comfort. Some days I feel really strong and stable and can handle heavier weights than other days. If I'm feeling good, I increase. If not, I back off. And I can still do pull ups! We will see how long that lasts!

Body: I feel like my tummy is less pudgy looking and more pregnant looking. Strangers can tell that I'm pregnant. I haven't had any random tummy touches yet! I hope I never do...

Here we are at 20 weeks. This is post workout so that's why my hair is a crazy mess.

It's a...

GIRL!!

So we went for our anatomy scan (the long ultrasound) on November 6. I hadn't had any "feelings" about gender one way or another, but the morning of the 6th, I was CONVINCED it was a boy.

Tommy and my mom were able to attend the appointment with me. We got to see everything- fingers, toes, nose, spine, blood flow to the heart and through the umbilical cord, the four chambers of the heart, etc. Everything looked GREAT and she was at a great percentile for height and weight, actually measuring about 3 days bigger. She wasn't moving around very much but the technician was able to give us some pretty good shots of her. Since I was convinced it was a boy, I was shocked when she said "It's a little girl!"

Tommy didn't really say much but he smiled. I think we were both so relieved that everything was healthy that the gender news was really secondary to us at that point. We hadn't seen her since 8 weeks-when she still looked like a blob!

We are SO excited for our sweet daughter. The task of mothering a little woman can be intimidating, but one I feel so privileged and honored that I get to experience. Our prayer is that she will love her Maker and King and delight in being His creation.

Below are some sweet images of our little girl. In the last one, you can see that she was sucking her thumb.

Strong Second

Oh my, the 2nd trimester is a RELIEF. Besides not fitting into my pants, I finally feel somewhat NORMAL.

Energy: As long as I'm getting a good amount of sleep at night, I am good to go during the day! There is the occasional unexpected nap on Sunday afternoon, or occasional morning that I just can't make it out of bed to the gym, but generally, I'm feeling pretty peppy!

Diet: SO MUCH BETTER. Hungry all the time. I can eat veggies again! Steak, eggs, and grilled flavor in general I'm still kinda iffy about. But I'm back to making our yummy paleo dinners and loading up on the fresh fruits and veggies during the daytime. I'm still doing the greek yogurt in the morning and that is still working well for me.

Exercise: Feeling good. Just slower. Jumping movements or "ab" type exercises (like sit-ups or toes-to-bar) haven't bothered me yet. When they do, I will stop. Coaches have been so great and attentive.

Body: Hey belly! I'm up a few pounds and down a few outfit options. It's not looking like a "bump" yet, more like I went to the State Fair and went to town on a few Fletcher's corny dogs. To any outsider, I probably don't look pregnant AT ALL, but to me and people like my husband and my mom, it feels like a huge difference. I'm already uncomfortable at times which makes me a little nervous for what's to come!

This is at 16 weeks- I can't figure out how to turn the image...it isn't saved this way!

                  

17 weeks-pre-Sat morn workout

Telling the family!

We told my parents after our first OB appointment when it was clear there was a little baby brewing. They had just completed the Whole 30 at our encouragement (see here for previous post about that) so we were planning on going to dinner together for their first meal "off" the plan. I bought a few jars of baby food and stacked them in a gift bag. On the bottom of the very last jar, I taped a photo of our ultrasound. When we got to their house, we gave them the gift saying, "This is a little something to show you how proud we are of your success with the Whole 30- and a little encouragement to continue to stay strong." Mom opened the bag and started pulling out jars of baby food. They were bewildered. Then she got to the last one and turned it over. Cue gasps and waterworks and that look that says "really? you are?" My dad got a small, sly smile on his face and just said "Celina..." like I was in trouble or something. It was funny. They were very excited and we shared with my grandparents as well.

We already had plans to go to Grand Cayman with Tommy's family in early August. Since we really wanted to tell them in person, we waited until they came to Dallas to fly out for our trip. They got in late at night and we planned to tell them in the morning before we flew out. I think I was around 7 weeks at this point. We had purchased coffee cups that said "Great Dads/Moms get promoted to Grandpa/Grandma". That morning, Tommy made coffee and served up their coffee in these mugs. They were SO tired that they didn't even pay attention to what they were using. It was really funny because both of them were standing side by side at the kitchen counter with their mugs in their hands with the quotes facing out, totally oblivious. Tommy finally asked them if they liked their coffee cups. Both of them slowly turned them around to look at them and you could see their faces as they figured out what they meant. Again, that look of "really? you are?" So we nod and smile our affirmation and again, gasps and waterworks from Mom. Dad gets really big grin and shakes T's hand. Little sis is equally really excited. This being grandchild #1, they are beyond stoked!

I told my sister the weekend before telling Tommy's parents. Again, I really wanted to tell her in person and she happened to be in town that weekend. We were going over to my parents house to visit my nephew and her. The perfect moment arose when my 2 year old nephew, Austin needed to go potty. I quickly volunteered to take him. While we were taking care of business I coached him: "Austin, I need you to go tell Mommy- 'I'm going to have a cousin!" We worked on it and it was slightly intelligable. He was pretty awesome because he immediately beelined it for mom and said "Mommy, I gahihaa COUSIN!" "Um, what, Austin?" "I gahihaa COUSIN!" "You have a cousin?" "I gahihaa COUSIN!" "You're gonna have a cousin? WHAT?" Cue screaming and excitement. :) She has been great and it's cool that we are going to share the bond of motherhood together and that our kiddos will be so close in age.

After that, we started the looooong wait till 12 weeks when we felt we could tell people more openly. There were a few others along the way that we shared it with. It is so neat to see how excited people get! One thing we are super-fortunate about is that a large portion of our lifegroup friends are also in the baby/pregnancy phase as well. By next summer, our lifegroup will have 8 babies under 1 year (2 sets of twins!). It has been fun and encouraging to get to walk the pregnancy journey so closely with others who are going through it right there with me. It is a really sweet time for our group because we have had some infertility issues as well (not for us, but for others).

I think that about wraps up documenting the first trimester. Next posts will be about what is happening NOW!

Finding out

We have had people ask if we were "trying" for this baby. First of all, none of your business! Second of all, I hate that whole idea. Under the sovereignty of God, we really don't have much control over these things, do we? And I think it makes the whole process task-driven which is isn't how it should be either. So, while we weren't engaging in any kind of birth control and definitely felt "ready" to start a family, we approached it in a really relaxed way. 

I knew pretty early on that I was probably pregnant. I waited till I was a few days late and took a test. Negative. We were disappointed but not seriously bummed or anything. About 10 more days went by and I was still a no-show. I bought another test. The night before I took it, I had a serious meltdown- I think Judge had done something destructive and I seriously broke down about it in a really out of character way. Plus, I had been really sleepy that whole week. After my emotional escapade, I was pretty sure-something was different. Took the test the next morning, July 27- POSITIVE!

I think we were pretty much in shock that day. Didn't tell anyone, just kinda spent the day in a haze.  I  was pretty sure about our conception date but I called the doctor and they got me in for an "8 week" appointment. But they measure that based on the date of your last period. We went to the doctor on August 8 and surprise, surprise, turns out I was measuring closer to 5 weeks (which I could have told them). Everything looked good and healthy and I ws cleared to travel and exercise. 

Next up, telling the family!!

Strong for Two

So I am making a blogging comeback (maybe) to help document the next chapter of our lives. Nobody probably even follows this blog any longer so this is probably just for me but that's ok. I like the idea of having our journey "saved" or "published" in some way.

So yes, I am pregnant! 14 weeks to be exact. Feeling pretty good, everything is looking awesome. We are excited that I'm on my way out of the first trimester. Hoping that things start looking up!

Here is a little first trimester recap:

Baby Byrd at 8 weeks

Energy:  Super low-energy, lots of fatigue. Prior to school starting I got in a terrible habit of taking a nap everyday. Now that school is swinging, I come home totally wiped out and am pretty worthless at least until I get some food in me. It isn't uncommon for me to "nap" at 5pm when I get home. Previous to pregnancy, I did pretty well with about 7 hours of sleep at night. Now, I need about 9 to be functional.

Diet:  This was hard. I wish I could say I ate so cleanly and perfectly for my  little growing baby. I didn't. I did not ever get sick (throwing up) but I had some pretty severe food aversions. It took me a LOOOONG time to figure it all out but here is what I figured out:

-cooked veggies gross me out and give me heartburn

-grilled food has very little appeal

-I can handle meat that is "hidden" in other foods like soup or something, or in very small pieces (like shredded chicken)

-eggs are not happening

-I can't let myself get too hungry or I start to feel nauseous

-all I want are refined, simple carbs.

Here was my catch 22- we have been eating clean/paleo for long enough that I experience digestive distress when eating grains (mostly gluten/wheat). This translates to crampy, bloated, indigestion. BUT I would have such a hard time with eating large portions of meat and veggies that it would usually take grains to fill me up so I wasn't nauseous and wasn't gagging up my food (this happened with some steak). So it was either eat the filling, grain-y foods and not deal with nausea/hunger but deal with the digestive distress later OR deal with the nausea/hunger but not deal with any digestive distress.

Here was my happy place (it took me until 12 weeks to get here though): I added in greek yogurt, some potatoes and white rice, and corn tortillas here and there. Mostly, I just needed something starchy to act as a vehicle for my protein. I could handle fats pretty well-olives, coconut flakes, nuts and seeds. I ate alot of fruit. I figured that I could handle the extra sugar especially if vegetables weren't happening (at least I was getting some vitamins and fiber from somewhere) and ESPECIALLY if eating fruit kept me from eating other crap. I also discovered that RAW veggies I tolerated really well. So I added back in salads, cucumbers, carrots, etc. The best meals for me were some spicy ground beef lettuce wraps with raw veggies and sunbutter sauce, crockpot chili, and this salad topped with shredded chicken tossed in buffalo sauce. And then I didn't stress out- I just made sure I ate and made the best choices I could. If the only thing that sounded good was some white rice, then that's what I ate, and just made sure I topped it with some healthy fat to keep me full. NOW, however, I am *ALMOST* back in the swing of our normal diet. Except I live in starvation mode-hungry all the time!

Exercise:  This was mostly dependent on sleep. If I got enough sleep, I went to crossfit. If I didn't, I kept sleeping. We also tweaked our schedule a bit so we are only waking up for the 5:30 am class 2 to 3 mornings a week. Yes, I'm continuing crossfit. Yes, I'm lifting heavy weights. Yes, I would work out even when feeling like crap (exception being tired: I did NOT work out if I was tired). There were a few mornings I was nauseous the whole time and nearly lost it. But I always felt better on days that I exercised. I am NOT working out at the same intensity I always have. I am NOT trying to PR on every single lift and workout. I keep track of my heart rate but I'm not a Nazi about it. I'm well enough aware of my body mechanisms to not freak out if my heart rate goes above _____ (I have had SO many opinions on the magic heart rate number, varying from 140 to 180- for me, my "too much" number ends up being around 170). If I feel great, can breathe and talk to my neighbor, I keep going. If my heart is pounding and I'm too much out of breath, I take a break. Certain exercises spike my heart rate like crazy, most notably, snatches, thrusters, rowing, pull ups, jump rope, and wall balls.

My little belly at 12 weeks. and Judge.

Hubs: He has been a rock star. He never chastised me about my food choices (except for that one wretched day I felt I had to get WHATABURGER- he wasn't happy about that choice, and for good reason) and would sweetly eat his salad or whatever as I ate my white rice and oranges. He never accused me of being lazy or got upset when the laundry pile got a little high and I didn't swiffer the dog hair every day. He did alot of cooking and dishes and playing with the dog while I laid around. And he has been SUCH a great leader for our family in working out our finances for the next 9 months and beyond. Love him!

This is long so we will be done for now.