A "little" announcement

For the past couple of months, we've been keeping a "little" secret to ourselves, which is also why I've been absent from this blog and haven't been posting frequently on my Instagram account. It all began a week before Christmas
when those two pink lines revealed positive on the pregnancy test. This was quickly followed by a happy dance, a prayer of thanksgiving, and a moment of journaling to remember those immediate feelings. But soon after, I got really sick and spent all of Christmas in bed, and the next two weeks feeling really weak and struggling to get over a persistent cough. Once I had recovered from that bout of sickness, morning sickness kicked into full gear. Each day was a battle of keeping the level of nauseousness at bay. Foods that I enjoyed were no longer a part of the picture, and I was running out of things to eat that would stay down. Even the smell of coffee or tea disgusted me, along with anything sweet.

Because I felt weak, tired, and always liable at throwing up, I rarely left the house, except for maybe three trips to the store, two of which didn't end very well. Since I began doing some freelance work from home, I have been able to take it really easy, but in the midst of it all, my creativity seemed to have gone on vacation, and I'm still waiting for it to slowly return. My close friends and family have tried to reassure me that the morning sickness will reduce, if not disappear, by the time I reach the second semester.

Being that I am a few days shy of thirteen weeks, I have found my level of energy to gradually increase, my appetite has also made a slow return, not to mention the level of nauseousness has reduced. Some days the morning sickness is also not so bad. Because of this, last weekend my husband and I thought we'd take a spontaneous trip to Chicago for an overnight stay to celebrate Valentine's Day. We had some free "apology" miles from Spirit airlines to use up, and I wanted to get out of the house. With his sweet preparation to stock my carryon with snacks, I survived the entire trip with only one episode of morning sickness, so I'm calling it a success!

We have been extremely grateful for this gift of life, and the opportunity to become parents. Every week we google the prognosis of our child's development, and the growing size it is inhabiting inside of me. Although still so small, its features, reflexes, and bodily functions are all coming together, designed so intricately, and already loved so much. We are so excited to become parents and to love on this little babe.