Exciting News and Really Exciting News!

Exciting News and Really Exciting News!

• 11.17.2019

BIG changes are on the way for the Nelson family!  Do you want to hear the exciting news first or the really exciting news?

I'll begin with the really exciting news: we're expecting a baby due the end of May!

The news came as sort of a shock and sweet surprise.  I honestly thought three children was our number!

We tried to get pregnant for a year or so with no luck -- even with a little medical help.  Eventually, I decided to give the quest up all together and hopped back on some oral birth control.  (For reasons I don't feel obligated to explain here.)  As we gathered our family around for prayer in the evening, seeing my three boys there just made me feel content and at peace.  However, every time I mentioned to a friend that we were done having kids, something inside me said that wasn't the truth.  I chalked it all up to just being in my head; it's hard to let go of a dream.

Fast forward to this summer when I forgot to take my birth control pills a few times and my period came nearly a week early two months in a row.  I thought, "Forget this! I'll call my OB when school starts and get on something more permanent.  It's about time I seriously start the cancer prevention ball rolling anyway."

Well, a few weeks later found me in the bathroom trying to smear what just had to be a hair casting a shadow onto a positive pregnancy test, right?!  LOL.

I instinctively knew I was pregnant.  I was getting light headed when I stood up too quickly.  I was using the bathroom in the middle of the night.  And I suddenly wanted nothing to do with my poor husband. Haha.

Still, that positive pregnancy test came with a host of emotions!  They ranged from joy and excitement (A real squishy baby to hold!  More innocent childhood to soak in!) to disappointment (All those summer backpacking plans put on hold!) to fear (What if I miscarry again?  Can I really handle four kids?).  But really, that second pink line was the most welcome surprise.  I still can't help but thank my Heavenly Father for this sweet blessing to be pregnant once again.

It's funny though how quickly a woman's life completely plummets after receiving news she's pregnant.  The first trimester is not for the faint of heart!  Morning sickness hit HARD this pregnancy; it just seems to get worse each time for me.  I blame age.

For a solid month and a half -- right smack in the middle of the busy family photography season -- the nausea began in the morning and continued to worsen until bedtime.  Evenings were absolutely miserable as I carted the boys around to swim and music lessons.  I can't even count how many times I threw up.

And oh, the smells!  My poor boys would want to cuddle with me, but I'd have to turn my nose away; they just stunk!  Haha.

Pregnancy has got to be thee most unflattering time in a woman's life: the nausea, the bloat, the flatulence, the burps!  Yuck.  I've actually impressed myself with a few awkward bodily functions.  But really, I just gross myself out.  It's awful.  Like, how is Bron still married to me?!?

Bron's cooking skills and pre-made Costco meals came to the rescue for dinner the last few months.  Bron was a champ picking up the slack where I just didn't have the energy.

One night, when Bron was out of town, I served baked potatoes for dinner.  "But Mom," the boys wondered, "where's the meat?"  That's when Jed and Levi took it upon themselves to raid the deli drawer in the fridge.  They found a package of imitation crab and divided it amongst themselves.  There.  Problem solved.  I could only laugh.

Now, I am happy to say that we all survived the rigors of the first trimester!  Everyone is alive and the house is still standing.  Whew.

I had my first doctor appointment on November 11th where we saw our little bean on the ultrasound screen and got to hear his or her heartbeat for the first time.  It was such a relief to see that everything looks healthy!  I could finally exhale and let this pregnancy feel real.  This baby is REAL and I'm still pinching myself; I can't believe it.

I'm closing in on 13 weeks along now and the nausea is subsiding... mostly.  Thank goodness.  Except in the evenings when it comes around to remind that I am still, indeed, pregnant.  (I swear Bron thinks I'm allergic to him.)  There are afternoons (okay, most afternoons) when I just can't keep my eyes open, but hey, I'll take a nap with open arms!  And this belly of mine is definitely popping.

Pregnancy is one crazy roller coaster ride.  I'm grateful to get to do it one last time.  Now I'm just praying for a healthy delivery and baby!

Exciting News coming soon in Part II