Learning New Things

Being our first pregnancy, there is so much to learn...for everyone!  Mom, Dad, Grandparents, and friends.  You can't eat this, don't lay on your back, and then there are all the myths too.  Below are a few things we have learned in the last week.

Lesson 1 - Prenatal Yoga isn't for everyone: My Lesson

I contacted the only prenatal yoga place that I found online in Allen.  The lady wrote me back and informed me that this was done in her house and that she had 6 cats.  Weird, right?  I thought this was strange so I asked if I could do a trial class before I committed.  Thank God!  When I showed up, she was yelling at her child.  "Oh this is a soothing yoga environment" I thought.  The class was held in her sunroom with a total of 5 preggos.  The other 4 women were cranky and seemed very unhappy to be there.  Once the class started, I was counting down the minutes until I could leave.  "Relax" is not in my vocabulary.  I was constantly thinking about what else I could be doing.  I don't think I need to pay someone to tell me to breathe, relax, and "embrace baby"  ...And since I still act like I'm in 3rd grade, all the seriousness made me giggle.  I was just praying no one passed gas.  I would have died.  On a positive note, I did realize that I need to try to take time out of my day to relax.  So I've been taking bubble baths with lighted candles and chocolate milk...Mamaste!

Lesson 2 - Contractions are painful: JP's Lesson

Yes, you read that correctly.  I promise I have a really smart (and hot) husband.

We were at a wedding this weekend chatting with Sara and Jon who have a 16 month old.  They were giving us pointers (eat before you go to the hospital) and sharing stories.  Side note: It is nice to have friends with kids.  We have very few.  Come on friends.  Get on it.  Anyway, Sara mentioned how painful the contractions were before she got her epidural.  When JP and I got in the car to drive home (or to the car wash - long story) JP said, "I can't believe contractions are painful"...ummmmm "What?"  I thought everyone knew this.  So I did a little googling for JP.  "The uterus is a muscular organ that contracts powerfully to squeeze your baby out and those contractions are the primary source of pain."  Ugh, this just makes me cringe.  I really didn't know where contractions happened or that they were the number one source of pain.  (I assumed the fact that a watermelon was passing though a small hole was)  So like I said, we are both learning.  My side lesson learned - don't assume your smart husband knows everything. :)

Lesson 3 - You don't have a period while you're pregnant: Ashley's Lesson

Yes, you also read that correctly.  This week Ashley asked me, "so you don't have a period the whole time your pregnant?"  I just started laughing.  She asked if I was laughing so much because I was already thinking about that comment going on the blog...ummmm, yep.  She did mention that was a nice selling point for getting pregnant so once again, get on it.

Other Updates

We got our master bath painted.  We ended up paying someone to do it so we didn't have to give up an entire weekend.  Here's a pic although it's hard to tell.

Ashley and I also went shopping this weekend.  I found this cute mirror to go above our bed.  Notice the bump in the pic.  

We also had to have some fun while shopping.  Where's Waldo?

And here's a pic of the bump at 16 weeks. 

I know, I know.  Selfies aren't cool...but it could be worse.

This picture gets me everytime.  It seriously makes my day.

Pregnancy/Baby Updates

Henry is now an avocado and measuring 4.5 inches from crown to rump.  So big!  As for me, I'm pretty sure hormones are here to stay (so annoying) and I've started getting lots of headaches - maybe the changing hormones?

The countdown is officially on.  2 weeks until our next appointment when we get to find out the gender.  I CANNOT WAIT!  God is good!

Oh Hello Hormones

We didn't have many plans for the weekend.  We have both been really busy so we just wanted to have a relaxing weekend.  Once again, the plans went out the door.

Friday night started out great.  We ran to Macy's to get new towels for the bathroom, ordered pizza, and sat on the back porch.  We also hit up the PGA Super Store because I clearly needed new shorts and a shirt for our Sunday golf outing.  It was a low key, relaxing night.  But...when we got in bed, out of no where, I started crying.  Like balling, can't breathe crying.  (Oh hello hormones)  I can't even tell you why.  I kept saying, "this is so stupid" and then laughing and then crying some more.  JP of course is so great and just tries to be comforting...but I'm sure he thinks I'm nuts.  I wish for one day every man could just have a hormonal experience.  They are seriously bizarre.

The plan for Saturday was as follows;
- Home Depot for paint supplies for our bathroom painting project next weekend
- Taxes - JP
- Clean house - Danielle
- Hang the fan in the guest room

More like sh*t hit the fan.  Ok, I'm exaggerating, but it got crazy.  JP ended up having to go into work Saturday morning because he couldn't log onto work from home.  No big deal.  I would clean house while he was gone.  When he got back, he informed me that Stacey's called to tell him that the fabric we picked for our sectional was discontinued.  Ugh...one more thing to deal with.  So of course I start questioning the purchase in the first place.  It was way more than I had wanted to spend.  Maybe I could find a cheaper one?  Maybe it happened for a reason?  After two trips to Stacey's and three trips to Haverty's, we decided to cancel the expensive one altogether and went with a cheaper one from Haverty's.  So while this was a pain to deal with, I'm so thankful for the way it turned out.

Next, JP started on the taxes.   While JP was taxin, I decided I would paint a couple more samples on the bathroom wall to figure out which one we wanted.  When I went to get the sample from my back seat, I couldn't find it.  So I leaned in to look under my seat and immediately started to freak.  The sample paint had been squished when the seat moved back for JP to drive.  I wish I had a picture to post, but I literally couldn't even look much less take a picture.  (Oh hello again hormones)  I ran in to tell JP that we had an emergency.  (If you know how I treat my new car, you would know that this was an emergency to me)  I could tell he was thinking, "Real emergency or hormonal emergency like last night"  Poor JP spent an hour and a half trying to get the dried paint out of my car.  It actually looks better than I thought it would and at least it's under my seat so you really can't see it.

We did have a nice Sunday.  We got to play 18 holes of golf.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  We were paired with the sweetest older couple that had just moved to the area because their daughter was having a baby this Wednesday.  We definitely had a lot to talk about.

Needless to say, we did not make it to Home Depot or get the fan hung.  It will get done eventually if this whole nesting period doesn't kill me first.

Getting the To Do's Done

2nd Prenatal Appointment

The second trimester has officially started.  We had our second prenatal appointment last week which was very quick.  Weighed in (gained 1.5), blood pressure (good), and got to finally hear the heartbeat. (160)  I know that predicting the gender based on the heart rate is an old wive's tale, but it's still fun to play.  Per babybpm.com, the heart rate from our two appointments predicts a girl!

We also asked about hunting while preg and it's totally fine.  The baby is very protected.  JP's dreams have come true.  I kid.  I rarely go out with him.  Our last trip included two dead deer, lots of tears (mine of course), and frozen snot.

Our next appointment is at week 18 on May 9th and we will get to find out the sex!!!  Hopefully, if he/she cooperates, we will get to have a little gender reveal party the next day which works perfectly because my family will be in town for a concert.

Sharing with friends

It has been so much fun to finally tell people the good news.  I told some of my girlfriends at our book club meeting.  I held up "What to Expect When You're Expecting" as my book suggestion.  I got a a few blank stares and Boo said something along the lines of, "Why would I want to read that?!"  Our smart friend Alli caught on and screamed, "You're pregnant!"  Fun times!

To Do List

I have a lot that I want to get done before we find out the gender that way I can just have fun taking my time on the nursery.  The main To Do's are below.

1.) Clean out/organize all closets/drawers/cabinets - Done

This included 5 trips to Container Store and 9 black garbage bags of stuff for Goodwill and my family.  How did we accumulate so much stuff in the last two years?

2.) Redecorate our master bedroom and bathroom and paint the bathroom - Work in progress

I am so not a fan of the colors in our house.  The trim and shutters are a beige/tan color which makes decorating limited.  I don't want to paint the whole house so I'm working with what I've got.  (Other than painting the bathroom which will hopefully be done in the next two weeks)  Also, I originally added lots of red in the bed/bath which I'm sick of, so that was the goal.  Rid the red.

Here are some before/after pics of the bedroom.  I still need a couple things but you get the idea.  I need to find something for above the bed.  The mirror was borrowed from the guest room as an idea.

After

Before

My mom came in this past weekend to help pick out paint and start with the redecorating project.  If you know me, you know that I hate decorating and shopping.  I want to take my list to one store (Home Goods of course), find everything there, and be done.  Since it doesn't work that way and I hate shopping alone, mom and I do what I call "Marathon Weekends" when she's in town.  This includes getting as much done as possible in 2 days.  We literally worked, shopped, and ran errands for 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday.  I already don't enjoy shopping.  Having to pee in almost every store doesn't add to the joy.  Anyway, this is how it went down;

Saturday: Started with a 2.5 mile run, finished cleaning out closets, Goodwill,  Bassett, Stacey's (Plano and Allen), Home Goods, Academy, DSW, Anthro, Sephora, Hobby Lobby, Ross, Home Depot (twice), Lowes, and Bed Bath and Beyond.

Sunday: Garden Ridge (Plano and Lewisville - thanks Ashley and Emily), Stacey's, Target (twice), Dillard's, Macy's, Nordstrom's, Penney's (twice), Bed Bath and Beyond, Pottery Barn, and moved furniture around.

I don't know how my Mom does it.  I was totally exhausted and probably overdid it.  She's a beast.  I could not do it without her!  I have a feeling "Marathon Weekends" will be coming to an end in 6 months though.  It would be so much easier if my mom lived here. (hint hint)

3.) Get a new sectional - Done

The furniture we originally purchased is cute, but we wanted something more comfortable and accommodating.  JP and I had previously picked out the sectional we wanted to build.  Mom and I just needed to choose a fabric.  We went back on Sunday to buy it and before we went it, Mom told me to let her do the negotiating.  I told her it doesn't work that way.  Especially on a custom order.  She bet me she could get $500 off.  I told her she was crazy.  The second she started her negotiating skills, I walked away.  Why does this make me so uncomfortable?  Long story short, I should never argue with my mom on her negotiating abilities.  I would seriously put that woman up against anyone.

4.) Clear out the room for the nursery - Done (sort of)

We had a second guest room in the soon to be nursery so we needed to combine this with our work out room.  We got rid of our 1980s work out bench and moved the bed and dresser in with the treadmill.  Now the nursery just has a bunch of crap that needs to be sold on craigslist.

5.) Work on the back yard - Not started

We want new landscape, concrete, and a pergola.  This is more of JP's project.  His life has been consumed with taxes so hopefully after 4/15, we can get started.

Pregnancy Updates:

As far as pregnancy updates, there isn't much.  I still feel great.  My work pants don't fit an people have been commenting on my more noticeable belly.

I did have my first hormonal episode yesterday.  Of course it had to happen at work.  JP sent me a sweet text and I just started crying.  Definitely hormonal, right?  That statement doesn't even make sense.  But I just miss JP.  I feel like I haven't seen him in 3 weeks.  The only time we get to talk is when I try to have a conversation with him for the 30 minutes that he snoozes in the morning.  I am in need of some JPQT.  Tax season is a beating, but I'm proud of how JP handles it.  I can't wait for 4/15 and of course 5/9!!

God is good!

We have a baby!

First Prenatal Appointment
It's confirmed.  There really IS a baby in there.  Our appointment was so interesting and cool.  It started by my doc saying "ok, let's see how many are in there"  I'm pretty sure my heart rate tripled. There was only one.  Whew.  We got to see the baby and the tiny fluttering heartbeat which was 176 rpm.  Baby Mack measured 3 days small, but + or - 7 days is normal.  So the due date is officially October 7th.  Of course I already knew this since I basically knew the exact date we got pregnant.  This is one day before our 2nd wedding anniversary.  What an awesome gift!

(It's hard to tell from the picture if you don't know what you're looking for, but the head is on the right inside the peanut)

I absolutely love our doctor.  She basically answered all my questions before I even had a chance to ask.  Well, all but JP's question which was, could I go hunting or could the gun hurt the baby's ears? We didn't ask.  I didn't want her to think we were a couple of rednecks.  Although if you saw the size of JP's hunting closet and his gun collection, you would think exactly that.  Plus, I'm from Plainview...I will always have a little redneck in me.  Maybe we will ask next time.  JP wants me to get more familiar with my handgun and I want to kill a turkey.  

Countdown

I am counting down the days until I can share the news with my girlfriends!  Hiding this secret is getting more and more difficult.  I am out of excuses for why I can't attend things and I am sick of missing out of girls nights/dinners.

St. Patty's day was particularly hard.  Kim and Ing were in town and they were completely convinced I was preggo.  Keeping the secret has become like a competition for me and Ash.  We knew we needed to be on top of our game.  With a little help from non alcoholic jello shots and O'Douls (or O'Louls as Ashley calls it), we thought we pulled it off.  I'm pretty sure we had Ing and Kim convinced I wasn't preg, but I know that others are on to me.  Yeah, you, Kristi, Tara, and Sara P.
Kristi "I'm onto you" , Me "huh" , Kristi "yeah, I saw you walk to your car with an empty beer and come back with a full one"
...fail
And Tara... I'm pretty sure I just told you too much.
And Sara P...not sure how you know (maybe Tara?), but I enjoyed your text this week...
Text 1: "Are you knocked up?" Text 2: "You don't have to answer that, but I'm on pain pills and being nosy" haha

Updates

I still don't have many symptoms.  I am starting to get my energy back and I'm not sleeping as much as I was in the beginning (which is typical going into your 2nd trimester).

I also can't believe that I haven't been emotional at all.  I am usually a basket case when I pms.  I'm just waiting for it to hit me.

Henry was a kumkwat last week and is a fig this week.  I am ready for him to be a familiar fruit so I can actually make a comparison.

I am also soooooo ready to find out if it's a boy or girl.  That way we can give him/her a real name and Henry can be put to rest.  I had a friend ask, "do you think God already knows if it's a boy or a girl?  Or do you think he decides when it's time to put a penis or vagina on it?" Too funny, but it made me think of this scripture. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5  God is good!

8 Weeks

It still hasn't really sunk in yet.  I don't really think it will until we start sharing with people (yay!) and I start showing. (boo!)

Family Reveal

Telling our family could not have been more perfect.  Everyone was hiding in the dark in our dining room to "surprise" me for my bday.  When I walked in, I tried to act surprised (fail) and then I announced that we had our own surprise and pointed to my shirt.  See pics below.  (Mack is short for McEnery...apparently that needs explaining)
My sister and Bobby came in late to surprise me again.  It took Kaylee a while to notice my shirt and then she started yelling at me for drinking a beer.  I guess that's the CPS coming out.  Important note: I was obviously not drinking beer but there was one on the table close to me.

Symptoms/Changes

I hope this 1st trimester is an indication of the rest of my pregnancy.  I have been really lucky and even forget that I am pregnant sometimes.
- I do have pregnancy brain which is so not like me.  I lose things and don't even realize they are missing. My driving has become questionable too.
- I sleep hard and more than I used to.  9:00 pm is my new bedtime.
- I need new bras
- Max now cuddles with me more than JP :)  He sleeps on my belly sometimes too.  I think he knows.
- Smells: I threw out onions that I sauteed because they smelt awful.  Can newly bought onions be bad?  I wasn't sure, but they weren't going in our spaghetti.
I have actually lost a couple pounds.  It's probably the removal of alcoholic calories and I've been trying to eat healthier for Henry.  Yes. Henry...let me explain.

Henry

We call him Henry for a number of reasons.  One day I mentioned Henry to Diaz in a conversation that had nothing to do with naming our child.  But...she loved it so the joke Henry McEnery was formed.  Yes, I know it's bad and I can already hear the opinions but why do people think they can give you their opinion of baby names?  What if I really did like Henry McEnery?  You know, it kind of has a Philip Philips vibe...American Idol 2031.

It does make me wonder if we will share the name once we know.

My friend shared this blog recently.  She said she will never share her babies name again because of how many opinions she received.
http://www.disneybaby.com/blog/5-reasons-i-kept-my-babys-name-a-secret-until-after-he-was-born/

Maybe I will just have a good rebuttal.  "If you would like to name a child, have your own." or "You had your chance and I don't like your child's name either."  Too harsh?

Anyway, Henry (Henrietta on girl days) is becoming so normal it is starting to scare me a little.  We need to start calling him/her something else.

First Prenatal Appointment:
We have our first prenatal appointment next week.  We are so excited.  Maybe it will be more real when we hear the precious heartbeat.  God is good.

Making McEnerys

WE.ARE.PREGNANT! There are so many thoughts running through my mind right now.  We have known for a little over a week now and it still doesn't feel real!  I just assumed it would take a while but either I am really fertile or JP has good swimmers. :)

Blog
Soooooo...I'm starting a blog for the following reasons;
1. So people that are actually interested in our exciting journey can follow along (especially those who don't know yet can look back)
2. So I don't have to update those uninterested on FB every 5 hours.
3. To give me something to do...I foresee my social life slowing down greatly until we can share with everyone.

Disclosures
A. I have a friend with a hilarious blog.  I am not that funny.  This blog will be more like an update/journal.
B. I'm blunt and often say things that some would consider TMI
There, you've been warned.

Intro
The first thing you should know is a I am full on Type A. (thanks mom).  I LOVE "to do" lists, spreadsheets, budgets...and my monthly planner goes everywhere with me.  I am a planner/control freak.  The funny thing is, I can plan all day, but God often has other plans.

Back in September (way before we started trying) I ordered a camo onesie that said "Daddy's Hunting Buddy."  I figured this would be the perfect way to tell JP we were expecting.

Finding out
How I planned it in my head...
I took a pregnancy test.  It was positive. I had tears of joy.  JP came home from work and I told him I picked him up something from the mall.  He saw the onsie.  Picked me up (Dirty Dancing style) while "I've had the time of my life" starts to play in the background.  We are both ecstatic!

How it really went down...
I am extremely impatient so I took a Pregnancy test 7,6,and 5 days before my missed period.  The early ones claim you can find out 6 days before.  On the 4th day before, I took the test and sat there waiting...  Is that two lines?  Is that positive?  I think it could be positive?  As I'm staring at the test, Jp walks in from work.
JP: "you pregnant?"
Me: "Not sure??? Is this positive?"
We couldn't tell.  The second "pregnancy" line on the test was so faint.  So off to CVS we go to get a digital one.  Waiting.... waiting....waiting... It says "Pregnant" clear as day.  Holy crap...I'm pregnant!
Me: "Hey JP, look! We're pregnant.  Here's your onesie."
JP: "cool"

Needless to say, my type A tendencies have kicked into full gear.  What to expect spreadsheets, list of names, questions, budgets, new workout schedule...you get the idea.

Favorite Moments/Comments thus far
- JP: "I hate that I can't check your status.  You know, like a Fedex. I'm used to logging on and seeing where my package is"
- Suspicious friends: With our friends these days, if you pass up an alcoholic beverage, you are automatically pregnant.  So Diaz and I came up with a great solution for Super Bowl Sunday.  Non-alcoholic wine and vodka free jello shots.  Genius, right?  It all worked like a charm until someone got into my faux wine.  So to whomever drank the wine from the Robert Mondavi Cab bottle, now you know why it tasted like watered down grape juice. :)

Family Reveal
We are telling our families this weekend.  Everyone thinks they are coming over to our house for my surprise birthday party.  When I show up, I will be wearing a "Baby Mack" shirt with an arrow pointing to my belly.  Hopefully this reveal will go as planned!