And baby makes 3!!

Sooooo...rumor is Nicholas and I are going to have a baby.  The rumor is true!  Lil baby Sullivan is expected October 6!  We are both so excited and nervous and feel so blessed that this is happening.

How it all began....

January 31st was the day my life changed forever.  It was a normal Tuesday as I walked into work.  I was alone and thought, hmm....maybe I should take a pregnancy test.  NEVER did I actually think it would be positive. Then, bamm, it turned positive in about 4 seconds and I hit the bathroom floor.  Yes, literally  I stayed there for what seemed like a while until I could catch by breath and realize that I had opened the pharmacy and I was the only one there.  Once I composed myself, I hid the test in my purse, poured my coffee down the drain (I heard no caffeine while you're pregnant), and panic set in.  I couldn't call Nicholas because he was at work.  When he works on the floor at the hospital he has to go into the stairwell to talk so I only call if I need something.  In my mind, if I called him and told him the news, he would fall down the stairs and I would have a much bigger issue on my hands. Like being a single mom. So I waited. And waited. And prayed.  And looked at that test in my purse a hundred times.  After work I went and bought three more pregnancy tests and waited for Nicholas to come home.  When he walked in the door, the tv was off and most of the lights were off.  The first thing he said was "Oh my gosh Brittany who died?"  My only response was "Umm...I'm pregnant."  Not quite how I ever expected to share such exciting news.  He ask how sure was I and I showed him the four positive tests.  We both felt like that wasn't assurance enough so we went and bought 3 more.  I know how beyond ridiculous that sounds but we were scared out of our minds.  After those 3 came back positive he was determined I was doing it wrong and offered to pee on one himself.  It was exactly the comic relief I needed in such a serious moment.   The rest of the night we stared at each other not really knowing what else to do.

I knew from our first date I would marry Nicholas.  I knew he would make an incredible husband and father.  That night affirmed everything over and over again.  After I told him, he wanted us to pray.  He led the most beautiful prayer I've ever heard.  I was very emotional and the things he said that night to me will stay in my heart forever. 

My emotions have been much better since that night.  We flew to Duke the following weekend which was perfect because it kept me from spending time with our family so I wouldn't let the news slip.  We told the news to our parents first, then siblings, then close friends.  I probably have the best memories of telling my best friend Allison, our friends in Birmingham (which will require a total separate post for good reason) and my sisters-in-law. Every day the realization of the fact that we are going to be parents sinks in even more.  I feel sooooo blessed that God has chosen us to be parents and don't want to take a single moment for granted.  I know everything will be totally different from here out.  My mother has made sure I am prepared for that one fact.  We put everything in God's hands a long time ago so with him in the middle of it all I know I have nothing to worry about.  I trust in him, his timing, and his ability to make miracles happen. 

SO now that the sappy details are out of the way, here's to the fun stuff...

How far:  I am officially 13 weeks and in my second trimester!!!!  I was SUPER pumped about hitting that mark and so far I just can't complain about my pregnancy at all.

Symptoms:  My acid reflux is awful (but it was bad before) and I still get nauseous but I can deal with it.  I have my energy back which is just exciting.  I was coming home and falling asleep before 7:30 for a few weeks.  I thought in pharmacy school I had learned what exhaustion was but boy was I wrong!  Over the last 2 weeks my appetite has really picked up.  I'm hungry allllllll the time.  Just ask my co-workers or my husband.  He said one day, "Wow, I just never knew you could put back that much food." In fact it may have been after I had the quarter pounder extra value meal and took it DOWN in a matter of minutes.  Not that it's uncommon to eat that, I'll just leave out what I had eaten right before. :)  I always wanted to eat very organic when I got pregnant but I never expected to have so many aversions.  Just looking at certain foods makes me gag.  So hopefully in the coming weeks that will all go away.

Cravings:  None really.  More aversions but those are going away.  I love marinara so anything with that is good.  And salty foods, not sweet.  It constantly changes.

Belly bump:  I'm voting no, not yet.  If you see me, you can be the judge.  Some days I look like a have a little one, some days I don't.  So as of right now I contribute it to bloat and probably the cheeseburger I just ate. 

Looking forward to:  I can't wait to feel the little munchkin move.  I don't feel very pregnant right now so I think when that happens it will set in.  We also will possibly find out the gender in 10 more days!! My doctor is awesome and is going to give it a go at my 15 week appointment. 

Gender:  I am 99% positive it's a girl.  But I do love when anyone asks me what I think it is, I catch such grief with comments like "you should just be thankful if it's healthy."  So just to clarify- I really do NOT care what this sweet lil baby will be.  A boy or girl does not matter at all.  I just simply think it's a girl, and so does Nicholas, and our sisters, and most of my friends.  Just my opinion, everyone has one.  I'm just excited to get to be a mom!!!

Weight gain:  let's just say yes.  My scale broke last week which is killing me.  I don't want to look like a beached whale this summer so I plan on getting a new one ASAP.  But as of last week I had gained 3.5lbs and reached my heaviest weight ever. Proud moment right there.

And now for some pictures...... Meet Baby Sullivan!!!

 Can you believe something so small is about to change everything so much?  Crazy. 

The proof was in the pudding.  They were all positive even if they don't look like it.  And yes, we bought multiple brands to make sure they were accurate. HA!

And now for the ridiculous part.....Baby Sullivan has acquired allllll of this before he/she is even the size of a plum.  That's right kids.  A plum.  So a proper thank you needs to go to Kelly, Brenna, Lindsey, Mrs. Lauren, Kat, Allison, Jessie, and Sara for showing us just how much you love us and just how loved this baby will be.  I cried opening every single one of these gifts and I can't tell you just how much it means to me and Nicholas.  I never expected or deserve any of it.  When I say we have the greatest friends, we really do.  And yes, that baby already is racking up on the UT gear!!  Baby Vol in the making!!  My mother has decided to spoil my waist line and not the baby just yet and buy me a never ending supply of "stretchy pants" so her baby won't be squished in my jeans (haha) so thanks to you too, Momma! 

That's all I have for tonight.  No belly pictures just yet, but soon. 

And these two wanted to share how excited they are to be big brothers.  I can't leave them out, after all they are my first children.

So until next time feel free to leave your vote for the gender of the baby in the comments section.  Since more people are finding out, a boy may be taking the lead.  If you believe in old wives tales the baby's heartbeat was 177 at week 9 and 178 at week 11.  If you aren't sure what that points to then you have a 50/50 shot anyway.  Go for it!!!  And a big thank you to everyone who has already sent their love!!  Looks like this journey is about to get a lot more exciting!!!

See you back soon!!

XOXO

Britt

Best weekend ever? Quite possibly.

So, obviously I'm already behind on blog posting after just one post.  This should come as a surprise to no one.  But I've been so excited to blog about our weekend in Birmingham a few weekends ago and here it is.

I had not been to Birmingham since October and Nicholas hadn't been since last May.  Crazy considering we lived there for so long.  We were so excited to get in some quality time with our friends and the weekend did not disappoint!!  We actually didn't arrive until about 1:30 AM Saturday morning.  We were so exhausted but to be woken up on Saturday by Ava and Bella's giggles was by far the best alarm clock ever.  We had a girls day brunch (no babies, can you believe I even let that happen?) on Saturday at the cutest little place in Mountain Brook. 

All Kelly could talk about that morning was their cake so I knew if the food was a disappointment, the dessert would not be.  All the girls were able to be there except for Katie Dyer and we had the best time catching up, eating, and just spending time together without interruptions.  And Kelly....the cake did not disappointment.  I mean look how excited this girl is. It's like Christmas morning, pure happiness and joy.

I love each one of these girls SO much.  A quick recap on how I know them: "Mrs. Lauren" (Samford shirt) was one of my very first friends when I moved to Alabama and was going to Samford undergrad.  She was best friends with Brenna (my right), who just happened to be in her first year of pharmacy school, and was also sorority sisters with her.  Mrs. Lauren introduced me to Brenna where she became my "rx friend" and essentially got me through pharmacy school.  I can say CONFIDENTLY that I do not think I would have gotten through it without her. Kat (far right, cute blonde), was also one of my friends from undergrad.  We met because we had both transferred to Samford.  Loved her now for 8 years and if you spend 2 minutes with her you would see why and love her too.  She met the other girls at my bachelorette party and the rest is history.  Kelly, (adorable red head) is the wife of JJ, one of my husbands dearest friends.  I remember the night I was going to meet her.  Nicholas said "you all are so much alike you will end up being best friends." Wow, well, he kinda nailed that one.  Lindsey, (far left) is the wife of Josh, who is the brother of JJ.  So Kelly and Lindsey are sisters-in-laws.  Actually, Brenna married Justin, the other brother, so she is also a Koch sister-in-law as well.  Crazy, right? Lindsey is so sweet and kind and we are so thankful they ended up moving to Birmingham.  I first met her at JJ and Kelly's wedding. It was just destined that we all ended up in each others lives.  We've been there for every wedding, baby, shower, graduation, you name it.  They make me happy that you don't have to be related to be family.  OH, and if you ever hear me talk about my three nieces in Bham, that would be Ava, Bella, and Emily.  Ava and Bella belong to Kelly and Emily belongs to Lindsey.  Not by blood, but I still claim them.  Once you see pictures of them you can totally see why.

SO, figured all that out yet?  We ended up having a cook out that night where I do believe I have never laughed and cried (happy tears) so much, ever.  We created a lot of those memories where I have a feeling that every time we are together it will be brought up.  No one caught the yard on fire (yes, that's happened) and no holes were put in their walls (yes, I would be responsible for that).The weekend ended with a visit to Jim-N-Nick's.  It's mine and Nicholas's favorite BBQ restaurant.  There actually may have been enough that happened in that weekend to require a second blog post.  But at my rate, don't count it.  Enjoy the pics and until next time....

XOXO,

Britt :)

The gang!!  Minus Ava and Bella who were already asleep.  I love you guys!!!

North Carolina….come on and raise up!

I pretty much deserve wife of the year with this trip.  I surprised Nicholas for Christmas with tickets to see his favorite Duke team play at Cameron Indoor.  I had it all planned from the game, car, hotel, and flight AND the best part is I was actually able to keep it a secret from him!  We had a wonderful time and I must admit that the people of North Carolina are some of the nicest people ever. And they have good chicken wings. And chili nachos.

We have just arrived at the arena.  The “cameron crazies” were already in full swing behind us. Crazy. No pun intended.

We even got to play out on the court!  Major highlight! My favorite pic from the entire trip.  Nicholas taking it all in.  He was fascinated.  He’s been to college games before, but he’s been a Duke fan sine he was kid and to see all this in person was so special.  All I can say, he better be planning some really awesome presents for me coming up!! The pressure is on kiddo!

We got to spend some time with my “lil sister” Stephie!  We grew up neighbors in good ol’ Rolling Hills in Tazvegas and she had just moved to Chapel Hill.  It was awesome playing catch up with her during the weekend.

Overall, fantastic, wonderful getaway with my husband. Especially all the text messages I was getting during the game as Duke was losing from my mom, Kelly, and my father-in-law. “OH NO is NIcholas breathing?!” “Brittany, is he ok, I’m not joking.” “Are you standing up, maybe that will help.”

I love getting out of our day to day routine and just spending time together and this was no different. I would especially like to thank the constant mist and 40 degree weather for giving me awesome Tina Turner fuzzy hair.  You can’t pay for a fro like that. Here’s a few more pics and until next time…XOXO!

Britt the blogger?

So I have decided to start blogging!  Not sure why.  Probably because I love to read blogs. Fun blogs.  You can learn so much, like how to craft. And create a fun, livable space. And make yummy food.  Well, you probably won't find that here because I can't really do any of that. I just enjoy reading about it.  I plan on it being a journal of sorts so that anyone who cares can keep up with our life together! It won't be an everyday thing just a fun way to vent my thoughts and our little adventures together.  So sit back and enjoy the ride with us!!