picture proof

See post below about our big news!

I want to make sure to take as many pictures to document this pregnancy as I can.  It's already fun to look back a couple months ago at the pictures we took the week we found out about this little baby, so I can't even imagine how fun it will be to look back in the coming months!

Can you tell we're excited?

We're pregnant!

...and an outtake

This was before our ultrasound so we had no clue how many weeks I was...taken 1 week after finding out-Happy 4th of July! :)

We had a 7 week ultrasound, which is where I think we fell in love :). Heart rate 146 bpm.

10 week ultrasound. Heart rate 170 bpm. We could see the little arm and legs!

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Big news in the Dunn household...WE'RE PREGNANT!

I'm a little over 13 weeks now and just recently feeling like I can actually enjoy this and not be filled with as much crazy anxiety and worry.  Don't get me wrong-it's definitely still there...just not quite as bad :).  Working in a NICU just doesn't give much room to be carefree about pregnancy.

I'll post something later with some of our pictures so far. It has been so fun journaling this pregnancy through writing and pictures.  We are so blessed and so thankful for this opportunity :).

I wrote this the night I found out I was pregnant. It's so funny to look back on those feelings.  Feel free to skip the next part as it's a little long and pretty descriptive...but hey-I was super excited!

.....


Holy.  Cow.  I am still in disbelief that I am actually writing this.  Part of me doesn't even want to write this for in some way I will be "jinxing" it. I am 4 positive tests sure that I am pregnant.  Although those tests are pretty dang accurate, I am still not convinced.  I will be convinced when the doctor calls back to say my blood levels show it and when ultrasound confirms it (I fully blame this thought process on working in a NICU).

I woke up this morning and took a test.  Not because I thought I was pregnant.  Not because I felt like I was pregnant. But because we were getting ready to start round 2 of Clomid and my doctor wanted me to take a test before we started in again. 

 (Side note: yes, we were using Clomid. Long story short, after some testing my doctor told us we could either keep waiting for something to happen or we'd be a great candidate for Clomid. SO after much deliberation and waiting and more deliberation, we decided to try Clomid.  Funniest part of the whole thing?? Once we had our ultrasound and found out how far along we were, my doctor told us that since the pregnancy had happened so far past when we took Clomid she is not even crediting it for causing it.  My body just decided to do it on its own. How cool is that?!) 

I decided to use the cheapest, smallest test that I got free in a pack of ovulation predictor sticks because I didn't want to waste the "good ones" for when I actually needed them. I kind of just flippantly dipped the little stick and went with getting ready for work-because OF COURSE it was going to be negative, they always had been.  As I glanced down, I noticed two lines.  

Wait.

What?! 

Ok, I need to grab my glasses.  Double check-yep, two little pink lines. Hm, what now? I mean I "knew" it had to be wrong. Maybe the test was old. Maybe I tested it for too long. I kept getting ready.  

But, the test still showed two lines.  As much as I still "knew" it wasn't right, I couldn't go work for 12 hours and not do another one, so I tested again (totally different brand this time).  And what do you know? That little sucker was positive too.  Still, I was highly doubtful. So I packed another test (different brand yet again...yes I am completely aware that I am crazy and I have come to accept it) in my work bag just in case I couldn't help myself later on in the day.

Arrive at work.  Find out I am the team leader.  Yes! The busiest assignment besides the charge nurse. And it was going to be a crazy day-triplets, twins, and multiple other admissions expected. It would totally keep my mind off of this whole thing.  That worked until 9 AM.  I couldn't help it, I went and took the other test.  Immediately positive.  

I decide to email my doctor (we had been emailing back and forth with questions on Clomid and she was always speedy to return my email).  When she didn't reply in 0.7 seconds, I decided to call the office.  Once again, yes I know I'm crazy.  Every time I have called in the past (for lab work results, appointments, talk to the nurse), I have had to wait allllll the way until option 6 or something like that, then wait like a million years, to then finally talk to someone with no medical background who answered my call and never really answered my questions.  I have always longed to hit number 1-"if you are pregnant, etc., etc.  Well, today I hit option 1.  They immediately answered.  I went on the tell them I had done my first round of Clomid-never gotten a positive ovulation stick, my bloodwork tested completely negatively for the Clomid working weeks ago, but I randomly get 3 positive tests in 3 hours and I am about to start round 2 because round 1 Did. Not. Work-or so I thought.  She told me to come in to the office and have my blood drawn.  Which would've been great if I wouldn't have been 1) at work 2) team leader 3) admitting triplets and potential for way more kids to come.  

I ended up being able to get away around lunchtime and quickly drove over to the office-which is conveniently 0.5 miles away.  I walked in, she drew my blood, said "good luck sweetie" and I was off and back to work.  I took my bandaid off my arm so no one would question why I actually left.  And then I just went back to my day. 

On the way home, I stopped by a drug store and bought yet another brand of tests.  Cue the "wow, she really is a psycho".  I headed home, let Jax out, and took the test.  It said to wait 3 minutes, but the result could come sooner.  Not even 1 minute later, I saw the tiny box with the word "Pregnant" in it.  I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. I sat down because for a minute I thought I might be going down. All day, I was just preparing to come home and have that one be negative and all the others to be big fat flukes. 

I could not tell Matt over the phone.  As shocked as I was, I knew he would be even more shocked.  The one time in my life I could actually shock and surprise my husband.  I hid the test and planned on having him find it somehow once he got home.

Matt works the evening shift, but I knew I had to do all that I could in order to stay awake to tell him.  I tried to think of a big awesome plan, but then I couldn't think of anything on the spot so I just hid the test in the kitchen.  That is the first place he goes when he gets home from work...except for that night OF COURSE! He comes into the living room and immediately starts telling my stories.  I was dying.  He then proceeds to ask me if I remember a little lens he found at the Dave concert.  I don't remember it so he goes and grabs it upstairs.  You're killing me! He comes back down and has me look at it.  He then plays a YouTube video up on our Apple TV and has me watch it.  (It was actually really really exciting because the lens ended up being a professional lens you can clip onto your iPhone to take better pictures etc...which WAS very exciting...but my news was so much more exciting!)

Finally, after what felt like 15 million years, he walked into the kitchen.  I asked him to throw me the Cheetos.  I got to sit there and watch his entire reaction.  So surreal.  "What is this thing...huh?...what?...wait what?!...you're pregnant?!".  SEE! I told you my news was more exciting :).  (Ok so that part is my side of the story...Matt says I didn't even let him read it before I yelled "I'm pregnant!!!"...I'm going with my side)

My doctor said she would be called on Friday morning with the results of my bloodwork.  So until then, I will just wait.  I will wait thinking that maybe I am maybe maybe maaayyybbe pregnant but trying to hold off on excitement until she calls me.  What a long 36 hrs this will be...

.....

Well, all of the test results have come back positive and great so far.  Now I just have to work really hard to keep my worries at bay and just trust that everything will be a-ok.  We are officially pregnant and officially the happiest we have ever been :)

august already?

Can it really already be halfway through August? One good thing about the threat of Summer coming to a close are Fall candles and decor. My excitement level is quite high for that time of year...every single year.  I can't wait for the house to smell of pumpkin!

July and August have been busy months for us, but then again what's new?

In July, we went up to Lafayette for a friend's graduation party.  She graduated from nursing school! I always commend people for getting through nursing school. It is crazy. But once you get through it, you feel like you could do anything!  It was great for Matt to be able to get back to be with all of his friends.  It was a day of corn hole, volleyball, the pool, and grilled burgers and brats.  It reminded me of our summers at their house when Matt and I were still living up in Lafayette.  Volleyball games and floating trips down the Wildcat.  Oh the life without many responsibilities :).

The next weekend, we went to Ohio to visit my dad and Ann.  They had just bought a new home and we could not wait to see it!  It is in a really cute neighborhood and had a great backyard-perfect for Jax and Cody (my dad's German Shepard).  We went out for some lunch and then relaxed around the house in the afternoon.  Ann had to go a wedding so we grilled out some steaks and enjoyed the weather.  It was a great time!

the boys doing the cooking

August started and we spent the first weekend of it around the house.  It had been forever since we made ourselves stay home and get stuff done.  We started off the day with blueberry, banana, and chocolate chip pancakes which were absolutely delicious! Matt got the shed painted (finally) and we finished out our landscaping.  I got the little solar lights put up outside.  That night we had a date night! I love spending time with Matt.  There is absolutely nothing else I'd rather do.  We went out for Mexican food and then made our way to Conner Prairie for Symphony on the Prairie.  I have wanted to go for so long, but could never find a weekend that worked...or a way to convince Matt to go.  For some odd reason, he agreed to go that night! And then he ended up loving it! It was an absolutely beautiful night.  We packed a cooler with some snacks and drinks and hiked our lawn chairs to the area.  Apparently we were rookies...those people have got it planned out! Most everyone had a wagon with a cover on it where they used it to play cards.  I think everyone had gotten there early to get good seats and then just drank wine and played cards waiting for it to start.  You can bring your own alcohol, food, and chairs into the lawn.  They also have vendors if you want to buy food or wine.  It was amazing! The music was great and the atmosphere was incredible.  We will definitely be making a trip back next year! 

The next weekend we babysat my mom's dog Lexi while she was out of town.  We got a taste of what it's like to have two dogs...which I don't think I want to do anytime soon for longer than a week.  They were adorable and they get along so well.  Well, I take that back.  They wrestle like brother and sister (technically they are-same dad, different mom) and then eventually tire out and lay with each other.  So cute!  On Sunday when I got home from work, Matt's brother's family and mom were at the house.  I was able to get home in time for some burgers on the grill and some family time before they had to head back home.  We finally got to meet little Abigail!  I loved snuggling with her and spending time with everyone.

Last weekend, we went back up to Lafayette again for a family field day at our friend's house.  It was day full of events, competition, and yummy food. Our team ended up getting second place-go Blue!  They had a ton of fun events- 3-legged race, picking up marbles with your feet from a baby pool (creativity, people!), dizzy bat, Stongman competition, and a ton more.  Let me introduce my shameless brag really quickly...the judges started asking if we all wanted to even do Strongman.  Last year it was something crazy involving who could push who off balance or something like that.  We asked what it was this year-she announced it was who could hold a hover the longest.  Matt immediately said "we're in!'.  I do hovers all the time in the classes at the gym and I was really hoping I could out-hover all those people.  We chose 2 people from each team so there were 8 of us in a circle all in a hover.  People started dropping out like flies. We eventually had to put one foot on top of the other ankle and hold our hover.  After about 5 minutes, I looked around and saw it was just me and one other guy.  I was in so much pain.  My lower back was killing me and I was shaking.  I looked over at him and he had a stone face.  Looking back now, I totally should have done the same thing and he probably would've dropped before me.  I just couldn't help it and dropped down.  But hey-second place wasn't bad! Even though I really wanted first :)

I work this coming weekend, but my family will be remembering my uncle at a memorial service in Lafayette.  I really wish I could make it for that, but everyone will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Here's to a great rest of the Summer!