2 months down!

By my count (which I'm hoping is accurate), I'm now past the 8 week mark. I never really thought I'd get that into reading the little blurbs about how exactly my little fetus is developing, but it's all I think about now. I think I've only put on about 2 pounds by this point (well maybe a little more after Halloween!), but my clothes are definitely feeling different on my body. I ran a 5 mile race last Saturday, and even with keeping my pace reasonable and not pushing myself, I was happy with my sub-11:00 miles (54:00 even was my time). This Friday is my first doctor's visit, and although I've read that it's mostly just talking, it will be nice to talk to a doctor and make sure that everything's okay.

We did have a funny experience today--James's choir director from college sent him a package addressed to "James Garcia--Daddy-to-be", which normally would probably not be a big deal, but our postmaster, who is a big Webb supporter and really nice, read the address label and said, "Oops, I probably shouldn't have read that..." He gave us the package, and we just laughed--it's tough living in a small town!

time keeps crawling by...

Well, here I am, 7.5 weeks along, and still so far away from the "you're in the clear" date. I've been eying that November 4th doctor's appointment since I made it nearly five weeks ago, so at least it's a little reassuring to know I'm getting closer to that.

This past week while telling a story in one of my classes they thought I said "I'm having a baby" instead of "If I have a baby..." so they are all "convinced" I'm pregnant and like to tease me about it. It will be really fun to actually tell them and hear them cry "WE KNEW IT!" I just can't even begin to fathom how excited these kids will be to hear that Baby Garcia is on the way--it's always a big deal when a campus baby is born, but I think the fact that James has been here so long and we both teach here will make this one even more exciting for the kids.

This past weekend I along with some of my friends threw a baby shower for our friend Megan, and it was definitely weird to be around all this baby talk, knowing that I'm pregnant but that not many others know. I did end up telling Megan and Alan, mostly because Megan flat out asked me at one point, and we all know how bad I am at lying!

feeling it.

Well over the past week or so I have definitely been experiencing more pregnancy symptoms, most of which would fall under the category of "TMI", so I'll refrain from describing them here :). I have luckily still been able to avoid the dreaded morning sickness, which I'm always afraid will hit while I'm driving the school bus in the morning--so far so good. I'm becoming more sensitive of the smells around me, which is just a strange experience for me because I've never had a very strong sense of smell.

Today there will be a cameraman in one of my classes capturing video for an admissions video about the middle school, so I will need to muster the energy and enthusiasm to rock it out for at least 45 minutes. Praying for the ability to stay alert and energized through the day today--and then I can nap away the afternoon :).

fall break!

I can't believe it's only been 8 days since I found out I was pregnant--it feels like so much has changed since then!

Thursday night I got together with Kelly, Shilpy, and Kristen for drinks (ha!) and dessert to celebrate Shilpy's 30th birthday, and when the discussion about which wine to choose came my direction, I had to say, "I can't have any..." Kristen was texting someone, so she assumed I was just being a good DD, but Shilpy knew instantly and kept saying, "Is it....? Are you....?" It made for a fun evening being reunited after what seemed like ages with those girls, talking about all the news that has been swirling through our lives lately.

Saturday morning Kelly and I ran the Rock Island 5 miler, which was a ridiculously hard course. I tried my best to keep my heart rate at a reasonable level, but it wasn't easy with all the hills. I finished in 61 minutes, which is definitely my worst 5 mile time ever. After that I came home, made some apple tarts, and awaited the arrival of our friends the Deans to watch football and catch up.

Within 10 minutes of sitting down on our couch the Deans announced that they were pregnant! Our response was, "Us, too!" They had already been in for an ultrasound since Megan is 9 weeks along, and the second surprise was that there were two little guys in the picture--TWINS! We were so incredibly excited for them, as they have been trying for about 18 months to conceive with no luck--and now they're doubly pregnant! I'm also glad to have a nearby pregnant buddy to talk to about all that is to come.

The only other news is that I haven't felt as pregnant the past few days. My stomach has calmed down a bit, although today I felt some heartburn after eating Chinese food and my nose seems to picking up on a lot. I guess my symptoms are just changing, which I will have to continue to adapt to. Only 26 days til my first doctor's visit!

my first week of pregnancy

It has (almost) been one week since I found out I was pregnant, but it seems SO much longer. Things have been going well, but it's been really hard not to tell everyone our news. Tuesday night I have started going to a Bible study with my friend Sarah and another campus wife, Nikki, and as we were taking prayer requests, I knew that I wanted our baby to be prayed for, but I didn't know if I should tell Nikki since we aren't really close, and I still haven't told many of my close friends. I did end up telling her, mostly because I think this Bible study will be a good source of strength and peace throughout my pregnancy if I can be open and honest about everything.

I'm experiencing a little more queasiness now, and the past few nights I've really struggled to fall asleep. It seems like my stomach is always awake and moving, and the fetal position is ironically the only position that feels comfortable while sleeping. I have also experienced some fatigue, but I never know if that is just Webb or not. All in all I've been feeling pretty good, but I am definitely looking forward to fall break and having some rest time.

keeping a secret is hard to do!

I woke up really early today, as I normally do when I'm excited about something. I had to run to Murfreesboro to complete some errands during my break, and wouldn't you know it, there was an "Expectant Mothers" parking spot open! You better believe I jumped at that chance!

All day it felt like I was walking around with a big secret. I was on duty all afternoon with Kristen and managed not to tell her, but it was so difficult. I really want to wait until after my first doctor's visit to tell her and Shilpy, although I feel like I need to tell Kelly since we work out together. I don't want her thinking I'm a wimp!

But overall I feel fine, my stomach feels weird, not really nauseating, but just like it's always in motion. I hope I can avoid getting sick, but if I do I know it will be worth it. It will definitely be nice to NOT be on duty for a little while after tonight though. It's tough to deal with such life-changing news in the midst of trying to keep tabs on 16 teenage boys.

:D

This time the maybe was a YES! I was originally going to wait until Monday to take a pregnancy test, but James convinced me by pointing out that waiting two more days would just increase his hopefulness, and if it was negative he would have the weekend to get over it.

I was supposed to take a dinner trip to Chuy's Mexican restaurant in Murfreesboro at 6:00 on Saturday, but none of the 16 kids who signed up for the trip actually wanted to go. Since by the time I found that out they had stopped serving dinner, James watched the dorm while I ran to Taco Bell to get dinner. YUM! Right before I left he hinted that it would be nice to pick up something at the store....so I stopped by Walgreens and bought a digital test. It's a little uncomfortable having to check out with a pregnancy test, and I felt like telling the checkout guy, "Don't worry, I want to be pregnant, and I am financially able to support a child." But I made it through the checkout, only to have the security alarm go off as I left, so I got to show another cashier my purchase.

I came home, ate a burrito and nachos, and then went to the bathroom. The test was supposed to take 3 minutes to give a response, but we had a "Pregnant" answer in about a minute. I tried to walk in with a blank expression on my face and just thrust the stick in James's face. He only had a lamp on in the living room, so it took him awhile to be able to read the results, but once he did he jumped up from the couch and was SO excited. He called his parents and sisters, and I called my parents to let them know the early good news. We also called our siblings and closest friends, and we'll try to keep it on the lowdown until we pass the 12 week mark. But we are SO happy and are praying that all goes well so that we will have a new little Garcia come June.