Guess What!!!

   I am pregnant! Yep, you read that correctly! Baby Smitt will be reporting for duty in February 2014! We have known for quite some time and have even let our friends and family in on the news but now we are making it public and wanting the whole world to know! Since I didn't want to share from the time we found out until the time we announced it via the World Wide Web here is a recap of the last few months events!

  Husband and I had been trying to get pregnant, we were ready to make that next step in our lives. However we would've never guessed the emotions that come with "trying" and of course it was me more so than him. He has a lot of patience and I do not! At the beginning of June Dave and I once again were playing the awful "two week wait" game, if you know what that is and have experienced it then you know how dreadfully slow and painful those 14 days can be. Finally the time came to take a test (well it was a little early actually haha) and on a Saturday I took an FRER test and once again was disappointed. The crying, sadness and disappointment set in yet again but I still had some hope for this month. The next day, Sunday, Dave and I did our usual routine of going to church and grocery shopping (married life sounds fun, huh? It actually is!) and returned home to take another test. However, this time I handed the test to him saying "I don't want to see it say 'not pregnant', I can't handle it again." After about 3 long minutes Dave spinned the test around and with a huge smile on his face said "But Martha, what about this answer?" The test said PREGNANT! What?!?! Praise The Lord!! So after 2 at home tests and a test at the Health Clinic, it was confirmed, Baby Smitt was on board! I have proof:

  

   So how have the last 2 months been since finding out? Well so far everything is great. The first couple of weeks I did not experience too many symptoms. I was more tired than usual (like on the verge of laziness or I actually crossed that line and I am in denial) and more emotional than usual.  I thought I was in the clear for all those terrible symptoms you hear other women complain about but around week 7 they made their grand appearance. Nausea, fatigue, food aversions and extreme emotionalness (the symptom my husband enjoys most) set in. However, I haven't actually thrown up, which I am 100% ok with! There is one symptom missing that I do wish I had...THE GLOW, where is my glow?!? You know, that pregnancy "glow" everyone talks about. I wish it would hurry up and replace the adolescent like pimpled face I have!
 
   I can't complain about my symptoms because I know it could be a lot worse but gees, can I have my energy back?! My poor husband has been through pregnancy boot camp because I don't feel like cooking or smelling food he cooks. I hate meats (chicken, pork, beef, you name it) so I have had to supplement my protein with quinoa, black beans and peanut butter mostly. And I love carbs (potatoes, pasta, breads) and junk food. So far my only terrible cravings have been no-bake cookies, Twix bars, cheeseburgers and sushi. Yea.....Sushi ha! Good one body...... Anyways, I am waiting for you 2nd trimester! I want my energy fairy to come soon!  But really and truly, I am excited to have this experience, I feel so blessed to be growing a human being in my body and I know it will all be worth the unappealing symptoms in the end! There are a few things I have had to learn, the hard way of course, 1. Resting is ok and sometimes "rest" means the whole day 2. 90+ degree weather and pregnancy do not get along 3. Water is my best friend 4. Any fruit other than bananas is also my best friend 5. No bake cookies can help any pregnancy related issue (well for me...I am loving no bake cookies, it's actually kind of a problem).

  How is Dave responding? Well I don't think he has laughed so much in his entire life. The crazy mood swings, food cravings and other lovely pregnancy related issues (that I am not mentioning but if you've been pregnant, you know!) have kept him rolling. I am so glad (seriously) that he is able to keep such a good humor about it all because it makes me relax and not feel so....pregnant? He has given me nothing but patience and understanding. He's a blessing and so is our baby!!

  So to answer the standard questions: I am due in the middle of February, the 18th is the estimate we've received. We are not specifically partial to a certain gender, we are just wanting a healthy baby. (We all say this and while it's true, we both know what we would like! I'm thinking pink, glitter, princess crowns. While Dave is thinking blue, soccer balls and Star Wars. But a healthy baby is most important!) I plan on breast feeding and we are cloth diapering. I will most likely give birth in Italy and from our understanding our child will get to choose which country he/she would like to be a citizen of at the age of 18 (why 18? 18 year olds don't make the wisest decisions!!) and that should be interesting. At this moment in time we are due to leave Italy in July 2014, however if you have any knowledge on how the Army works then you know that we really have NO idea of when we will be back in the US. We are finding out the gender (because I don't like surprises/secrets) and will share with everyone. And as for our registry, we will most likely have it on Amazon (because they ship to APO and have super save shipping) but we are hoping to have a baby shower/baby meet and greet when we get back to the US with all our family and friends.
  We had our first ultrasound on Monday July 15th and I am exactly 9 weeks. The midwife we visited with said everything looked great and baby had a good heart rate of 158 bpm. Here is the photo:

  We are super super excited and feeling so blessed to have our little lima bean on board. I am planning on updating with photos (when I start showing because right now I just look fat haha) quite a bit so be sure to check back in and see how Baby Smitt is moving along. :)