What a Beautiful Wedding

This past weekend was Jeanne and Allen's wedding. It was an amazing wedding and an awesome weekend. I was so excited to hang out with the bridal party and celebrate the big day with a wonderful couple. The wedding festivities started on Friday morning with manicures and pedicures at Polished. It was a lot of fun. We had yummy food and mimosas (ahh...the dreaded fake drinking begins!) I asked for orange juice instead of a mimosa and made a joke about how I drank too much at Jeanne's shower. Then, a couple of times I went to the table and filled my glass up with more OJ.

Following the rehearsal, we headed to the Red Sox Stadium for the rehearsal dinner. It was very nice...the weather was perfect. Because this blog is about our baby journey I am of course going to continue talking about avoiding drinks and trying not to give my secret away. I promise my friends don't drink 24/7... the wedding weekend just happened to involve several opportunities for drinks! At the rehearsal dinner Kip was enjoying some beers and I grabbed some punch. Of course I had several people ask why I wasn't drinking. I had Kip pick me up some airplane bottles of vodka to mix with Sprite at the wedding so I showed my friend those and said "Don't worry, I will drink tomorrow."

The next morning I arrived at the hotel to get my hair and makeup done and guess what...there were mimosas being served (we had to drink the rest of the champagne). I took a couple small sips of mine and Jeanne told me to come with her to the bathroom where I poured the majority of it into her glass (thank you friend!) If anyone was suspecting anything then the fact that I suddenly appeared to have downed a cup of mimosa when I had been sipping on it for an hour probably gave it way. But, hopefully no one noticed.

Saturday afternoon was the wedding!! Finally! Jeanne and I had been planning the wedding for 9 months and it was finally here. I couldn't have gone any smoother!! At the reception there was a cocktail hour and the bridal party was in a separate room for about 30 minutes prior to being announced to the guests. This is the first time that I really didn't know what to do about drinking because that's what we were doing... eating some snacks and drinking. Luckily, one of my friends from the Chamber, Ginger, works at the Sheraton and was the catering person in charge of Jeanne's wedding. She happens to be 7-8 months pregnant. So, I told her my secret and asked for ginger ale in a wine glass. It looked like wine and seemed to work perfectly to help my fake drinking. I am sure my friends will read this and say "I knew she wasn't drinking," but, overall I think I got through the weekend pretty well without giving away the secret.

Unfortunately I got a bad head cold... I guess the pregnancy is affecting my immune system. Hopefully the cold will be gone soon... I don't want to take any meds even though the nurse at the OB's office said I could take a select list of drugs.

3 more weeks until the doctor's appointment...HURRY UP October 17!!!

My Red Face

My friend Jeanne is getting married this weekend and I have been helping her do wedding stuff. This past Sunday I went to her house to help her stuff favors, make welcome bags, and do some other last minute items on her to-do list. Jeanne knew that Kip and I have been talking about kids for awhile. The whole time I was sitting there helping her with wedding tasks I kept asking questions about what kind of alcohol we will have at the wedding and who we are sitting with, etc. I kept thinking I was going to have to tell her because I still haven't figured out how to "fake drink" at the wedding so that no one knows my secret!

Before I got ready to leave we were sitting around chatting and Jeanne looked at me and said "So, are you pregnant yet? Will you be drinking at my wedding?" I was so caught off guard...she was totally joking because we talk about babies all the time and joke about things. While we were in Nashville I joked with her that her Bachelorette weekend was messing up my baby making. Apparently my face turned BRIGHT RED when Jeanne asked her question about whether I was pregnant. So, I caved...I said "well...I won't be drinking!" We started hugging and crying and doing all those things girls do when they find out one of their BFF's is going to be a mommy. Kip says I am not strong because he still hasn't told anyone but I cave very easily. So, Jeanne and Cassidy are the only 2 people who know at this point...I hope I can keep it that way until at least October 17. Jeanne is going to help me sneak around at the wedding with "fake drinks"...hopefully it works. 

The Secret is Out (to 2 people)

Well of course I couldn't keep the secret very long. I actually told my best friend, Cassidy, before taking the test on Monday night. We have known each other for 28 years and I can still remember searching the internet for pregnancy symptoms when she thought she was pregnant with her first child 8 years ago. Telling her took some of the pressure off because I have someone I can email or text to ask questions and talk about everything going on. Kip works Sunday-Tuesday nights so I knew I would have a hard time on Wednesday when he was home. I was VERY tired Wednesday and he needed me to cut his hair, which is fine but he made several comments about how thrilled I looked to be doing it. So, I thought it would be a good idea to show him why I was tired.

I had hoped to give him a book called "My Boys Can Swim," anyone who knows Kip knows that he is always joking and he has often said he didn't think his boys could swim so I may never get pregnant. Well, I guess pregnancy brain has already set in because I left my cell phone at work on Wednesday night and instead of driving to Barnes and Noble at Valley View to buy the book I ended up leaving Wal-Mart in Christiansburg and heading BACK to work to get my phone. On my way, I noticed there is a Goodwill Bookstore near the Goodwill in Christiansburg... I had never seen it before but thought I would stop in. Good thing I did...books are only $1 there and I found one called "What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding." I bought that book along with a couple for me and figured it would do the trick even if it isn't a funny as "My Boys Can Swim."

After finishing Kip's hair he headed upstairs to take a shower. I ran to my car and got the book out and followed him with it. When I handed him the book he didn't really understand. He looked at it for a minute and then said "Nuh Uh?" So, I pulled out the three tests I had been hiding under my sink in the bathroom and showed him the proof. I am pretty sure he was in shock. He didn't know what to say and kept making jokes (in typical Kip fashion). Later he admitted he was shocked and made jokes because he didn't know what to do. I don't think it has really hit him yet. Yesterday I told him I made a doctor's appointment for Oct. 17 and he asked what it was for...duh...the pregnancy! I think it will probably take a sonogram picture for it to really sink in for either of us...unfortunately that appears to be another 4 1/2 weeks away. Ahhh.... I hate waiting!

Could it be?

Kip and I have been married for 4 years. It's funny how you plan your life in your head as you are growing up. I remember my plans...graduate college at 22, get married and start a family by 23 or 24. I just thought that's what you did after college. Well, I ended up getting married at 24 but having a child right away just didn't fit into my plans. I was busy working, hanging out with my friends, and enjoying time with my hubby. 

Now that I am 29 years old I think it's about time to have a baby. We tried some last year and then I panicked and decided I wasn't ready so we stopped trying. I was asked to be a bridesmaid in my good friend, Jeanne's, wedding and one of the rules was no pregnant girls :). Plus, I am an event planner so I PLAN (too much sometimes) and I knew which month would be best for work to dodge our many events. Kip said we were never going to have a child because I was always scheduling everything. 

In the spring, Kip's cousin, Ben, and his wife, Mandi, shared the news of their pregnancy. She is due on Jan. 11. Kip and Ben's moms were twin sisters and were pregnant with the boys at the same time. Mandi and I always thought it would be fun to be pregnant together because our husbands are basically like brothers and we are like sisters. I was so excited to hear that she was pregnant!! We went shopping at Target the night she told me and of course I am helping with her shower...I can't wait to meet her little girl. Although I was extremely happy for them, I wasn't sure we would actually get to be pregnant at the same time like we had planned. 

Our summer was completely packed this year...Kip took several trips to shoot at ASA Archery Tournaments...he went to Kentucky, Illinois, and Alabama (to name a few). We also went to the beach together and I went to Nashville twice (once with mom and once for Jeanne's Bachelorette Party). So, needless to say, we had a busy summer...but, that's how we planned it. We knew this could be our last summer as just a married couple with no children. 

I knew exactly when I wanted to start trying to have a baby. I wouldn't be so far along if it happened that I would be showing at Jeanne's wedding on Sept. 22 and I could do an event at work I had always wanted to do in April. I believe God has a plan for your life and everything happens in his timing. Last summer we tried for 3 months with ovulation predictors and everything. This summer, we tried for 1 month. I had a calendar to help me pinpoint the days we needed to try but didn't use any tests or anything. 

This past Saturday I worked all day (a giving society event followed by a football game). I knew it was a few days before I could be sure I was pregnant but once I got home I thought I would take a test just to see. My back had been hurting and I had a few other small symptoms but they are usually monthly symptoms as well. I took a test and WOW it looked like a light blue plus sign!! I kept calm, I didn't tell Kip...I would take another one in the morning and see what it showed. The next morning...an even darker plus sign! Am I really pregnant? Did it really happen this fast? I couldn't believe it. I still didn't tell anyone. Then, after cheerleading practice on Monday night (the night before this blog post) I took another one (you have to be absolutely sure) and this time there was nothing "faint" or "light" about the plus sign. I think it finally hit me...I was going to be a mom. 

I laid in bed last night thinking about the timeline and when I should tell people. I am TERRIBLE at hiding things about my life. According to all of the calculators online my due date is May 20, 2013. So, I am 4 weeks along. I want so bad to just tell Kip and my parents but I am also terrified of miscarrying after telling everyone and I don't want to put pressure on anyone else to keep the secret for another 4-8 weeks. So, I decided to start blogging and eventually I will share this blog with others. It is a nice outlet to share what is going on and hopefully one day our child can look back on it and learn about their birth story.

I don't know when I will tell people... Jeanne's wedding is next week and somehow I have to pretend to drink all weekend or everyone will suspect that something is up. Maybe I will tell Kip before that so that he can help me order fake drinks but he will be with mom and he is terrible at hiding things too so I don't want anything to slip out. Ahhh.... so much to think about. How can I keep this secret!? I don't know if I can...all I know is....

I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!

My first blog

For years I have visited blogs that belong to my friends from high school. I love seeing what's going on in their lives and watching their children grow through pictures. I always thought that I should have my own  blog but never seemed to find the time to actually sit down and create one...until now. It's not that I actually have free time right now because anyone who knows me knows that I thrive off of being extremely busy so I fill my free time with numerous responsibilities and projects-- full time work as an event planner at Virginia Tech, cheerleading coach for 6-8 year olds along with my friend of 28 years, Cassidy, volunteering with The Community Christmas Store, and in my "spare" time I make and sell diaper cakes, cut hair, do graphic design, and help plan weddings. I hope that I can keep up with this blog like my friends from high school do but we'll just have to wait and see. I love the idea of having an online journal to share whats happening in the world of the Good family and think it will be a great to look back through the blog in the future. Welcome to my blog!