We've got MOXY!

It was a wonderful midwife appointment this week. We went in at 18 weeks and I was prepared for a scolding and to complain that I hadn't felt the baby... but we left laughing and talking and filled with joy!

First, I was prepared for a scolding because of my weight gain, I was worried that maybe in these past 4 weeks I had gained too much too quick. But, my midwife said I was right where I needed to be. My blood pressure is "textbook" and the baby position is exactly where it should be. I have noticed my abdomen getting more and more firm. Sometimes, I am like Ryan's little brother, Christopher always telling Ryan to feel my abs!

But the best part was when we got to listen to the heart beat again. The first time we got to hear the heart beat (4wks ago) this same thing happened. My midwife put the microphone to my belly and found the beat right away, but Baby wasn't having it. Both times, with a swish and swirl, Baby headed to a more private area! 4wks ago, I kinda laughed, and thought not much of it, but this time, it took my midwife moving all over my tummy to find it again. We heard the Baby swimming all around. We all were laughing, and Ryan said, "Sassy, just like Angie!" Later he replace sassy with obstinate! But, my fears of not being able to feel the Baby move were put to rest, because we have a very mobile little one. My midwife reassured me that with first children, mom's often don't feel things until 18-22 wks. I told her that people around me said they felt things early and I should too, and she told me not to listen to others... listen to her!

So, the lesson I am taking away is to stop comparing my pregnancy to the pregnancy of others... and the authors of all the books I am reading. Those books are very helpful and have a lot of information, but they are written to be used for generalization. And my friends and family who have been pregnant, are completely different people then I am with different bodies. Their advice is priceless, and I will take all I can get... but just because they felt their baby move at 6 wks, doesn't minimize my experiences at all! I will feel my Peanut when I am supposed to.

I am so happy to be pregnant. I am so happy to have a supportive partner who speaks to my belly every night and loves that his baby has some of my spunk! I am joyful that all is healthy and "textbook". I am content with where I am.

May 10th.

As I was walking to work this morning I was listening to my favorite morning show and they were giving away gift certificates to a local restaurant and the male DJ said that these would make wonderful Mother’s Day presents and the other DJ commented on how Mother’s Day is just around the corner and that is when it hit me… I am about to join that club!

Every once and a while I have these moments of realization that I am actually pregnant, I am not imagining it and this is not a dream or a joke. This was one of those moments. Sometimes it happens when I am alone and I find myself talking to my tummy, and then I realize I am not a crazy woman talking to herself, I am talking to someone! Other times it hits me when I am speaking to people and they ask me questions and where they used to be hypothetical, now they are legitimate, time-sensitive questions: Do you want to know the sex of the baby? Are you going to use pain medicine? Do you have names picked out? Its times like that I realize I need to have answers to these types of questions because soon enough I am going to have to take a stance. And for those of you who want those answers: NO!, NO!, and NO!

I do not know if the realizations hit Ryan like they do me. Sometimes I think it’s still an abstract thought to him. And sometimes, I get annoyed because it seems he acknowledged it a long time ago and I wonder what’s wrong with me! It’s funny how we all have different time frames for these kinds of things.

So, the purpose of this blog?... I guess to document that I am going to be celebrated on May 10^th! Woohoo!

"Hold on, let me think about that..."

So, when one gets pregnant it is known to most that there will be morning sickness, nausea, weight gain, mood swings, but nobody ever really told me about the baby stealing my brain!!!

The words of the title of this blog have become my catch phrase. I say them constantly, whether to myself or out loud. I am forgetting things that have been in my brain for years, things that I need to remember, like for my MASTER'S DEGREE, and things said to me 20 minutes ago! I know this has a tone of whining, and I don't mean for it to, it is mainly a tone of surprise. I have always had a good memory... compared to Ryan, it's amazing, but now... he looks to me to remember when we moved from Lubbock to Albuquerque, how long we worked at Spirit Ranch, his birthday... and it's in there, it just takes a minute to retrieve. It is very frustrating.

So, mom's of the world, is this normal? Will it get better? Or should I just resolve myself to being forgetful? Maybe now I understand why my mom forgot me at school is 4th grade!

From Ryan

I CAN NOT WAIT! this was a surprise pregnancy, but it is very welcome. every day i think about this child that Angie has growing in her, and every day i fail to wrap my mind around how HUGE this is for us! life forming... it is absolutely amazing, nerve wrecking, and exciting all wrapped up into one.
i guess at times you have to make plans, like Angie and i did to have a baby after she was finished with grad school(so much for that one), and at times you just have to smile and thank God that life has it's own plan that you have very little say over. we always walk the line between that which is of our own doing and that which is due to the active processes of the world outside of our control.
fatherhood... any advice?

Telling the family!

I thought I would share with everyone the way Ryan and I decided to share the news with our parents and Ryan's extended family. First, Ryan's parents. (Unfortunately, we don't have any pics from that!)

We decided that since it was Alan's (Ryan's Dad) birthday, that would be the perfect time to run to Cruces and surprise them. We let Stanna in on the birthday surprise, and she wasn't really suspicious because we have often surprised various family member on special occasions...so she was really none the wiser! We also let Chris in on the surprises... both of them. Ryan was excited that Chris would be the first to know! Anyway, Ryan and I got a birthday cake for Alan and on the cake we wrote "We Are Pregnant!" walked in the house singing Happy Birthday... and when it got to the part where you say the name of the person, Chris, Ryan, and I said "Happy Birthday, Dear Grandpa!" and with their mouths wide open, both Stanna and Alan stared while I began to cry. Ryan and I nodded our heads and it began to sink in. It was perfect!

The second place we had to stop was in El Paso to see my parents. Ryan and I left Cruces on Saturday morning and drove to EP, and as soon as I got to my parent's neighborhood, I called to make sure they were home. I said that we were out running errands, and they both got on the phone, which is what they usually do when I call to chat. So, Ryan and I pulled up to the house, still on the phone, and we snuck in the front door. It was perfect... they were both sitting in the kitchen on the phone... and Ryan and I made our way into view and they both started laughing. They thought we were there to share the news about Ryan getting into grad school... Ryan and I has prepared signs that read "Guess What?" on one side, and "You're Grandparents!" (with an arrow pointing to my tummy) on the other. It was so fun to watch them react. Here are those pics:

The best part about this story is after my mom and dad hugged me, and mom and I cried, she reached out her hand towards Ryan, shook his hand and said, "YOU DID IT!!!!" It was hilarious!


The last group we told was Ryan's extended family. Luckily, we had already planned a Valentine's Dinner at Ryan's grandparent's house in T or C, so we knew this would be perfect. Ryan's two uncles and their families would be there, as well as Ryan's grandparents. With Stanna in the know, we pretended that she wanted to take a family picture with her new camera before dinner. So everyone crowded around me (I strategically placed myself right in the middle) Ryan got the camera and told everyone to say, "Say 'CHEESE!'" He took the picture, and then said, "Angela, you look a little weird!" Everyone thought he was insulting me... and so he said we needed another one. This time he told everyone to say, "Say 'Angie's PREGNANT!'" and then he just continuously took pics. Most of them were pretty blurry from people moving around and hugging... but below are a few of the good ones. I just love looking at the faces. Some thought we were joking, other's a little confused... and a lot of love.

Here we are. I am anticipating what is about to happen!

A few of them got it... it took a minute for it to really sink in!

Aunt Suzie had the best reaction!

Everyone hugged and a few of us cried. I cried a lot when Papa (Ryan's grandpa) revealed the bassinet he had built for our children. It was a wonderful night!

It's a.... human with a heartbeat!

Welcome to week 14. This was an exciting milestone for us, we got to hear the baby's heart beat. It was so interesting. There was a moment of panic when my midwife put the instrument on my tummy, moved it around and began searching for the baby and the heartbeat. She finally found it and sighed, then baby moved and she lost it. It's going to be one of those babies! She searched again and found the beautiful little sound. It was so neat. It's amazing how this little sound can take your breath away.

Everything else went well with our appointment. I really love our midwife. She is so calm and easygoing about things. She answers all my questions with simple straightforward responses, and is just a sweet person. She also loves to give me freebie vitamins and things! LOVE IT! Our next appointment is in another 4 weeks. Woohoo.

Another interesting milestone happened thanks to my beautiful friend, Stephanie. She gave me a bunch of maternity pants. I am not really showing, yet, but my 'normal' pants are beginning to be very uncomfortable, especially since I sit at work and in classes all day... so I have began sporting the maternity jeans. AND I LOVE THEM! So stretchy and wonderful.

I am blessed to have friends and family so willing to help out!

The beginning of the beginning!

Greetings family and friends to the Ryan and Angela Blog. I decided that with the news that we are having a baby, I would create a blog. The hope is to chronicle our lives, including work, school, and of course the pregnancy. We look forward to sharing this part of our lives with you.