Finally...an update...and we're going to have a baby!

I haven't updated this blog since May, which is really a bad thing...but there is a lot to catch up on!

2009 ended up being a banner year in a lot of ways. Among many things, I completed my first half-marathon and marathon in September, and Nathan and I found out Christmas Eve that we are pregnant!!!

The pregnancy came as a shock at first. We'd been trying for a long time to conceive, but the fact that we only see each other on the weekends, due to work issues, made things difficult. Then I got tagged for a deployment. As soon as I was notified about the deployment, I went home and took a pregnancy test, but it was negative. I didn't know it then, but I was already pregnant...just not far enough along to register on a home pregnancy test.

Nathan and I were at Christmas Eve Mass, and I cried through the entire thing, but I could not explain for the life of me why I was crying! Nathan looked at me and said, "Honey, Hark the Herald Angels Sing is not supposed to make you cry. I think you're pregnant." My response was that I couldn't be pregnant - I was deploying! (Like that is some kind of fertility shield...hahaha.) On the way home, he pulled into CVS and picked up a pregnancy test. We got home and I rolled my eyes as I agreed to take the test, convinced that Nate was crazy and I was just emotional. Well..."emotional" isn't quite how I would put my response to seeing two lines on both of the tests! I went into full-blown hysterics.

Despite the fact that we'd wanted a baby for a very long time, I had geared myself up to deploy, and all I could think was "everyone is going to be so mad at me!". I didn't want to be one of those women who everyone thinks got pregnant to get out of a deployment. But my chain of command knew that Nathan and I had been trying to get pregnant for awhile, and everyone was very, very supportive (and continue to be).

Thankfully, I have not had to deal with morning sickness. There is a constant sense of low-grade nausea, but nothing like what many of my friends have experienced. The toughest thing is actually the insomnia. I've never had a difficult time sleeping, until now. Some say this will get better, others just say it is practice for things to come!

All in all, I have no complaints. Every "trial" that comes with pregnancy is a reminder of the life that God is knitting together within my womb, and it makes the tough parts easier to bear. It is a special blessing as well to know that Libby is pregnant at the same time - only four days apart with our due dates! Only God could plan that one out!

There will be many more updates soon...and if anyone has advice, bring it! :)