November 3, 2009

Hey friends and family,

I wanted to share about our journey to having our first little one. Most of you won't find out for another 2 months because we wanted to surprise our parents with an amazing Christmas gift. Mom and Sandy - this is the hardest secret that I have ever kept from both of you! Mom - I'm sorry, but you probably noticed a decline in phone calls from me because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it in. I still can't believe we got pregnant the second month of trying. Coming off of the birth control was awful. My body was out of whack, and the first two months were terrible with headaches, weight gain, terrible cramps. We actually found out on Halloween. I had been nauseous for a few days - which seemed crazy that I would feel that way so early. My car actually got hit Friday night - the same night I received my comp exam from my adviser. I wanted to take a test Friday night, which would have been about 10 days after I ovulated (I was keeping track using a BBT chart) because I just wasn't feeling right. I thought maybe I was about to start, but the nauseous thing was new. I woke up Saturday morning at 6 and couldn't go back to sleep after a terrible night of sleep and not knowing if the person who hit my car was going to call me and pay for the damages (which thankfully, they did!). I immediately took a test because I couldn't start working on my exam, and I saw those two pink lines. I woke up Eric immediately, and I was shaking and freaking out. Eric couldn't stop smiling. He was soooo excited! We decided to go to Waffle House since some website told Eric waffles were okay for his diabetic self as long as he had sugar-free syrup. I have been having trouble eating. I feel hungry constantly, but when I start to eat, I feel nauseous. It's awesome! One thing that is really weird is that I do not want anything sweet. I saw a commercial for brownies and had to turn away because just looking at them made me want to barf. Also, my love for cereal is gone, too. I don't want it at all. All I've eaten for breakfast the past four days has been eggs. I only want salty things. I must say I have never ever turned down sweets or been disgusted by them. Chocolate has been my favorite food, but I can't eat it. It is so weird. Mom-maybe it's because my body knows I may have gestational diabetes. I told Eric there's a chance we could have diabetes together at least for a little while! I can't wait to have the first trimester over because I will finally start feeling better (which thankfully will be around Christmas). Most of the time it feels like someone is pushing my stomach out. I read that your uterus has to expand, which sometimes leads to abdominal pain. Well, that little tadpole is stretching me out like crazy! Eric only refers to the baby as "he", and I say "it", which bothers him. I think he thinks that if he calls it "he" enough it will actually be a boy. I would be happy with a healthy baby. Although, we already know what we would call a boy - Noah Parker Ballard. Hayley's going to get mad when she sees this! We may change the middle name (if Hayley gets too upset), but we thought that it would be neat to include a name from each family. If it's a girl, I have no idea! I am starting to get really excited now that the shock has worn off. I actually took tests Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - Eric was like you are pregnant, but I have taken 4, so I guess it really is true! We have our first appointment on November 17th, and I think I'll be about 6 or 7 weeks by that point. I'll keep updating this, so I can feel like I have included everyone in our journey. It is KILLING ME not to tell anyone (especially our parents), but Christmas is going to be AWESOME! I can't wait to see all of your faces. Sandy and Randy - now, you don't have to adopt anymore grandkids! Mom and Dad - now, y'all will come see us more! God is so good, and we prayed when we started trying that if the time was right that God would give us a child, especially since we weren't sure if we would keep trying after October because the baby would be due during school (which I need to work, so the baby can be on my insurance). I really didn't expect it to happen in only two months of trying - especially since I just got off the pill in August. Normally - it takes about 6 months to have a good chance. It is such a miracle, and Eric and I could not be more excited to be parents and raise this child to know and love God. Mom and Dad and Sandy and Randy - thanks for being such great parents to Eric and me. We feel pretty equipped with God's and your examples and help! The due date is somewhere in the July 9-11th range.

Surprise!
Kandace