Wow. Thank you everyone for your great comments, emails and phone calls of support and excitement. We really appreciate all of you and look forward to sharing our journey toward parenthood with you. We’ll try to update the site weekly with our thoughts, feelings, exciting things that are happening and all of the crazy things we’re sure will happen in the next 7 months–and beyond.

Here’s a picture of our test…I had forgotten it was digital, so when it suddenly popped up “Pregnant” I was a little surprised, but excited. At my call, Mark ran in from the other room and the look on his face was priceless–a mixture of shock, excitement and fear. We thought about putting this picture first, but liked the other one better.

A lot of you asked how I’m feeling…..pretty good actually. Luckily the toilet and I haven’t become inseparable. I did feel very nauseated beginning in week 4–a bit early–but it mostly went away by last week. My appetite was also in full force during the beginning. I was contstantly hungry–and I began to like cheese. I still need to take plenty of snacks with me to work, and eat throughout the day, but it’s not as bad as before. Mostly, the only time I feel sick is when I’m really hungry, or smell/see something gross. Mexican food has always been my favorite, but I can’t seem to get enough. I eat it for at least one meal about 4 times a week.

But, I do get really tired. It’s eased up a little bit as well, but by the time I get home from work I want to take a nap. And go to bed at 9:30. On the weekends naps and I are very good friends. There is no going to a movie that starts after 8 pm either. Apparently it takes a lot of energy to grow another person. Who knew?

I’m happy to report my clothes still fit. Probably because my pants are all lower on my waist, so they fit below my stomach. By the end of the day I think I’ve gained 5 pounds. It tends to go away by morning. I’ve only really gained about 1 pound so far. (This is according to our bathroom scale, but I don’t know if I trust it. I look much more than 1 pound heavier.)

We’re excited to have a couple of friends who are pregnant too. Two of us are leaving the “no kid” group. Paige is 7 or 8 weeks a head of me, so it will be fun to have someone a little farther along to see what I’ll be like.

Mark is really excited. It was at his insistence that we posted our announcement last week. I made him wait a week since our appointment, and he was having a hard time. He has been great so far–giving in to my spontaneous cravings (like HAVING to have Papa John’s pizza one night, or Chipotle the next) and comforting me when I burst into tears when I’m annoyed or frustrated.

I just find it fascinating to learn about how much the baby grows and develops each week. It’s kind of amazing that by this week–7 weeks after conception–it has all of it’s major functioning organs, joints and facial features are forming.