We're pregnant! 4 weeks, 1 day.

We found out that I was pregnant with our first child the morning of Monday, March 28th. The image at the top of the right column of our blog is the fortune that Ethan found in his fortune cookie earlier this month. We joked about it coming true (even though we don't subscribe to the belief that fortune cookie contents are accurate!).... but since it DID come true, we just had to memorialize it as part of our story.

As some of you already know, we have been open to having a child since the end of July of 2010. It was difficult at times to be patient and trust that the Lord had a perfect plan and perfect timing, and after 7 months, we have a little one on the way! We are so incredibly excited and feel so blessed as we believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. We've shared almost six amazing years of marriage together, and are so thrilled to be embarking on this next chapter of our life! I am overwhelmed with knowing that the Lord chose us to be parents to this child, and it is a responsibility that I take quite seriously. The perfect parent doesn't exist, but we certainly plan to give parenting our all and raise our child to know Jesus. The blood test to confirm the pregnancy was taken on March 28th, and the results were back two days later. We're both so excited, and we'd love to tell everyone... but caution is taking precedence at this point, and we have chosen to wait to share our news with our employers, family, and friends once we are at 15 weeks, which will be the weekend of June 17th. We'll actually be going to Charlotte to visit that weekend, and will be able to personally share the news with our friends and family then. However, we didn't want anyone to feel like they had missed out on the first trimester completely... so we started this blog to chronicle the happenings of the next four months and beyond! We're going to have to use the next few months to figure out creative ways to share with everyone, and I will share whatever we come up with on the blog as well. Maybe we'll even have some videos. ;) This baby will be the first grandchild and great-grandchild on my side, and the second grandchild and great-grandchild for Ethan's side.

I am feeling great - I am only at 4 weeks and 1 day, so I know that morning sickness and other symptoms haven't hit full force at this point. I'm praying that my symptoms aren't too horrible, but I'll withstand whatever comes my way - it's all worth it in the end. Running after an 18 month old, 2.5 year old, and 6 year old take up most of my time, so I will just have to take it as easy as I can.... but I'm sure all of you with children know that you don't really get a chance to rest. I've taken to writing EVERYTHING down in case I randomly one day start to suffer from what is known as "pregnancy brain". With my job, I have to stay on top of every little detail!

I wanted to address some things first since I know what questions people typically ask upon finding out someone they know is pregnant... so here is a little FAQ, if you will!


1) When do you find out if Baby Ridge is a boy or a girl?

We will find out when Baby Ridge is born! We're not worried about needing to "decorate" for a baby that can't see past six inches for the first couple of months! Those of you worried about what clothes to buy....don't worry about it! Newborns grow ridiculously fast, and I plan to have the baby in infant gowns for the first few months. It's a lot easier for middle of the night diaper changes, and I've just found that they work best in those first couple of months rather than sleepers with snaps or zippers. No coordinated outfits for this baby - we'd love the fun clothing at 3 months and beyond! Any of you who would like to bestow their outgrown/no longer used baby clothes upon us or let us borrow them at a later date are thanked in advance! :)

2) Do you have your names picked out?

We do! We'll be announcing that after Baby Ridge arrives. If you have been told what the names are in the past, please do not announce them to anyone.


3) When is Baby Ridge due?

The "due date" is December 9, 2011. However, delivery is considered completely normal within 37-42 weeks, so that's just the date based on 40 weeks gestation! So, technically, Baby Ridge could come between November 18 and December 23. There is no guesswork on this - you all know how much of a planner I am, so my dates are 100% correct.

4) Why did you wait to tell everyone until 15 weeks?

We have personally experienced walking alongside friends who have lost their babies at 13 and 14 weeks. The "safe" zone for announcing pregnancy is not 12 weeks contrary to popular belief. Because of who we are as individuals (very private), we would much rather keep our news to ourselves for a while rather than possibly have to announce a pregnancy loss to everyone we know at a later date. This was a personal decision, so please don't be offended! That being said, if you somehow stumbled across this blog and know us or our family members...keep it hush hush! :)

5) Where do you plan to deliver? Can we come to the hospital and see you and the baby or visit shortly afterwards?

Assuming that everything goes well and with no complications, we'll be delivering with a midwife at Atlanta Medical Center, which is just a couple of miles from our house. Both Ethan and I are strongly anti-epidural and anti-unnecessary hospital intervention. We will be electing for a waterbirth, and once our baby is born, he/she will not leave our side for one second. No hospital nursery for us! We will actually not be welcoming visitors at the hospital - most of you will hear about the baby's birth after he/she has arrived (not when I go into labor), and we will let our family and friends know when we are open to visitors at home. Some of my (Lauren's) immediate family will be staying with us for several weeks after the birth to help with laundry, cooking, etc. so that I am able to solely focus on caring for our newborn and physically recover. This is an incredibly special experience for us, and we just ask that everyone respect our wishes and privacy and not be offended at our decision. Of course photos will be taken to document the first few hours or Baby Ridges' life, so you will still be able to see those at a later date!

6) When do you go back to work?

I don't need to work, thanks to Ethan's hard work and support. I will be a stay at home mother. Being a stay-at-home mom is my life's calling and I can't wait to embrace it 100%. I don't want to miss a thing with any of my children! That being said, if the perfect part-time opportunity presented itself I would certainly consider it.