No More Photos...

Apparently I have overstayed my welcome... I am no longer able to upload photos. I've used up all the space allotted for the blog. 

I can..

1. Delete the first year of the blog (my mom printed it for my and put it in a binder as a Christmas present so at least I have it on record).

2. Start a new blog. 

3. Pay per month for added storage. 

Pros/Cons

1. Delete the blog. I can use the same blog for the next year (or probably less since I add more photos now) but I will be in the same situation again soon and at that point is it worth deleting more posts. 

2. Start a new blog. Create a blog on a site that doesn't have a limit and start fresh with no fear of reaching any sort of limit but I don't have the connection to all my previous posts on this blog.

3. Pay per month for added storage. I get to keep the blog and the access to the previous posts but I will be paying each month for extra storage. And how long will that extra storage last before I need even more....

Any suggestions/advice would be helpful! What should I do? 

*looks like as of right now I will be starting a new blog.. I'm hoping it won't be as painful as it sounds...*

Telling Our Families

Telling My Brother, Tia, Gramma Kathy, Aunty Tracy, Mark, Aunty Wendy and cousin, Mikayla

Friday, September 21st

For all of these people we did the same thing..
My mom usually started things off by saying. "We went geocaching today and found this geocache. You aren't suppose to take them but this one was so cool we had to take it and show you."

I didn't catch most of the big moments (would have been too obvious) but I did get Justin and Tia's reaction and Gramma Kathy's.

Yup.. Tia got it! :)

Then they said "We were just talking about this!" 

Apparently they were talking about me getting pregnant. 

Gramma and Addison's turn

Yup... Gramma figured it out! 

Telling the 5K Crew 

Saturday, September 22nd

I had another surprise up my sleeves..

We did a 5K on Saturday, our 2nd annual family 5K.

I told my family and some friends through my outfit..

Here is the only reaction we got on camera, Aunty Jodi's

We were also able to tell Noah's family and some of my high school friends who were also at the race!

Over the course of Saturday and Sunday we told a large portion of my family. We told most of them by showing them the pictures.

It was so fun telling my Great-Grandma she was going to be a Great-Great-Grandma!

Telling Ben's Sisters and our far-away friends and family

Monday, September 24th - Saturday, October 6th

You've probably already seen this one!

For the special people in our life who we couldn't tell in person we sent this silly little video! 

Then after sharing the news with our close family and friends we moved on to sharing our Baby news on Facebook.

Telling Our Parents

Knowing Ben and I you must have guessed we found a fun way to announce Baby H's arrival.

How We Told Ben's Parents

Friday, September 14th

We invited them to dinner. Ben made a geocache using white duct tape and an empty peanut butter jar. I edited a few pictures and Ben stuck them inside. He went to Lowell hours before we were heading there for dinner and hid the geocache across from the restaurant. The plan was to look for the geocache/share our news and then go to dinner where we could really talk about the baby and pregnancy. With a late start I was really getting nervous that it would be dark before we were able to go geocaching. When we got there the guys saw how busy the restaurant was so they wanted to put our names down first. They said it would be a 10-20 minute wait. This was perfect! We walk outside and start talking about geocaching and the hostess comes out and says our table is ready. Ben and I can’t freak out and instead go sit down at our table.

Ben and I tried to have a silent conversation where we decided we need to do this NOW. It will be dark when we leave the restaurant and then we wouldn't have time to discuss the news. So Ben has an awkward conversation with the waitress who awkwardly says it’s okay for us to leave for 10 minutes. We quickly headed out and in the direction of the geocache. Ben was taking the lead and I had to remind him to let his parents do it. They walked around and around until Ben practically pointed at the geocache when dad pulled it out. He opened it as mom looked on. The first picture that was pulled out was of the pregnancy test with the words Baby H due to arrive in April. I don’t think it hit until they pulled out the second picture of my baby bump with the words Week 11 on it. I have a priceless photo of dad’s surprised face. Hugs were exchanged and I think his parents were in shock. Many questions and stories were shared at dinner! It was a nice time to catch up on all things BABY! After we left we stopped at McDonalds for a celebratory whippy dip! 

The geocache

Inside

Ben's parents looking for the geocache.

I love these next few photos!

Processing... 

They figured it out!!! 

Telling My Parents (and cousin Noah)

Friday, September 21st

Ben and I traveled to my hometown for my Aunt and Uncle's surprise 40th wedding anniversary party. This was perfect because I would be 12 weeks pregnant and was comfortable telling my family. This would be the only time until Christmas that I would get to see them and it was important to me to tell them in person. We got into town around 2 but my mom worked until 3 and my dad worked until 5. We spent that precious hour sneaking behind the Fire Station (my dad is a firefighter!) to hide the geocache and mark it in our GPS. From 3-5pm we carefully brought up that we discovered a geocache behind the fire station while looking online and then later mentioning we wanted to find it and even later still mentioning my mom, Ben, myself and cousin, Noah, should meet up with my dad and find it. 

After some convincing we all went to the Fire Station to meet up with my dad. My dad took the lead and he quickly found the geocache and soon my mom found it too. They waited until Noah found it before taking it down. They let Noah open up the geocache. He pulled out the photos and said something like," due to arrive in April?" Then he flipped through the photos. My dad quickly figured it out and got super smiley and stared at my mom. My mom didn't hear Noah and instead saw a picture of a baby bump (but my head was covered by another photo). It took her some time before she saw Baby H on the photo when she squealed and hugged me crying. Lots of tears and lots of hugs continued for awhile. My mom later said that she saw the baby bump and thought it was really cute someone put that in the geocache.. haha little did she know!

Getting ready to look for the geocache.

Ben and Noah preparing to go hunting!

My dad found it right away! 

Do you see it?

He was so surprised no one had noticed it since they park right there.

That's because it was only there for one hour!

Noah found it! 

Noah opening up the geocache. 

I think they figured it out!!! 

Priceless moments caught on camera!

Bump Update Weeks 11-14

This is it.

The rest of the first trimester.

Baby is 1/3 of the way cooked! 

Unreal.. we are only 6 months away from meeting our lil' peanut! 

Some cool stuff happened during these weeks. A bump started to appear (one that wouldn't disappear in the morning), our family and some friends were told about Baby H and we heard baby's heartbeat for the first time! 

Without further ado...

Week 11

This weekend was another big milestone – we told Ben’s parent’s about Baby H!

The bump looked especially large one evening! 

Week 12

Another big milestone - we told my family about lil' peanut when we visited my hometown shortly after reaching 12 weeks. There was something magical about telling my Great-Grandma she is going to be a Great-Great-Grandma! 

We shared the news with both sets of parents with this geocache created by Ben!

Inside were photos of the pregnancy test, a photo of us holding a sign with the date we found out about Baby H (August 4th) and a photo of the bump!

And then life got too busy..

I forgot to take a bump update photo for Week 13.

But I did take this photo on Week 13 day 1.

Totally counts..

Ben, baby and I heading out on a date to celebrate my birthday (a week early!).

Sorry about the goofy face... this is all I got from my dear husband. 

This one is difficult to read - sorry!

Some of baby's adorable clothes! 

Week 14

Less flub, more bump!

Way to go BABY! 

You've made it through the first 3 months of life - which is a big accomplishment for you (and a big weight off your parent's shoulders!) 

Daddy and I can breath a sigh of relief after hearing your heartbeat on Thursday, October 4th. 

You can hear it too!

Check it out!

(turn down the volume a bit - the video is quite loud)

Here's to the 2nd trimester! 

Bump Update Weeks 5-10

Now that we've shared our good news it is time to show you how we have been documenting the growth of our baby throughout the last few months! 

Starting from the day we found out we were going to be parents to Week 10! 

I am trying to journal my experience so I pulled some of my thoughts from there to share with you.

I had a hunch I was pregnant before taking a test but after a few months of negative tests I was going to wait to make sure there really was a good chance I was pregnant. 

August 4, 2012 - 8:00am

I took the pregnancy test and hid it behind the shower curtain. Ben and I spent a few minutes relaxing in bed before we both got up to check the test. "We pulled back the shower curtain and saw very clearly one line (not pregnant) and Ben said with a sigh, “good.” Then I said “wait” and grabbed it. We then noticed a very faint second line (pregnant!). I can’t remember exactly what happened next, in what order but Ben high fived me and said “good job” and I believe I said “oh my gosh" a lot.  Afterwards Ben hugged me and I said, “You’re going to be a daddy.”

After showering, eating breakfast and a lot of processing we decided to do a little photo shoot! 

(click on any photo to enlarge it)

Pregnant!! 

I spent some time at babycenter.com and thebump.com during that first morning and found out our baby's due date. Our baby will come when he/she is ready but it is nice to see the date when baby is "fully cooked!"

I was 5 weeks 2 days pregnant when I got the positive results. 

Week 5

Baby is the size of a lentil.

 Week 6

Daddy and Baby

Week 7

Not a baby bump.. totally just bloat but it was still exciting! 

Baby is the size of a blueberry!

Week 8 

My little raspberry baby.

Bloat starting to go away! Still had major bloating though!

Week 9

Just some of my cravings in the middle of my 1st trimester.

Week 10

Today baby is 10 weeks old and has completed the most crucial stage and is now considered a fetus. 25% of the way to a full grown baby!

Next post I will share Weeks 11-14 the rest of the first trimester! 

I can't wait to share how we told our family and friends, the goodies Baby H already has and more about the secrets we've kept for a few months! 

The Beans Have Been Spilled!

That’s right for the last few months…

I’ve switched from coffee to tea (and the occasional decaf).

I’m swapping my snug flitting jeans for comfy sweatpants.

I’ve found myself taking a nap or two to get through the day.

I’m waking at all times in the night to use the bathroom.

I’ve searched my closet for loose fitting shirts to hide my growing baby.

I’m educating myself watching documentaries and reading books and articles.

I’ve spent mornings on the couch waiting for the nausea to pass.

I’ve discovered baby does NOT like Blue Powerade.

I’ve avoided contact with friends and family because I was afraid I’d spill the beans!

I’ve prayed. We are so blessed to be trusted with this special little miracle!

What about daddy? Ben has been…

Taking the lead with housework.

Carrying heavy boxes, laundry baskets, etc. for me.

Picking up extra hours at work.

Changed his work schedule from evenings to days for when the baby comes.

Assisting me in the continuation of simplifying our home.

Reminding me to put myself first – take naps, drink water, eat small meals and rest.

Surprising me with special meals, treats and by completing household tasks.

Encouraging me through the rough days at work.

On Bump Watch – helping me choose the best outfits to hid the bump.

Watching his wife grow and change in front of him.  

Goofy Little Video

A fun little video Ben and I made. 

Enjoy!

27

Ben and I are celebrating our 27th month as Mr. and Mrs. To celebrate I thought I'd share 27 fun facts about us.

I did this once before and enjoyed the challenge of finding facts you may not know about us. 

1. I would love to make all of our own cleaning and beauty products. So far I make our laundry detergent, body scrub (which I use to shave my legs), tub cleaner, and hand soap. Next on the list - Windex, cleaning wipes, floor cleaner. 
2. Ben would love to make all of the furniture in our house. He tries but trouble is he doesn't have a wood shop. One day I hope he gets his wood shop! 
3. I could watch The Beauty and the Beast on repeat....all day. Right now... I'm watching it for the second time today. 
4. Ben could survive never reading another book as long as he had the book series; A Song of Ice and Fire. 
5. I love reading historical fiction based on the Tudors (and King Henry's wives).
6. Ben seriously helps with house upkeep. I don't know what I would do without him. If I ever complain about the lack of work he does around the house - slap me in the face - for real. He does so much! 
7. I haven't painted my toes in about 6 months. This is HUGE. Until six months ago I ALWAYS wore nail polish.
8. Ben is becoming a clean freak.
9. I am becoming quite messy 
10. Ben is artistic. He excels at drawing furniture, room floor plans, etc. but in a drawing match he will beat me - every time. 
11. I don't know if I want to be a teacher. I love teaching. I love kids. Just not sure what is in store for me. 
12. Ben hopes to go back to college for a second degree to dig deeper into the career he is in now. 
13. I hope to go to grad school - maybe for social work. 
14. Ben will attack any bag of chocolate chips that I leave in the fridge. It is his weakness. 
15. I won't wear short shorts in public. The shortest shorts I wear in public end right before my knees.
16. Ben changes his outfit more than a teenage girl. 
17. Once I get home from work I change into my PJs and refuse to leave the house for the rest of the day. It is just my thing. Once my PJs are on - I am done! 
18. Ben frequently picks out my outfits. He also makes sure I don't leave the house in mismatched clothes. I'm hopeless.
19. I love Ben's beard.
20. Ben once grew his hair out for me.. we both agree short hair is best now! 
21. We both love the movie series - the Ocean movies (11, 12, 13), Lord of the Rings, Rocky, the Bourne movies, and Star Wars (Ben secretly likes the Harry Potter series too).
22. Our favorite stores are IKEA (furniture store), Kingma's (grocery store) and World Market (home decor and other fun goodies from around the world). 
23. Our favorite color scheme is grey, black, white and some random pop of color like purple, yellow, red, green, etc. 
24. We love games! It doesn't take much to convince either one of us to play a game - board games, card games, video games, games our grandparents played as a kid, etc. 
25. Our ideal weekend would include a few long walks, eating at a local restaurant, and a reading or movie marathon. Actually, an ideal weekend for us is one when we don't leave the house. Yup, we are old... 
26. We are working on some big projects.. can't wait to share what we are up to! 
27. It surprises us how much our love has grown in 27 months. There was so much love between us when we were standing in front of our family and friends professing our love to each other on our wedding day. That love is nothing to what we have together now. I see it in Ben's eyes and I feel it in my whole body. We are so blessed! 

Your turn! Any fun facts you want to share? 

SHMILY Part 2

Remember SHMILY? 

If not read up on SHMILY here. 

Ben and I still take turns hiding our two little penguins in varies locations around our home to surprise one another and to remind each other just "how much I love you."

The penguins hung out in Ben's end table for awhile until I took them out and rehid them. Since then the  penguins have been moving all over!! 

Tonight I was reminded just how awesome my husband is and just how much he loves me!

After a long {not so good} day at work I came home and found this in the fridge...

Ben is too good to me!! He seriously rocks my socks off ALL the time! 

Thanks honey! 

Ben has been BUGGING me because he can't find one of the penguins. It has been almost a week.

To test him to see if he even reads my blog {I think he quickly scans it...} I am giving him a BIG hint! 

Check your pockets Ben....