First Trimester Fun

We were so excited when we found out I was pregnant, so of course I had document the moment! Our first month picture was taken in our final days in Charlottesville. While we didn't share our happy news broadly for a few months, we did tell Andy and Hillary the next day when they arrived in Charlottesville to help us move. Hillary had been training to be a doula, and was aware of our plans to start a family. Shortly after they arrived, we told Hillary we actually knew of someone that might need a doula next year. Since she was looking for births to observe for training, and potential future clients, she was intrigued and asked "who!?" We smiled and replied "Us!" I think it took a minute for the news to sink in, but then the hugs commenced. It has been nice having our little support system in them. Being identical twins, Peter and Andy have always been close, often stating that they share a soul. I spent the early years of our relationship with both of the boys, and last year living with Andy and Hillary part time really strengthened my relationship with both of them. We now live less than a mile from each other. We operate as our own little family sometimes, which is nice considering all of our family is 3,000 miles away. Hillary has been great, "clocking in" for doula time whenever I felt nauseated or came home with a headache. If anyone is in the DC area in need of a Douala, let me know! 

One of the difficult things about living far away from family is figuring out how to share big news. Fortunately, Peter's parents were visiting at the end of June, so we were able to tell them in person. My parents we were not going to see until about a month later, so we decided to share the news over the phone. First, we emailed a picture of Lacey with a bandanna on that read "Big Sister." We had them open the email while we were on the phone. Not expecting the news, they thought we were adopting another puppy. Wanting to have a baby always seemed like a personal decision to us, so I guess few people knew of our plans. I just assumed most people would expect it given we have been together for 9 years! You know that they say about assuming! :) After the shock wore off, both of our parents are very excited. It will be the first grandchild for both families, and the first great-grandchild for Nana. We already had our first pictures from an ultrasound, so it was exciting to share. In fact, our first appointment was full of emotions. Peter received his MCAT scores while we were in the waiting room, moments before we saw our baby for the first time! Through a linkage program with the post bach he completed, the final piece deciding if he would start medical school this fall was meeting a score requirement. He did very well on the exam, and it was that moment that we knew for certain his dream to become a physician was finally coming true. Looks like this will be a big year!