Wednesday, February 26, 2014

weight loss and a pregnancy surprise

Jeff, Ben, and I are super duper crazy excited to share with everyone that we are expecting Baby Berry #2 in October of this year!!  As many of you know, we have always wanted more children, but did not think that I would be able to have any more.  You can read more about my thoughts on that here and here.  But despite what we thought...we are so thankful that we were wrong and that God is so good!!

Also, it turns out if you lose 80 or 90 lbs, your body is more cooperative! :-)  That's right, since last April (the 9th to be exact, Ben's 6th birthday) I have been watching calories and doing my best to become healthier and, frankly, lighter....and it has been going great. So here are before and (since I am not done yet, just taking a 9 month pause, we will call this one) in-progress photos:


Jeff has lost about 30 lbs in an effort to make healthier choices as well and he is totally rocking it!  Suffice it to say, we have had a lot to be excited about around here.


So let me back up and tell the 'how we found out story' here: Around the first week of February I was expecting certain things to happen that did not happen.  I went out town to work at a conference on February 8th.  I should have been home on the 12th, but got stuck in Charlotte because of a major ice and snowstorm that blew through, so I was not able to head home until the 14th, Valentine's Day.  The entire time I was in Charlotte I kept expecting things to happen (that obviously never happened) and starting to become quite suspicious, to say the least!  As I drove home on Valentine's Day, I decided around Atlanta (3 hours from home) that I would get on home and then just grab a pregnancy test the next day when I was out running the millions of errands I knew would need running since I had been gone for a week.  However, by the time I got to Macon (1 1/2 hours from home) I needed to pee and I was dang well going to do it on a test!  I found an exit with a Target, bought and took the test there, and drove home in a daze while half giggling and half crying! :-) After we put Ben to bed that night, I told Jeff I had some good news to share with him, but first I wanted to give him the mug I had gotten him while I was out of town.  I slipped the test under the mug in the bag and handed the whole thing to him.  He pulled out the mug and rejoiced over it (appropriately, of course).  BTW: I feel the need to point out that the mug was not Jeff's Valentine's present.  I gave him an iphone, he just got it early cause I had no will power! :-)  As he was about to toss the bag off his lap he realized there was something else in it.  He pulled out the test and flipped it over and over in his hands trying to figure out what it was.  It was funny to watch to say the least! :-)  Finally he focused on the only part of the entire thing that was not made of white plastic and saw...


He was flabbergasted and speechless and I was giggling uncontrollably at his astonishment.  Then he cried and it was all over for both of us!  We immediately called Nina, Grandma and Granddaddy, and all our siblings to share the news.  Excitement abounded that night.  When I pointed out to Jeff later that night that he had not gotten me anything for Valentine's Day he smiled and said, "Yes I did.  ....a baby."  That stinker! ...but I guess I could not argue with that one! :-)

We told Ben about the baby on Saturday night. He was so funny.  Not only was he very happy and very excited, but he was also very inquisitive, specifically about "How old will I be when the baby is x?" and "How old will the baby be when I am x?"  We asked him if he thought he could keep this news a secret for a few days or weeks and he said "Ummmmmmm.....I don't think so!. :-)"So that night we decided that even though we had only known for a day and it is kind of outside of protocol to tell so soon, we were going to do it anyway!  We decided we wanted all our family and friends to share in our joy, and, should something happen, to share in sorrow.  So, starting that night and continuing through Monday night when it became "Facebook official" we shared our news and hugged and laughed and cried and it was awesome. :-)

So, now you know how all that went down...   :-)


Ben is VERY excited to be a big brother.  He wants the baby to be a girl, but says it would be okay if it were a boy.  :-)  Ben will be turning 7 in April, so he will be 7 1/2 years older than his sibling.  He is going to be a fantastic helper, and he is looking forward to getting to move into a bigger room (our current office/guest room) over the summer as we make room for baby. 



I got my first look at Baby Berry today at the doctor.  It's heartbeat was very strong and was so cool to hear.  I think it made it even more real for me to see and hear it and know that, so far, it is doing great.


So far I have very minimum symptoms but we will see how things so from here.  Thanks for praying for us for a healthy baby and for this big transition in our lives.  I will do my best to keep my blog updated.  I have to admit it has been quite fun to go back and read my entries from when I was pregnant with Ben.  Perhaps this little one will provided equal amounts of entertainment. :-)