Baby Hudak!

We have officially announced on Facebook- so yay! No more secrets and not telling people! Having a baby and being pregnant are such exciting things- it stinks to have to keep it a secret. Ok- so you don't HAVE to keep it a secret, but that is common practice until 12 weeks or so.

Our Announcement Photo- Taken at about 8 weeks

I have been blogging since I found out- every week a note with how big baby is, how the week went and a check list (so once baby brain kicks in I can remember things). I have also decided that starting now, 12 weeks, I will do weekly bump photos. Hump Day Bump Day seems like a good timing for taking photos, my goal is to have my posts at the end of the week- Saturday or Sunday.

A few notes on being pregnant so far..... (aka here is my rant)

1. Maternity clothes are awesome- they are big, baggy (sometimes) and the absolute bonus for me- shirts are LONG! I have never been one to like tight things and right now I am thinking of investing in muumuus/going naked because I'm just fat (yes I know I'm pregnant) with no bump to dress.

2. Babies do not need a whole lot of STUFF. We are going minimalist as much as possible! Big ticket items (chime in if I am forgetting an essential)

Sleeping area (we are going with a Co-Sleeper)

Storage for clothes/diapers (dresser in our room just for baby)

Travel Equipment- Car Seat and Stroller

Baby Monitor

Pump (thank you sister-in-law for that!)

Small Ticket- diapers, wipes, onsies, a few blankets.

That's it folks! You have to remember baby needs a place to lay and you for basically the first 3 months, after that you can get some more stuff. We may or may not be moving (yay military life) in a year- not long enough to take the time/energy/money to giving baby a nursery/their own room.

I am ok (and encourage) second-hand, borrowing and hand-me-downs! That is what I wore for 90% of my childhood. Guess what- no one knew! Babies grow so fast it is a waste to get that many new, name brand things! (I am also fortunate to be having a summer baby- yay onsies!)

3. Pregnant women are CRAZY (well actually we are just pregnant)! Growing a human is hard work! It is joyous and rewarding and we as women are designed to do it- but damn it messes with us! Husbands/partners- we love you. We love you even when we yell at you for doing nothing wrong. We are not crazy, we are just pregnant.

4. Listen to your body! Already at 12 weeks I have to listen to the little one inside me- telling me to get up and pee, to feed it/me at 7am instead of sleeping in and to give in and eat that ice cream!

5. Never take for granted other moms. You never know who has lost a baby or who struggled with getting pregnant. We all have different journeys. I often joke that I will cry if I have a bald baby- I was born with a FULL head of thick hair (and thankfully my husband was too) but really every mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle and person out there is thankful that their baby is healthy and has 10 tiny toes and 10 tiny fingers to kiss. Be grateful and tell your body how wonderful of a job it does creating life.

6. Stop the mom hate. We have all had different experiences that we use to mold and shape our decisions. We are all doing the best we can. Just because its not your way doesn't mean its wrong. Just because a mom says she is going to cloth diaper and uses a disposable for 3 hours during daycare doesn't make her the devil! If you see a mom who is offering their newborn child cocaine, then yes intervene (and judge)! Remember that saying "Don't sweat the small stuff?" Yeah, there are a lot bigger things to worry about with babies.

7. Having said that- keep girlfriends that you can vent with!! I would be in such a mess without my friends to vent with along the way- especially my pregnant/mommy friends. Husbands cannot understand why the couch being 3 inches off center made you cry. Your mommy friends can.

I hope you can enjoy the ups and downs of my journey and my recollections and ramblings along the way. My aspiration is that one day I can look back and remember these 9 months and that one day my daughter (yep, I'm gunning for a girl) will be able to reference my experiences for empathy.