I can’t believe we’re pregnant! Well…I’m definitely the one experiencing pregnancy symptoms so I never understood why people say “we’re pregnant” haha. It took me a while to wrap my head around it since we weren’t planning on it, but we’re more than excited to say the least. We both knew we wanted children shortly after getting married, but not this quick! I guess you’re never truly ready for your first child anyways. I’m writing this as I’m eight weeks pregnant so I can reflect back on everything I’m feeling and experiencing and so I don’t miss a thing to document (I’m currently 18 weeks along)! When Doug and I first found out we both dealt with it in very different ways than I had imagined. We both had this strong feeling I was pregnant even before I took the at home test so it was almost like we were mentally prepared from the start.

When I saw the stick read “pregnant” I was hardly shocked because deep down I knew. I walked into the kitchen and looked at Doug and he immediately said “So, you’re pregnant…right?” and from then on he kept calm eating his ice cream casually. I finally looked at him and was surprised and almost a little mad for some reason that he wasn’t freaking out more. In a stern voice I said “Hello!? Did you hear what I said? I’m pregnant!!” and he just said “Yes, I know this!” I’ve honestly always assumed that men are the last people to want children and that it’s usually their wives who take the reigns on expanding the family, but in my case I was wrong. Doug was just as calm and collected as when he asked to marry me and I think because both times he just knew it was right and that it was meant to be. The next day we went over to my parents house for tacos and my Mom tasked me to make guacamole. As I was mashing the avocados I looked up at her with a smirky face and she guessed it right away and was thrilled. Surprisingly (well it’s not that surprising, but he is my Dad) my Dad laughed and said “Of course it would happen this fast, you’re Portuguese!” I guess he’s referring to Portuguese women being fertile…although I’m not sure how accurate that is haha and then he said it was meant to happen for me this young (24). I’m so beyond thankful for having a supportive family. It means everything to me that I can come to them and not be judged or put into a box of what they think I should be.

This first trimester has been HARD on my body to say the least. I never expected pregnancy to hit me so hard in a physical way. All I saw were these cute expecting mothers taking pictures with their small baby bump looking as glowing as ever. Little did  I know what most of them were going through behind closed doors. The morning sickness has been unbearable for the past few weeks and there are some days were I can barely get out of bed. I know many women have varying levels of nausea, but I feel like I have one of the more severe cases to say the least. Doug has been coming home on his lunches everyday throughout the week to make me food because the thought of going into the kitchen and cooking makes me feel very ill because of all the smells of the other food! It’s not a joke when pregnant women say they are sensitive to smell. It’s real! Everything has been happening so fast and I’m SO thankful I work from home. I don’t know how some mothers do it when they have to go into work forty hours a week and feel sick to their stomach rushing to the bathroom. I’m so looking forward to the second trimester already because I hear its the most blissful period of pregnancy! A few of my pregnancy symptoms that I wanted to document include…

1. Feeling nauseous 24/7! I swear it’s not just a “morning” ordeal…it’s ALL THE TIME. Eating frequently in little amounts really does help and also this tea has been my saving grace.
2. A growing belly! I’ve been watching pregnancy update vlogs everyday to educate myself on how a women’s body changes through these nine months and I always thought women didn’t start showing until a few months in, but boy was I wrong! I can already see my belly protruding more than it ever has!
3. Pregnancy dreams. I’ve never been one of those people who remembers their dreams…until now. I’ve been having such vivid dreams every single night and I can recount every tiny detail! I’m just waiting for one of my dreams to include the sex of the baby because they say it comes true if the expecting mother dreams it!
4. Dizziness. This is a real thing! If I stand up too quickly or do too much physical exercise at one time I get VERY dizzy. It feels like my whole equilibrium is off balance!
5. Cravings!! These happened fast and quick and they are very demanding. Doug and I would always joke that one day when I would be pregnant he would have to run out and get me something strange like waffles and pickles because I would be craving odd foods while pregnant. This is all true!! Well, not waffles and pickles per say, but my body is truly telling me something with my food cravings. I haven’t touched coffee since the day I found out I was pregnant. It’s the strangest thing! I’ve been an avid daily coffee drinker for the past three years and for some reason, the thought of hot coffee disgusts me! I think it’s my body’s way of telling me to decrease my caffeine intake, which is suppose to reduce health risks for you and your baby. I’ve also been craving oranges, which is REALLY strange because I never liked them before and also loads of carbs. Sandwiches, toast, bagels, cereal…really anything with bread included in the meal and also soups! Oh, and the strangest thing ever – Swedish Meatball Lean Cuisines…don’t ask me why.

That’s all for my eight week update! I can’t wait to see how my body reacts throughout the next few weeks and hopefully I feel better soon! I have my first check up with my OBGYN next Friday and I’m  SO excited to talk to a real doctor about all of these things!:)