Our Great Expectation

                     Ahhhhhhh! A brand new year full of possibilities, and in our case a baby! In case you haven't heard yet, here's our official social media announcement....WE'RE HAVING A BABY!  I am now 20 weeks pregnant, which marks the official half way point.  Yesterday we had our anatomy scan....don't get ahead of yourselves now...we don't know the sex....yet.  Zac and I have been ready for a baby for sometime, and Zac has wanted to be a Father since he was like a teenager.  So you can imagine his excitement with the news of a little one.  I am blessed to be able to have stopped working about two weeks ago.  Flying was becoming increasingly difficult with a growing baby.  Don't get me started on turbulence and nausea, and not to mention having to use an airplane toilet every five minutes to pee...which if you've never been on a plane, is the grossest place on Earth. (and the smallest! - Zac's note.)  If all goes in our favor I won't have to return to work until 2018! Can I get an Amen?  Being home for once is a much welcomed reprieve from the last ten months of my life.  Many people have said, "what are you going to do at home for all that time?" hahahaha Trust me, I can think of a few things, and to start I'll finally unpack my suitcase for a little while.

                     We discovered our little bambino was hiding somewhere inside of me on September 26th, our 2nd anniversary.  This was the best present that Zac and I could have asked for. I had a slight inkling that I may be pregnant two days prior to our actual anniversary.  We were out of town celebrating so I said, "we'll just check when we get home."  I was working a trip that had a 33 hour layover in Chattanooga, and Zac drove up from Atlanta to meet me and we stayed at the Chattanoogan hotel for two nights.  I landed after working four flights on the 23rd of September and hurried to my room so I could decorate it for Zac's arrival.  Zac showed up just before I nearly passed out from blowing up a ridiculous amount of balloons by myself.  He came with my favorite thai dish from Sweet Basil's in hand, was dressed to the nines and was sporting a new haircut.  The next morning we ate breakfast at my all time favorite place in college, Rembrandts, and then Zac had planned to take me to Rock City to go hiking.  We spent most of the day there, hiking and enjoying the view of seven states all at once.  He stopped at a popular spot on the trail called "Lovers Leap" and gave me a card that explained how we had taken a leap together in life the past two years and he couldn't wait for the rest of our lives to unfold.

                     For sunset we had planned a photoshoot with the talented Melody Hood at Innamorata Photography.  We rushed back to our hotel to clean up from the hike and meet Melody for a nature shoot in the mountains of Soddy Daisy.  We're even happier now that we documented our 2nd anniversary since it will be our last one that is just us.  From now on all our pictures will include a little photo bomber. We finished the night out with a delicious dinner in downtown Chattanooga at a newer place called Stir...known for their fancy ice cubes, and the scallops weren't bad either.  The next morning I had to fly out to work four more flights back to NYC, and Zac drove home.  I planned to come home on the the day of our anniversary.  I would be bringing any of my last remaining belongings from New York back to Atlanta since I had been transferred home to Atlanta, and I only had one more trip to work out of NYC after that.

                     I returned to Atlanta late afternoon and I can't even remember what we did the rest of the day, probably because I was so exhausted.  That evening I told Zac, "I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant." And he said, "how do you know!?" I explained I knew it was pretty likely because I was pregnant once before and I felt exactly the same way as I did then.  He said, "you need to take a pregnancy test!" I was reluctant and didn't want to go to the store and buy one.  He could hardly wait, so he jumped in the car, drove to the store, I'm imagining awkwardly scanned the pregnancy test aisle and bought a three pack and was home in what seemed like the span of ten minutes!  I peed on the stick and it instantly showed up as positive the moment the pee hit the stick.  Zac said, "well maybe we should wait two minutes because that's what the box says."  We waited and of course the plus sign just got bolder.  He said, "well maybe you should take the other two just to be certain."  He was in disbelief so I took one the next morning....positive, and another one the next night...that one was positive too.  It was three for three and if that wasn't enough confirmation I had an annual exam scheduled the following day where the nurse for the 4th time confirmed that we were indeed pregnant.

                     Life didn't slow down there!  I was off to the Netherlands the very next day with hardly a moment to relish in this exciting news.  I packed my bags, closed my eyes and before I knew it I was waking up in Amsterdam.  Now that I was pregnant it was all I could think about.  I believe motherhood starts at conception. Through pregnancy you begin to become a mother, it's always on your mind.  Not one day passes that you're not intensely aware that you're growing a child, no matter how small or invisible they may be, they are always on your mind.  I went for a solo bike ride near my hotel through some luscious green parks with beautiful canals and sculptures, all the while thinking about how I was going to be mom!  It was a timeless morning for me, here I was living a dream, bike riding through Amsterdam with baby in tote.  I can't wait to tell him or her the first place I know that we went together was across the Atlantic to the Netherlands.
                   
                     We can't wait to meet our little bundle of joy at the end of May and endure, yes endure parenthood together.  Although we got a little head start with this one, Zac and I have been parents for a little while now, we just haven't had the baby to hold to make it complete.  Zac got the baby and I a little Christmas gift because he know's I like signs with cute sayings on them.  This one says "We Loved You Even Before You Were Born".  Oh, how true that is.  Our prayer for you baby is that you keep growing healthy and strong and we'll kiss you soon.
Love Mom and Dad.