Three more days....

(til we leave for our Christmas travels!!)

As we prepare to leave to be with our families for Christmas, I'm reminded of how we told my extended family that we were expecting. While we wanted to wait until my first doctor's appointment or the end of the first trimester (which, oddly enough, came the same week), we wanted to be able to tell our family in person. The reaction is so much better than over the phone, as we've learned from when we called and told our parents and siblings about Baby #2 a couple weeks ago. We tossed around different ideas, but my mom called one day and said that she had a gift I could open early that would tell everyone. So as the family gathered at my parents' house, preparing to eat, my mom tossed me a package and told everyone that she wanted me to open it now. I remember trying to open it, but my hands were shaking either from nerves or excitement. It was crazy. When I finally got the wrapping paper off, it revealed a Willow Tree figurine box. I immediately knew what it was, but I opened the box to show everyone else. It was Cherish, the figurine of a pregnant woman gently touching her baby belly. It took a few moments for everyone to understand it's significance, but then the room was filled with congratulations. It is a very special memory, especially because my grandfather who passed away just before Kate was born was there to hear the good news.

This time around, we're planning to share at Christmas, but I'm not sure how quite yet. We won't be there when the whole family is gathered, but I'll have my uncle's family and my grandma to share it with. I'll share how it went after we return home.

How I'm feeling...I'm feeling like this first trimester might last forever. It's nice that you get an extra two weeks when you weren't really pregnant tacked on to the total, but it's still a long time. We got a positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks, 5 days. With Kate, I didn't realize that I needed to test until 5 weeks, 2 days. It's only an eleven day difference, but it seems significant. Today, I'm 5 weeks, 5 days. Thirteen more days until my pregnancy confirmation appointment. I'll be 7 weeks, 4 days. By the time I finally see the midwife/doctor, I'll be 13 weeks. Seems like forever away.