FAQ: Baby Hillam

Q: When did you find out you were pregnant?

A: We found out in October. We were both taking a full load of classes, on a couple sports teams and managing an apartment complex. On top of that, I was working 20 hours a week and serving in the Relief Society Presidency. So we were busy! And then I started getting exhausted! I'd come home and just fall asleep. No energy to do anything. I was taking 2-3 naps a day and falling asleep in class! (I NEVER fall asleep in class!) I started ditching my aerobics class simply because I was just so stinking tired! We took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. Oh I should also mention that I was always thirsty and using the restroom. After the test came back negative, Eric jokingly told me that I probably had diabetes. I didn't know he was joking and lost sleep over that for days! We decided to spend a few bucks and get a better test, so we did and one Sunday morning at 6 am, we found out we were going to be parents! Eric jumped up and down with excitement, I fell back asleep.

Q: Have you been sick?

In a word. Yes. I won't go into too much detail. I will say that I have spent more time on the bathroom floor then I ever thought imaginable. Eric thinks it's hilarious when I throw up. I can hear him in the other room trying to stifle his laughter. I'll admit, he has good reason to. These are violent episodes of gagging, gasping for air, dry heaves and all sorts of other noises I didn't know I could make. Add a tear stained, raccoon-eyed face and you'll see why he laughs. 

Q: Why didn't you tell anyone?!

 I don't really have a good answer for this one. A lot of different little reasons I guess. We told our family at about 9 weeks and then saved the big announcement for when we found out the gender. So don't be offended if you had no idea we were pregnant, hardly any one did :) I'm not really showing very much, so it was easy to hide!

Q: Did you want a boy or a girl?

A: We both would have been happy with whatever. But I've always heard that girl pregnancies are more difficult than boy ones, so I was hoping it was a girl because I didn't want to ever be more sick than I already was. My mom also had a hunch early on that it was a girl. My mom is ALWAYS right about these kinds of thinks (her hunches). So I piggybacked off of that until I had myself totally convinced it was a girl! 

Q: How did the ultrasound go?

It went great! She was doing a headstand so we saw right off that she was a girl. We could hardly see her face at all, so we didn't get too many good pictures of her face. For both of the ultrasounds, she was wiggling and squirming the whole time. They measured her up and looked for any warning signs and said that she was right on track and looked great!

This picture is from our first ultrasound. Eric practicing holding a baby.

Q: How did you tell your family?

We were planning on waiting til Christmas, but we spent Thanksgiving with Eric's family and I just slept the entire time and didn't eat any of their delicious food, so they probably just thought I was a lame-o. I couldn't hide it anymore, so one night we decided to tell them. Eric volunteered to say the blessing on the food and in the middle of the prayer he said, "And please bless our little baby that it will grow healthy and strong and that Noelle won't be sick anymore." Needless to say, that prayer ended quickly.

Q: Do you have any names picked out?

We have a handful that we both like, but we'll probably wait til she's born to decide on one.

Q: Due date?
She's due on July 25th. Right during finals week for Eric. I actually think it's perfect timing because I'll be graduated (in 5 weeks!!) and Eric will have just finished up Spring semester, so we'll have her for 7 weeks before school starts up again for Eric. It's also kind of funny because one girl who serves with me in the Relief Society presidency is due on the same day!

Q: Does Natalie know?
Natalie is my little sister on a mission in Ecuador. We tried to tell her at Christmas when we skyped with her but the connection was really bad. We showed her the ultrasound pictures and typed to her that we were having a baby, but she totally didn't believe it. So we kind of dropped it and thought it would be funny to not mention it again until we have the baby (Which will probably come on or around her birthday).

Really bad picture, but the internet was so bad that she was frozen like this alll the time.

Welp, hopefully we answered all your questions! We are SOOO excited to have this little girl be apart of our family! I can't believe I'm only barely half way done, but I'm hoping the next half will fly.

Thanks for your love and support!

Eric and Noelle

20 Weeks

Maternity Clothes? No, not quite. But this is embarrassing... When I'm sitting in class, I unbutton my jeans and sometimes forget to button them back up when I leave. Whoops!

Sleep: I snagged Eric's body pillow and have been sleeping a lot better lately.

Best moments: Planning for the future

Missing anything? Running! Oh I miss running and playing sports outside. I still can, but it's just too cold.

Movement? Here and there I will feel something. But nothing too strong yet. Except when I'm laying on the floor on my tummy... I get rebuked very strongly when I do that.

Food Cravings: I'm trying really hard not to give into my sudden, random food cravings. Eric does a good job at not indulging me. I did have a week moment a few weeks ago and insisted that I get a carton of fresh blueberries. I also wish more than anything that I could have a rare steak and a fresh peach every single night.... not gonna happen.  

Queasy or Sick?  Only throwing up about once a week (usually Wednesday). But I still can't stand garlic or onions and a few other specific dishes that I used to adore (Spaghetti Carbonara, Sushi, Quesodillas)

Gender: Wahooo it's a girl! I've been saying that it was since Christmas! SO excited!

Symptoms: Bad, throbbing headaches. 

15 Weeks

How far along are you? 15 weeks

Maternity Clothes? nope. I lost a little bit of weight in the first tri. My clothes were baggy then, they're starting to feel  a little snug now. 

Sleep: I toss and turn quite a bit, and when 4 am hits, I'm up for a potty break. Like clockwork

Best moments: Daydreaming about our little family

Missing anything? I always get homesick when I'm not feeling well. I just want my mom to come take care of me!

Movement? Sometimes I feel a flutter, but nothing strong yet. 

Food Cravings: Totinos pizzas (yeah the cheap cardboard ones) and pink lady apples

Queasy or Sick?  Daily

Gender: I'm 80% sure it's a girl

Symptoms: Tired, nauseous. 

Belly Button in or Out? In.

Happy or Moody? Moody. Poor Eric
Looking Forward to: Finding out the gender!!!

High Expectations

"Everyone is different when it comes to pregnancy". I've heard that time and time again. Some get sick, some don't. Some start showing in the first trimester, others just look chubby. Some grow thick, silky hair, others get stringy,dull hair. There's no way to know how you'll be until you're actually pregnant.

I went into this pregnancy thinking I had the Prenatal God's on my side. I know a lot of women have tough pregnancies, but mine wasn't going to be like that. I could imagine nothing but a blissful and happy pregnancy. After all, my mom always says that she loved being pregnant. I was certain I'd be the same way.

And then I got pregnant.

And now, I can't imagine...
....what my hair used to look like. I'm 16 weeks pregnant and haven't had a good hair day in ... 16 weeks. It's lost all of it's life!
....what it's like to have clear skin.
... what it's like to not gag when my husband breathes to close to my nose.
... ever liking or even tolerating onions/garlic and eggs. Even typing those makes me nauseous.
... what it's like to go a whole day without throwing up.
... having the energy to run around like I used to.
... not having a constant mouth full of saliva.
... looking cute in an outfit.
... what it's like to only cry when something is really, really sad or really, really happy.
... sleeping straight through the night without tossing and turning.
The list goes on, but you get the point :)

Pretty much, my world was turned upside down, because I truly was expecting 9 months of smooth sailing. What a silly, naive girl! In all reality, it really hasn't been that bad. I think I was just caught off guard because my expectations for preganancy were 1000x different.  That being said...

I could never have imagined...
 ... how my heart would leap when we saw that first ultrasound.
... how I could possible MISS someone so badly that I've never even met in this life.
... how my thoughts would be consumed by this little soul growing inside of me
... how miraculous it is that I have such an incredible power to create life.
... how my heart would race and my breath would catch every time the nurse would search for that little heartbeat.
... how my prayers would start and end with this baby.
... how excited I am for Eric to be a Daddy.
... how much I crave our ultrasound appointments.
... how much love I have for this little person.

Yeah it's been rough, but I sure wouldn't trade it for the world. I am in awe of what our bodies are capable of and I can't believe that I am lucky enough to be able to have a child of my own in just a few short months.