Say Whaaaa???

Yep. It is true everyone... we will have a lil one joining us in February!!!! Kinda crazy, and it just became a reality for us last week at my 8 week appointment:

Kinda difficult to see what everything is, but you get the idea that something is in there at least!!!

I wanted to start having kids when we first got married (I am glad we waited eventually, even though it was hard!!) but because of the Swedish system, Joel told me he would feel better about having kids once I had a job (because of the way the government works with the maternity leave). It is hard enough for Swedes to get a job.... and now this little American girl that knows ZERO Swedish is trying to get a job! Pretty tough, and I didn't have very much hope.

Time passed while I was studying Swedish, and Christmas was on its way after both of our birthdays right in a row. We found out Joel wouldn't have his job after Christmas, (Seriously??? Couldn't they have waited a few more months after the poorest time of the year to pass??) so we were both unemployed for a few months until March! Looking back on it, I have no idea how we survived. We were blessed, and somehow managed to eat and pay for our rent... and if I was pregnant during that time on top of everything else.... oh goodness I can't even imagine. Hence the reason why I am glad we waited until we were more settled :)

I was blessed to find a job working for my father-in-law!! Which also means once I started working, I qualified for paid maternity leave! FINALLY.
Finding out I could work for him happened a few hours after we found out BYU wouldn't accept Joels college grades, and that we weren't moving to Utah. When Per came over and told us about this job opportunity, it felt so right and comforting.
People kept on asking me how I was doing after it didn't work out with BYU, and I honestly felt fine!! I can honestly say I felt comforted instantly as soon as Per mentioned this opportunity... it just felt so right.

Once I had been working for a while, I found out on a Wednesday that I was pregnant!!! I had taken a test earlier that morning, and didn't want to look... just in case it was negative. I was on the bus headed to my in-laws house when I realized I hadn't looked yet! Ohhh my goodness I was nervous. I honestly expected it to be negative, even though I was feeling 99% of the symptoms! After I saw those two solid lines, I was in shock the rest of the bus ride. The first person I saw was my sweet mother-in-love (or so she has me call her) and as soon as she saw my face she knew, and I think almost passed out haha!!

Our anniversary was June 14th, the coming Friday... So I decided to wait THREE WHOLE DAYS to tell Joel, attempting to be slightly romantic. Honestly, I have no idea how I did that! On Thursday he had actually told me he was curious what was going on, since I had immediately stopped talking about babies and pregnancy and such... And I had to lie to his sad face when I told him I wasn't expecting it to be positive (even though I was feeling extremely sick at this point!)

Friday FINALLY came and I was dying to give Joel his "present" that I had "bought" for him. I had been giving him these hints to make him believe I had actually gone out and bought him something! Hehe I was trying to be soooo sneaky. Joel had me go on a little treasure hunt to find my gift, and afterwards I just gave him this little box with the pregnancy test in it with a few binkies!! Lets just say he was excited, but it hadn't really hit him yet. I kept on waiting and waiting for this freak out to happen, and he told me it would probably happen at our first ultrasound.

Last Wednesday the 17th was our first ultrasound... finally. I was suuuuper excited for it... but once we got back in the waiting room, Joel finally had his freak out. I think it was kind of funny, but he probably doesn't! He couldn't sit still or look at any pictures on the wall... in my eyes it was hilarious! I hadn't seen him this nervous in a long time. We finally got to see a little peanut in there! What an amazing miracle it was! I am amazed at technology!! I am even more amazed that my body knows what to do.

After our ultrasound we had a hard time keeping our secret, so I just thought why not tell everyone? :)

So far I have considered myself extremely lucky! I haven't thrown up at all, just nauseous the past week. I rode in the car up to Logan (hour and fifteen min drive... ish) and got super sick. So, car rides have been the worst for me so far! And if I don't eat. And if I eat too much. Or eat bad. Basically I need to eat good and healthy all the time to feel fantastic :) So I feel extremely blessed thus far!!!

If you know me, you know how baby hungry I have been since I was.... probably five years old. While my mom was pregnant with all my little sisters, I would be pregnant too by stuffing pillows down my shirts. While I was dating I was more excited to have a baby than to be married. So, when the time finally came and I found my eternal companion, I had physically only spent 8 weeks with him before we were married. I guess you could say I reeeeally wanted a baby, since I had finally found the man I would spend eternity with! I am glad we waited until the time was right for us :)