A Year of Growth

We were reflecting earlier that two years ago this month we were counting down to our wedding....21 days. Now we are rocking our daughter to sleep, jockeying for smiles, and clocking feedings. Crazy what can happen in two years. What's even more crazy is what can happen in less than a year -- and by "what can happen" I mean "how one's body can change."  So, below I give you --- "A Year of Growth."

January 29, 2014

On January 28, 2014, I insisted that Landon accompany me to Walgreens.  There was no way I was going alone.  We picked up a box containing two First Response pregnancy tests.  Oh boy, was I nervous!  That night the first test had a faintly positive result.  I think I cried.  Shock, fear, insanity, the desire to be excited but not feeling it, nausea.  I decided it was incorrect and I would do it again in the morning -- they say the morning is the better time to do it anyway.  Of course that morning revealed another faintly positive result.  I determined to wait a few more days and do another....but I snapped a "before-I-look-pregnant" photo just in case those two tests were actually right.  It wasn't a very great photo -- mostly because I didn't believe it was actually happening.

This was the last of three pregnancy tests. I stared in disbelief, not knowing how I felt.  I crawled back into bed that Sunday morning, kissed Landon awake, and said, "Honey, I think we're having a baby!!"

February 12, 2014

I was right! After rather randomly selecting an OB/GYN (hey, we were still new to Denver!), she confirmed that we were indeed having a baby. My nausea and exhaustion were not in vain, however unpleasant. I wish I would have taken a picture of myself on that day, but I was on way too crazy of an emotional roller coaster to even think of that. I did joyfully cry a bit when I saw that tiny heartbeat. Crazy to think that Alia was that small and shapeless at one point.

March 21, 2014

 Sure enough -- it's a baby! And already so adorable.

March 30, 2014

14 weeks in and starting to show! I was desperately hoping that the advent of 14 weeks would mark the end of my morning/all day sickness, especially because tech week for Into the Woods was quickly approaching. Not so. As if it wasn't bad enough that Cinderella was pregnant, she had to be sick, too!

April 9, 2014

15.5 weeks. Tech week of Into the Woods and I was doing my best not to succumb to the nausea and exhaustion. I had looked at many different princess hairstyles and mocked one that was described as Elsa's from Frozen. It totally ended up being the one I went with.  Why?  It was amazingly simple, and I needed simple!!

April 23, 2014

Spring! 17.5 weeks. Loving the warm weather and still being able to wear pre-pregnancy clothes.

April 24, 2014

This was by far my most comfortable costume. Thankfully, it was also what I wore most of the show.  It hid my baby bump, too -- though my castmates teased that I subconsciously touched my belly onstage. I don't think I did, but I suppose that's the definition of subconscious! ;)

April 25, 2014

I swear it felt like I got bigger each day I was trying to hide it, and pregnant Cinderella certainly had something to hide!

April 30, 2014

18.5 weeks.  In the thick of the "to find out or not to find out" debate.  Moral of the story?  Do what you want to do because everyone will say different things.

May 15, 2014

20.5 weeks. If you look closely, you can see the elastic waist on these pants. Amazingly, I wore these all the way up to my last week of work at 39 weeks!

May 16, 2014

 It's a girl! I look at her now and see the exact same profile. :) What a fun birthday present for my dad to discover he was getting a granddaughter!

May 29, 2014

22.5 weeks. I tried to take a walk during my lunch break each day. Eventually it got too difficult, but initially it really helped cut down on the all-day sickness. But sometimes (like this day) I would just sit outside and enjoy the weather.

May 30, 2014

My mom sent me this Willow Tree figurine. We were almost the same size. :)

June 3, 2014

23.5 weeks.  Again, yay for having a pre-pregnancy wardrobe full of stretchable dresses, high-waisted shirts, and elastic skirts. For those non-elastic bottoms, the belly band was awesome. Highly recommend.

June 5, 2014

23.5 weeks. It was in this dress that some people at work first discovered I was pregnant. How they missed it for so long and what was so special about this dress, I'll never know.

June 19, 2014

25.5 weeks. I don't know why we tended to take photos half way through the week instead of on the first day of a new week, but I think it mostly had to do with being more sick on weekends than weekdays. I still can't believe I was going to get even bigger than this!

July 4, 2014

Almost 28 weeks. A quick, impromptu 4th of July picture.

July 26, 2014

Basically 31 weeks. My mom was visiting. We spent the day up in Boulder with my uncle and family. Again, if you're pregnant and don't want to spend much on pregnancy clothes, two words.  Belly. Band. It was the best $16 we spent all year!!

July 31, 2014

31.5 weeks. Another impromptu photo -- for my mom because she had just given me this shirt and I wanted her to see how it looked. ;)

August 5, 2014

32.5 weeks. Started to feel huge. Still had 8+ weeks to go...  We also started our childbirth classes that week. Realized I wasn't huge compared to some others...felt bad about feeling huge...

August 20, 2014

33.5 weeks. My brother Tim texted me, "How big are you now?" I sent him this picture in response. "Dang!!" is what I received a minute later. Little brothers. ;)

August 29, 2014

Almost 36 weeks. We spent a lovely weekend in Eagle, CO, with the Coopers. Jackie took some incredible photos to memorialize this pregnancy. Oh, I am so grateful for these! She is such a phenomenal photographer and such a sweet friend.

September 14, 2014

38 weeks. Notice how far apart my feet now naturally stand. ;)

September 21, 2014

39 weeks and SO READY to be done!!

September 27, 2014

One day shy of 40 weeks...and even MORE ready to be done.

October 6, 2014

41 weeks. 22 hours away from being done!  My last baby bump. Though is it really a bump at this point?? I just can't believe how big I actually ended up!!

October 12, 2014

And we're back! Well, almost. ;)

To quickly review -- in 10 months, this is what happened --

There and back again....

So that is what a year of growth can do to your body. Now, here's hoping that next time I sit down to blog I am emotionally and physically rested enough to talk about what a year of growth (and pregnancy and new motherhood) can do to you spiritually. :)

Just one more photo.....because I love her sooooo much..... :D

October 30, 2014