Not even an inch

Nick and I went to our first ever OB-Gyn appointment and it was so amazing!! We got to see our baby for the first time and see the tiny heart beating away furiously. It was such a relief to hear them say that everything looks perfect and that baby is growing exactly how he should! I just stared at the screen through tears and couldn't believe that this little person is ours. It was such a spiritual experience for us! After the sonogram, my doctor printed off the picture for us and we kept looking at it and I don't think I have ever held on to something so tightly. Nick was looking at the picture and saw that right now, our little one is measuring 1.75 cm from crown to rump - NOT EVEN ONE INCH! This teeny, tiny baby is ours though and we couldn't be more thrilled. We'll for sure have it on our refrigerator so everytime we walk by we can be reminded how blessed we are for this baby and remember to say a little prayer of thanks for such a miracle.

Happy Father's Day

I was so excited this year on Father's Day to honor, not only my dad, but my wonderful husband who will soon be the BEST dad ever. When I think about our future with this baby, I can only be so happy and excited to go through this with Nick. He is so caring and loving and this baby is going to be so lucky to have him for a dad. We are both lucky to have him!!

Where to begin...

I just realized I haven't blogged since the big announcement. How life changes in a couple of weeks? Where do I begin?!? As far as baby goes, we are both doing great! Pregnancy is an amazing thing and I am in awe at how suddenly you feel differently, think differently and how your heart begins to grow with love for this baby growing inside. Nick said something interesting the other day that I totally believe to be true. He said he read somewhere that men feel like dad's the second they see the baby and women become mom's the second they find out they are pregnant. I can see how a man would have a hard time really feeling like a dad as they don't get to experience what women get to. I already am so protective of this little baby. It motivates all that I do now: what I eat, think, drink, how I exercise, etc. There aren't too many moments during the day that I am not feeling something related to this extraordinary miracle inside me. Nick and I went to the mall the other day and were in a sports store and we both were looking at these itty bitty shoes for babies. I had no idea how much Michael Jordan apparel there was out there for babies? To say the least, it has been a joyous time for us as we lay in bed and talk about what this baby will do to us and our lives. In the middle of this extreme joy, there has been some real sadness in my life. My best friend of, well, my whole life lost her precious baby this past weekend. She was over 20 weeks along; he was her precious baby boy. Her and her husband had mulled over names and had planned a future that included raising their son. The news was heartbreaking to everyone who knows them, not just because it was the loss of a precious life, but because anyone who really knows them, knows that they are the best people. They are happy and kind. Loving and filled with life. They are the kind of people that any child would be lucky to have as parents. So you question, why them? Why did Heavenly Father let this horrible thing happen to the best girl I know? And before you can finish saying the words, you are filled with a peace that lets you know that all will be okay. That Heavenly Father is still there, with his loving arms outstretched. He loves my dear friend, her husband and their little girl. But He knows more and, in the meantime, he will take care of that little boy until they get there! I am so grateful for the gospel. I am so grateful that families are eternal and that my friend will get to see her little boy again. I am also grateful for this friend, who in her darkest hour, was worrying about me and how this news would affect me. What a lucky girl I am to have her in my life! I love you and as always, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

And baby makes three...

Nick and I are so excited to announce that we will be having a little one join the crazy Long family in January!! It only took two home pregnancy tests and one blood test to make us realize :-) We feel so blessed to have this little baby coming into our family and can hardly wait to see babies little face! Needless to say, it's all we talk about around here! I am feeling pretty good - just so tired! I feel like I could fall asleep anywhere, anytime. I will take fatigue over throwing up any day though! I am sure people will read this and wonder if I will be okay considering my transplant and the answer is yes. I worked very closely with my doctors to taper certain medications and this was definetly a very planned, prayerful pregnancy. I have a really good doctor that specializes in post transplant pregnancies so I am in really good hands. But your prayers on our behalf are always welcome and appreciated!