So I kind of already told the story

So Aaron and I had been batting around the rhetorical question of kids for a few months. It was never a question of if...more when. Friends all around us announced they were pregnant over the last year but none of it fazed us. "We have all the time in the world...lets make some more money...we want to travel...the house isn't finished," we would say.

And then, Aaron's cousin got pregnant and for some reason that changed everything. Our kid would have a cousin! And just like that the conversation turned from "sometime in the summer or next year" to "lets just give it a shot, it'll probably take a few months." It most definitely did not take a few months and basically one month of lazyish birth control has resulted in an 11 week old little baby growing in my belly. Did you know that at 11 weeks, the babies hands and feet are fully formed and their teeth buds are forming? Crazy.

Oh right, I'm supposed to write about how we found out. So, if you know basic anatomy, you know that one of the first indicators of pregnancy is a missed period. So, the night before we are leaving for Hawaii, I was bemoaning the fact that my period was a day late and it was going to ruin my vacation. When I mentioned this to Aaron, he immediately wanted me to take a test. Since it was 7pm and we didn't even have one at the house, I told him his request was ridiculous and that regardless it would come out negative. Apparently for his peace of mind, he wanted me to take one anyway. So, off to Target we went. As I locked him out of the bathroom so I could do my thing in private, I had a moment to silently freak out. Could it seriously be positive?

I didn't have to wait long. Two seconds later, we got a big fat positive sign. I let Aaron in and we both just stood there staring at it, laughing like idiots. I don't think it was truly hitting either of us. There was some hugging and kissing, but mostly it was just us, standing their laughing and looking at that positive sign. I guess you could say nothing has been the same since.

It took a few solid weeks to come off the shock and to be honest it still doesn't feel completely real. I'm so thankful we headed off to Hawaii for a week and had time to process it just the two of us. Now that it has all started to sink in, I/we couldn't be more excited. We're thinking names and planning for the future. It's crazy, in just a few short weeks I've truly forgotten all the reasons we were putting off kids. This baby feels like perfect timing.

You Know You Are a Novice Blogger When...

1. You forget to take a picture of the shocked look on your husbands face when you take a pregnancy test on a whim the night before you leave for Hawaii and it comes out positive.

2. You forget to take a picture of the shocked/happy looks on the faces of your in-laws when your husband hands them a box with a card and a picture of your first ultrasound in it announcing they are going to be grandparents for the very first time.

So...the happy news is, I'm pregnant! I just don't have any photographic evidence so far. (I could post a picture of my jeans being held together with a rubber band...but I'm not sure anyone wants to see that.

I've been nauseous without vomiting. I've gotten dangerously close a few times but for the most part its just a low-grade constant feeling of yuck. I'm ridiculously tired but even that ebbs and flows every day. Today, I could fall asleep while typing this. The boobs are sore of course and the bloating is unreal...but considering how I could be feeling, I count myself very lucky.

I think that's why the blog has been a little neglected the last month or so because really, all I've wanted to write about is this huge thing going on inside my body and head, but I didn't want to say anything until I went to the doctor and we told our families.

Coming up this weekend, the roundabout way we found out we were pregnant and what a shocker it was!

My Baby's All Grown Up

My baby is no longer a baby. Rem officially became a man last night. We intentionally did not get Rem neutered as a puppy because we wanted the option of "marrying" him off and making him a daddy. But in true Aaron and Andrea fashion, we totally delayed in sending his registration to the AKC and basically forgot about studding him out.

Fast forward to Friday night, as we were walking Rem in our neighborhood, this sweet women whips her mini-van over to the side of the road and casually calls out to us, "is your dog neutered?" Wow. That's the way to get a conversation started. Come to find out, her friends neighbor is looking for a male golden, and because this woman wants a puppy, she was on the hunt to help find the "right dog."

On Sunday, the gal who actually owns the female golden calls us to meet and see Rem. The meeting goes well and before we know it the dogs are playing and getting frisky.

The really awkward part of the whole thing is when they got stuck together. You basically just have to wait 10-15 minutes for the dogs to become un-stuck but you have to stand around holding their collars so they don't pull away from each other and cause any damage. It wouldn't have been that bad if it had just been us holding the dogs, but we were trying to make polite conversation with this woman we don't know at all. I wasn't very helpful, because I'm not nearly mature enough to handle a situation like that, so Aaron had to do all the talking. I just stood around giggling like a little girl.

As Rem was laying at my feet this morning while I blew dry my hair, I just couldn't help but feel like he's no longer my baby anymore. He's a real live grown up dog.

To Haircut or Not to Haircut

I have a love/hate thing with my hair. I like it because its dark brown and I don't have to dye or highlight it. It has good texture and medium thickness...not too much that I can't handle it but not too thin that its hard to style.


But, I hate it because I'm never happy with the haircut. It's never the right length, the layers never lay just right and I always feel like my hair makes me look younger than my nearly 26 years. (I have a really annoying habit of of referring to myself in the age that I will be, mostly because I've always been the youngest in my group of friends and I want to appear cool. It might be time to let that habit go.)


Anyway, back to the hair, I need a style that is easy and manageable and that doesn't make my already round face take on an even more moon shape. It took so long for it to grow out that I'm hesitant to chop it all off but at the same time maybe its time.

Here are a few pictures of my current hairstyle, I'm open for ideas.

This is my current cut. This cut was supposed to be modeled after Reese Witherspoon but the bangs are too short and the layers are off. Overall I don't hate this cut, but I don't love it.

Sorry the picture is kind of small, but this is a similar style but my bangs are longer and pushed to the side. Ask anyone who has known me for a while and they will tell you about my signature pushed to the side bangs. I have had some variation of this hairstyle/bangs my whole life.

Okay, last picture. This is just an up close look at the old bangs. They are thick, long and parted way to the side. Also: kind of a funny expression on my face, but you get the picture.

A Friday Catch All

So here's the thing, I'm constantly thinking about potential blog posts and things I'd like to write and share about...but somehow the day flies by and all the sudden I'm watching Lost trying to think about when the last time I posted was. Which, as a side note, is Lost not the most confusing, frustrating but all consuming show on television right now? I can't quit it.

I think I'm going to do the 7 random things about me. Hopefully this will get me all jazzed up for blogging again!

1. I will not eat raw tomatoes for any reason. YUCK! But...put those raw tomatoes in salsa, pasta sauce, ketchup or grilled in a cheese sandwich and I'm game.

2. I love all things chocolate but don't really like candy.

3. I love to listen to the same song over and over again. My college roommates were always teasing me about my music. I would find some random song that would match my mood and then look out, that sucker was on repeat for days. Some of my all-time favorites include Ryan Adams, Dave Matthews Band, Fiona Apple, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Black Eyed Peas and O.A.R. I also had a big time obsession with Howie Day.

4. I can read a book in a day. Obviously, that doesn't sound impressive if we are talking children's books, but I'm referring to 300-500 page novels. A book will suck me in and I won't stop until its done. I'm noticing a theme of slightly obsessive behavior...hmmm

5. I call my dog Baby Boy, Bubba, Stinky, Remi and Rem. I rarely call him by his real name, which is Remington. I'm sure I will do this with my future children and they will love it!

6. I make a lot of jokes about how nonathletic and uncoordinated I am, mostly because I just really hate to lose. I'm actually not that bad of an athlete in general...if anything it's more of an eye/hand coordination issue.

7. I will only wash my face with Origins Checks and Balances face wash. There is nothing better for my skin and I love it. I've been using it for about 4 years and its amazing. I've probably gotten at least ten people to switch over to it.

Okay...now its your turn! Tell me 7 random things about you.