Whitener Season Three

We have been keeping a little secret with our home “Office” crew.

We are so excited about this newest little nugget. There is so much to share in time about this pregnancy: why three, conversations with my doctors about the risk, how the kids are reacting to having another sibling, and how having a pregnancy during quarantine has gone for me so far. I have been pregnant since before we started working at home, so that has definitely added to the dynamic of quarantine…and also clears up for everyone that this is not a quarantine baby because that seems to be the first assumption.

For now, we just want to share that come December we will have another Whitener little in the mix.

Whitener Wednesday-We have been married 3 years!

Today is our anniversary. It is hard to believe that it was only 3 years ago that I walked down the aisle towards the rest of my life.

Year 3 as with every year has had its good and bad moments.

We left off on our story last week with our first military ball.

Moving in together for realsies had its struggles. We were both used to having things a certain way after so long and then there are the added differences of life post-deployment and moving to a new state. I swore at times my husband resembled a caveman, but then again I wasn’t a perfect princess either with my nagging on where things belong. It was like we were recycling back to our first year of marriage.

The end of that summer I geared up for the beginning of a new school year at a new school. I felt like I was in a groove at work and was ready for the new challenges. I was continuing to job search for a full-time job because there did not seem to be any sign that they would be turning my part-time gig into something more permanent. I however, worked that semester trying to change their minds.

It was that fall that Tom started an intensive training schedule. He was out at a range or some training mission every other week it seemed.

In September, he had to undergo another surgery for a tumor that had grown on his hip.

Also in September, we made the plunge and added to our family by adopting Crosby. It has been a whirlwind with them since, but I couldn’t imagine not being a two dog family. I love my little pups, even with moments like this…

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I ran my fourth half marathon for a family that we have had a great time getting to know in the past year. They inspire me greatly as Tom and I look to start our own family.

Tom and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the first time, and I would like to think that it went off really well. We had turkey for days…

This year is the first year in our ENTIRE relationship that we have been together for every single holiday for the ENTIRE year. Mind boggling that it took us seven years to do that. It was so great to have Christmas, birthdays, and everything in between with Tom.

Right after the new year, Tom was forced into a job change. We also had to come to grips that Tom would be deployed again. Some days I have accepted it, other days there is just anger and bitterness knowing that he is so close to peacing out from the military.

We had been actively trying to conceive for awhile, but after the new year thanks to some complications I was having hormone wise, we decided we would look into a fertility specialist just to make sure that everything was hunkydory on this journey. We also wanted to get everything checked out before Tom went on deployment while we had the time.

It was then that our life changed completely. We found out AT the fertility doctor that we were actually 8 weeks pregnant. You can read more about that story here.  We are having a baby! We still get a kick out of telling that story.

Baby 1

Our lives have kind of been topsy-turvey since. Tom still has been doing training missions, and I have been working as much as I was allowed. We have crafted and DIYed our butts off this year. Check those specific tabs if you want to see what we have done in the last year! Some have been duds, but some have been the bombdiggity.

We then found out that we are having a boy, and we decided on the name George Lawson. We think the dogs know what is going on by some weird behavior we have been seeing, and we hope they are as excited as we are once George becomes their new playmate!

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I participated in my 5th half marathon with my sister-in law. I was 19 weeks along at the time, and we successfully made it all 13.1 miles.

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We have done some traveling over the past year. There have been countless trips to Missouri to see the famjams. We had a trip over Easter to see our friends in Indiana, and recently we took a trip to Iowa.

But mostly this year we have spent being homebodies enjoying being together. It was the first time we got to come home to each other every day. It was the first time that things seemed relatively normal, as normal as they can get being a military family that is. It was the first time that we didn’t have a countdown going until the next time we would see each other. So in our third year of marriage and seventh year together, we were still able to have a lot of firsts.

We have gone through every emotion possible between the two of us this past year. We both have been strung along and had discontent with how our careers were going. I had ups and downs of being a temporary employee (ups like I wrote here, here and here; downs like this) and being stuck in a never ending job search. Tom’s leadership has been less than stellar leading him down some paths he never wanted to go through during his Army career. For example, they forced him into a job he didn’t want and had him slotted for a deployment that he will need to reenlist for even though he has no intention of doing so, but they are sure he will. Hence him being on the list in the first place. You know stuff that we have no control over, but impacts our life dramatically.  It was during these times that we have had to be each other’s rock and just keep keeping on. We learned to accept things and make new plans when necessary. We learned a lot about ways to support each other through this year, and it has been nice to do that in person. Special moments.

And then to learn that we are going to be parents. Words cannot describe the happiness and content we have experienced since hearing, “You knocked her up.”

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It has been a year.

So much has happened, but yet at the same time very little in comparison to other years. Although, I think George kind of trumps everything as far as life changes. It is a little ironic that our first year of just us in one place, will also be our last with just us.

All I have to say for the last few years is, “High five Husband.”

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Happy Anniversary to the man who has taught me so much about life, love, and happiness. To the man who can make me laugh even in my darkest moments. To the man who never ceases to amaze me with his courage and passion. To the man who is the best dog dad and soon-to-be-George dad. To the man who encourages me in all of my endeavors and has made so many sacrifices for our family. To the man who is always on board for crafty time and is the best handy man to have around. To the man who makes me prouder than I ever believed possible. To a man who has never doubted us for a second since we met.

Here is to many more great years to our add to our love story.

Bumpdate Week 15

I am officially in the second trimester!

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How far along: 15 weeks
Sex of Baby W:
We found out we are having a boy! Also my hands are super dry now. Old wives tale coming true.
Weight gain:
I am at a 7 lb loss now from before we knew Baby W was coming along. I am sure this will change with my appetite coming back now.
Size of Baby W:
roughly 4 inches and about the size of an apple.
Maternity clothes:
I am in denial about maternity clothes. I am not big enough to wear them yet, but I am only down to 2 dress pants and 2 pairs of jeans that I can comfortably put on. And most of those I have to use a rubberband to hook them instead of the button. Luckily all of my shirts are fine because I have a pretty loose wardrobe. I should be able to wear most of them at least for the next couple months if not longer. With the warmer weather, I have been able to break out my dresses too, which allow for a little more stretch. So I haven‘t needed maternity clothes just yet. I am still little but definitely feel frumpy.
Baby items:
We are going thrift store hunting this weekend to find some furniture. We bought fabric for the bedding. My mom and I are going to make all the bedding, so it was exciting to get the print for it. I have also bugged some moms I know if what is on the “must have” lists are accurate.
Stretch marks:
Nope.
Belly button in or out:
Innie.
Sleep:
I gave up on trying to “train” myself to sleep on my side. I am sleeping on my back until I get a little bigger. At least, I can get some good sleep for the time being. My body will know when it is time. I am having some crazy dreams though.
Best moment the past few weeks:
Finding out our little nugget is going to be a little dude and being allowed to walk the dogs again!
Worst moment the past few weeks:
The doctor telling me that I have to stay on hormones meds still. My grandpa also had a pace maker put in this week, so that is always hard to not be able to be there for family in times of need.
Miss anything:
Last week at the conference I really missed coffee!
Cravings:
I am in this stage where if someone mentions a food item, I automatically start to crave it. I have to be careful of commercials…
Movement: I don’t feel little guy, but my stomach is constantly feeling like it is stretching. It is really uncomfortable.
Symptoms/how I am feeling:
I AM SO MUCH BETTER! I can actually eat real meals and don’t feel woozy all day. I still have spurts of it during the day, but I am so glad it is not constant. I also notice that I get sick a little more when I have a completely empty stomach, so I have been trying to keep healthy snacks with me at all times, which really isn’t much different than how I am not pregnant. I also have a lot more energy lately so I am trying to add my miles back with the dogs.
Looking forward to:
Finding pieces for the nursery.

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With this picture, I pulled the dress back a little so you can actually see the bump. It’s really there! In most clothes though, I still look normal.

Bumpdate Week 12

Baby Bump

From this angle, it looks like I have a much larger bump than I actually do. But this is what I see every day.

So here is where I sit with the pregnancy right now.

How far along: 12 weeks
Sex of Baby W: We may be finding out sooner than we thought, but we still are in the dark on this one.
Weight gain: I have actually lost 5 pounds. Thank you morning sickness.
Size of Baby W: 2 inches or the size of a lime
Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I have started the hairband through the button loop trick. My sister-in-law just gave me a whole bucket full of maternity clothes which will come in handy in the upcoming weeks. Right now I am sticking to my looser pants and dresses. Oh how I love that I can wear dresses again!
Baby items: I bought the first items this last weekend, but these clothes are it.We do have the nursery planned out though. It is just a matter of collecting/making the items.

Baby Clothes

I am a sucker for all thing Kansas City and elephants.
Also I am a sucker for cute baby things that are on ridiculous sales.


Stretch marks: I barely have a bump, so none yet.
Belly button in or out: Still in. This will weird me out…
Sleep: It is ok. I am a back sleeper, so I am trying to train myself to sleep on my left side now before I get too far along. Unfortunately, I keep waking up to my arm cramping or just being plain uncomfortable. Yippee. Anyone recommend a good pregnancy body pillow?
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat for the first time and watching it’s ninja moves. This baby is long and likes to dance and kick a lot!
Worst moment this week: Oh the sickness…

Baby Bump

Ok, so it may not look like it, but there is a little bitty bump!


Miss anything: Walking the dogs. I hate being on semi-bedrest.
Cravings: Meat and Peanut Butter. (Peanut Butter is very abnormal for me because I generally detest the stuff.) Apparently this little ninja baby needs some protein.
Movement: I have only seen it during ultra sounds, but I haven’t felt anything yet.
Symptoms/how I am feeling: Still feeling pretty sickly, but I am able to eat a lot more than I was. Also, I am fairly crabby-Sorry Tom.
Looking forward to: Being out of this first trimester and getting through this ultra screening scan we are having done.

Baby Bump

Alright, so I may be the only one who can tell that my belly is expanding. Hopefully soon there will be a little to show.

Husband Bump

He was being supportive to help me get the camera settings correct.

We Won Valentine’s Day: Our Pregnancy Story

Thank you for all the well wishes! We are pretty stoked!

Baby 4

Here is the story of how we found out. It really is the best story ever, but I could be biased.

I am going to talk about some bodily functions, nothing too graphic. Just know that before you keep reading, however the craziness of the story will be worth it.

Let’s start with my last real period was in the beginning of November.

We had at least 6 negative pregnancy tests from before Christmas to the first week of January since no period came. We also had two negative tests from the doctor around January 8th. There was something so devastating about each one of these because I just felt that this time was different. Something told me that this time we made it happen.

A few days later after the results from the doctor and feeling defeated, I started bleeding. You may remember me complaining about the worst period ever. And if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my seriously depleted diet and several sick days. Y’all, I don’t take sick days, so you know it was bad! It wasn’t like my most recent periods, but I continued to bleed for the next 3 weeks and was so sick to my stomach ALL DAY LONG. Because of the negative test results, I didn’t think anything of pregnancy spotting. I just thought that my awful periods pre-birth control were just coming back. (Before I took BC, I would pass out from feeling so sick, cramps were a nightmare, and I would bleed for more than a week, have a week off, then start the next one. Awful, I tell you.)

So again, we just consulted the doctor.

At the same time, we had already set up our first appointment with the fertility specialist. My doctor suggested to talk my period issues over with them, since hormone therapy will be one of the first things they try, and we would go from there.

Valentine’s Day happened to be when our first appointment was with the specialist. We don’t generally celebrate this holiday, but we did find it kind of funny that we had an appointment about baby making on this day.

We trekked it down to Nashville for this three hour appointment.

They poked and prodded me taking blood/urine and doing a pap smear. We then sat for an hour listening to the doctor talk about all the different routes we could go, all the while telling jokes and wise cracks. He is a super goofy guy. Then Tom had to sit through a financial briefing, as I was being briefed that the last thing they wanted to do was an ultra sound to check to make sure there was no cancer or abnormal growths.

Talk about swing of emotions here! Going from talking about infertility, money, then possible cancer?

Obviously a sane person, would have been a little less on edge, but I think both of us were wound up at that point that we just hung on to those trigger words.

So here I sit in this cold room half naked waiting for what seems like hours for them to stick a giant probe in my lady bits to see if I have cancer. I know dramatic, but it’s where I was.

Finally, Tom joins me, then the doctor and nurse follow in after.

Tom leaned over just before the doctor started the ultra sound and said, “Isn’t a chance she is pregnant is there?”

And then the world stopped.

“Yep, you knocked her up. Good job.”

WAIT. YOU. SAID. WHAT?!

“You are 8 weeks pregnant. You did it.”

I could not see the screen, so I sat up and said, “You are not joking are you? There really is a baby in there? There is no way!”

I thought it was a cruel prank the funny man doctor was playing on us. I probably said this 3 or 4 times before I believed that the little blob on the screen was our baby.

OUR BABY!

Then both Tom and I were crying from shock and joy. This is probably a moment that I will relive forever. So sweet for us.

I told the nurse and the doctor that they were the best fertility specialist facility ever since we just had to walk in the door.

We asked if this happened often, and they said no, and we have since become famous at the clinic with our story. Pretty crazy.

The next hour is kind of a blur. We watched our baby on the screen through tears and disbelief, and they told us that the heart beat was strong and healthy. Then once I got dressed and found a quarter in my pocket (luck was on my side apparently), we were rushed into the conference room to discuss how to get the bleeding under control and get my hormones in check. My body was reading as if it wasn’t pregnant because my hormone levels were so low. This baby is a trooper! They gave me several things to get my body with the pregnancy program, and we now have to go in every week to get checked out.

Because of my hormones being out of whack and the long period of bleeding, I am still considered at-risk, which is why I cannot do anything above a walk or lift anything above 10 lbs. The good news is though that I am no longer bleeding, and I am now reading positive for a pregnancy. Now if only the nausea would go away…

Baby 2

We are just a little over 10 weeks pregnant now, and we are still kind of in stunned mode. Besides the nausea for the past 2 months, you can’t tell that I am pregnant. However, every visit we have had the doctors have been positive about the growth. The last ultra sound we saw the little bugger doing the old man shuffle, and the heart beat has been great every time.

The whole thing is still mind boggling, and sometimes it feels like a dream. Like I said, we were preparing ourselves for the worst at this appointment. We even had the discussion on the way there of the possibility of one of us being infertile and how we would proceed with adoption. To go from that, to seeing a human in my belly, was absolutely nuts.

Prayers are answered in God’s time is all I can say.

We are over the moon excited. We told about every stranger we met that weekend because we were so excited. Tom has been showing the ultra sound picture to anyone who has eyes. We are just giddy with joy right now.

When we got in the car after the appointment, Tom went into prep mode as you all could expect. He claimed we needed to go get diapers, a stroller, and that I needed to sit in the back seat in a car seat for the rest of the pregnancy.

So that my friends, is how we found out that we are going to be parents!

Also this is how we came to win Valentine’s Day, which means we will probably celebrate now in the future.

Baby 3