Ally’s been able to feel the baby moving slightly for a few weeks now but all internally. The other night while we were laying down for bed she could feel him/her moving around a bunch. I put my hand on her belly and felt our little one kicking! It was amazing to feel that tiny little human inside already moving around. Must have some strong legs, I’m still saying it’s going to be a hiker.

There are countless online lists and apps that tell you what to buy when expecting, everything from diapers to changing tables and everything in-between. The lists are quite overwhelming and frankly a bit scary. We’ve been holding out as long as we can before starting to buy things for the baby. It’s been a battle not picking up every cute thing we see when walking through stores, but we are trying to wait until we know whether our little singleton will be a baby boy or a little girl. 3 1/2 more weeks and we’ll know!

Since day one, at the top of our list was an all-terrain stroller, a must have for our lifestyle. How else will Rusty still get to go for walks through the woods. Well REI had their annual members only sale, and I had a pretty hefty dividend from last year so we took full advantage of that and made our first purchase for our baby. Now we just have to figure out where to put it.

Good news though, since our stroller purchase, thanks to some friends, we’ve been given a high-chair, a baby carrying pack (awesome) and we keep getting offers for more hand me downs.

Here is Rusty and Cuervo trying to stake claim to the new strange stuff starting to fill the house.

I’m sad to say that a little over a week ago my grandmother, Dorothy Halchuk, passed away. I write this post in her memory. She was a great woman and will never be forgotten. From her genuine personality to her laugh that could get a whole room smiling. She was a strong woman that raised a wonderful family and will always be a role model for me.

I must admit that I expected the gathering in Grandma’s memory to be sad as many times losing a family member can be, but there was something upbeat about getting together for Grandma, something that made me think she was there with us telling us not to cry but to laugh and celebrate the life she lived. Between the pictures of her that captured her laugh, to the pictures of her family and friends throughout her life; it was an inspirational experience.  There were some great pictures of her when she was younger, and wow Grandma, you were a knockout!

I think the whole experience was a wake up call to how precious life is, how valuable family is, and the circle of life. As I said my goodbyes to Grandma I could feel her smiling down on me and our child-to-be telling me everything will be just fine. Grandma, thank you for everything, you will be truly missed.

Below are a couple of pictures of Grandma with her youngest great grandchild, Erin. Thank you Sheldon for sharing the pictures that definitely show how loving Grandma was.

So we’ve made it to the second trimester but not without a couple bumps in the road. I took notes along the way and here are a couple to share.

After having the positive pregnancy test there were many emotions stirring but no symptoms of being pregnant. I went downhill skiing and hiked 8,000 feet in Tahoe feeling just fine. But soon enough, around 6 weeks I woke up with nausea and realized there was something definitely going on! The nausea came and went, thankfully no vomiting, and no problem at work (for those that know my job, I was VERY lucky to not get nauseous at work). At 7 weeks I gave up my morning coffee, just the smell of it made me want to gag. However I did find something I loved… CHEESE! Macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, string cheese, any cheese and I was doing great. After eating macaroni and cheese 3 days in a row for lunch my coworkers were a little suspicious! But luckily I broke the news before they could question me further! And lucky me, an overnight trip to Vermont had us at a cheese factory, taste testing and me buying 6 BLOCKS of cheese!!!

Around 10 weeks Eric and I had a pre-planned trip to St. Lucia. Not sure if it was the sun and warm winds but my nausea disappeared and I hiked 2 Pitons (St. Lucia’s version of mountains), even one with ropes! Eric said I was smiling the whole hike, I think it was the rush of being 2 months pregnant and knowing I could still do the things I loved most! When we returned from vacation I was weary the nausea would return and I would have to go back to St. Lucia but I’m sad to say (for vacationing sake) that the nausea has stayed away and I’m back to my old self. Since then not much else to report. I haven’t gained any weight… yet… I’m sure it’s just a matter of time now that my appetite is back. I continue to hike Wachusett 3-5 times a week and we are planning a trip up to the White Mountains soon, hoping to stay active throughout the pregnancy!

Basically nobody knew we were even considering trying to get pregnant, so we thought it would be fun to capture the moment we told everyone (me being a photographer and all). We came up with sneaky excuses to use to get everyone together for a photo.

Here are the results….it was fun and surprisingly everyone was unusually very cooperative. Thanks everyone for indulging us.

^^^Obviously surprised…we told them I was taking a class and needed to show off my lighting skills, so I had this elaborate set up with my flashes and tripod.

^^^Mike seemed happy. Quote of the day came from him “Hey Eric, it works…..” Thanks Mike.

^^^Ally’s mother wouldn’t give in, she thought we were joking. After she realized we were serious she was so happy.

Believe it or not, we are pregnant! Ally and I are so excited for this new life that we have created. Rusty is looking forward to having another person to love too.

Funny story, that faint little line is actually a positive test, looked even lighter when we first saw it. We were a bit skeptical at first, so we had to rush out to the store and get a digital test with a “Yes/No” readout. There was no question with that test, a clear “Yes” was on the screen. We couldn’t believe it, and couldn’t quite figure out what to do next…