Adventure Awaits

Yep. That's right! There's a baby coming over here! I guess that means we're not talking about food today. Unless you want to talk about that cake. Because, caaaaaake. 

I've been beyond excited to finally share this news on the blog. Our little nugget is due 12/31/16 (NYE!!) and I'm currently 17wks pregnant. It's still pretty surreal, but there have been moments lately where there's no denying a little human is joining our family pretty dang soon.

We just hit our 8 year anniversary last month (13 1/2yrs together...ah!) and we both turn 33 this summer (July 3rd for me). There's no denying we definitely took our time with this whole becoming parents thing, but we're so glad we did. The timing was right for us, and we're pretty dang ecstatic about the adventures that lie ahead as our family expands to 3.

Some details...

How did we find out? I had just gotten back from a fabulous trip to CA for the Eat Sea Retreat blog retreat. I was still recovering from 2 months of being the sickest I've ever been, with the flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia. I had a nasty cough and was still fairly fatigued with no stamina at all. I hadn't worked out in 2 full months. Never in a million years did I think this is when I would find out I was pregnant. The trip landed at the end of the month for me, and I was experiencing a few symptoms. However, if you've ever tried becoming pregnant before, you know these symptoms are a total mind game each month. I brushed them off and chalked them up to the tail-end of pneumonia junk. But the night I got back from the trip, I took a pregnancy test, just like I had done every month before. I was absolutely shocked to see double lines instead of that dreaded single line! I proceeded to pace around upstairs (Chris was downstairs), just thinking...HOW? Now? For real? O.M.G. How am I going to tell Chris? Do I just blurt it out? I came downstairs a minute later (Chris having no idea why I was upstairs), and the only thing I could think to say was, "I think something crazy is about to happen!" (???) He turned around to see what I was holding and let out a, "Are you pregnant???" That followed with a death-grip hug and standing wide-eyed and totally in shock at our Sunday night news. Pure happiness.

Then we made a run for take-out. haha

How am I feeling? Minus the crazy dreams, poor sleep, feeling like my bladder is the size of a grape, and extreme fatigue (in the first trimester), I really cannot complain at all. I know I totally lucked out dodging morning sickness, that so many of my friends were hit hard with. I like to think my body decided to be kind to me after the 2 insane months of sickness before finding out I was pregnant. At about week 14 most of my energy came back, I'm working at a normal capacity again, and the belly is expanding! My emotions have gone the opposite way I think they normally tend to do. I've been calmer than usual and don't think I've cried more than once since this whole thing started. When we've told family and friends, they all cry....I laugh! Also, I feel like I've had preggo brain since day 1. I'm sure it will only get worse! 

How did I tell my parents? This was one of the best parts! We found out when I was exactly 4wks pregnant. My mom had planned a trip out prior to me knowing this and it landed right at 7wks. We decided to hold off on telling my mom and dad (he had to stay back to work) until her trip out. We moved this past January and this was the first time she would be seeing the new house in person. It was no easy task to not tell my mom this crazy news, as we talk on the phone pretty much every single day. This would be my parents first grandbaby, and I knew madness was going to ensue once they found out. We painted a massive message on the wall (in what will be the nursery) that read, "BABY COMING," with the "12/31/16" date below. I picked my mom up from the airport and as soon as we walked through the front door we facetimed my dad. We were going to take them on a tour of the house and end in the nursery. I had a web cam set up in the room and knew my parents' reactions would be priceless. We saved the nursery for last, opened the door, and my mom started saying, "Oh, this room looks gre.... *insert GASP for air*" and a big WHOA-OA-OAAAA from my dad. To say they were shocked would be an absolute understatement. They couldn't believe we held onto this secret for 3 weeks!

Any weird food cravings/aversions? Not really! My appetite has been pretty ravenous from the get-go. With my job, I'm so lucky that I didn't have aversions. In the early weeks of being pregnant, I was shooting another cookbook and am beyond grateful I didn't have issues with all of the food that had to be cooked for those photos.

Are we finding out the gender? YES! We actually already know if this little nugget is a he or she. I'll be sharing soon! 

I'll end with a little photo series of my expanding midsection. Everyyything is widening, haha. Also, I'm awful at remembering to take photos exactly 1 week apart. Whoops!

11 1/2wks ------ 13wks ------ 14 1/2wks ------ 16 1/2wks

I don't plan to write a ton about my pregnancy on the blog, but be sure to follow me on snapchat (@edibleash) + instagram if you want to catch a few more of the details and for the gender reveal! 

Lastly, I want to thank you for tuning in to my blog all of these years and watching my career and life journeys unfold. It's hard to believe I've been sharing on this blog for nearly 7 years. I appreciate you all (and this community) more than I could ever put into words. 

xo

Ashley