Howdy and Welcome!

The bottom oval blob is our baby! Such a good-lookin' critter already!

On February 6, 2016, I found out that I was pregnant with my first child. I'm not going to lie, I was terrified. I worried about my future, about my partner Robb, our finances, our studio apartment, our families, my body, etc. I was crying...a lot. I considered the night about two weeks prior when I drank far more than I should have, and so I cried about that. I cried about my aching boobs and the fact that I was peeing more often than I was comfortable with, and later I cried about not having anything remotely appetizing to eat in the fridge (ie. anything that wasn't fruit was considered inedible).
There were other, much more serious concerns and conversations, all of which panned out naturally throughout one depressing Sunday. The verdict was reached that we would be okay, so the next day we told our families, and I scheduled an appointment for my first pregnancy exam.

It's been two and a half weeks since February 6th and a lot has changed. I don't worry about my future or our studio apartment anymore. Of course, I do worry about Robb and I try to make sure he is happy and okay. I do worry about my body and whether or not I ate too many cheese puffs today, to which I will hesitantly proclaim: No. No, I did not. I religiously rub Burt's Bees Belly Butter on my stomach and boobs everyday in fear that I'll develop massively horrendous stretch marks. 'Cause uh-uh, girl...that ain't happenin'.
Other changes, I don't worry about our families, since they're collectively overjoyed in every way about the baby.
I don't cry anymore. (At least not about anything other than those darn military parent homecoming Youtube videos...) Although I did almost shed a few tears of happiness at On the Border the other night over a remarkably beautiful bowl of yellow queso cheese dip. (I have no regrets.)

I found out at my appointment last week that I am eight weeks pregnant, and that my baby is currently the size of a wild strawberry. And also, I heard the heartbeat and recorded it on my phone, and between you and me...sometimes when I feel lonely, I listen to it a few times and I feel better.

All in all, everything is happy. There are days of ambivalence, days of joy and excitement, and there are days that I actually forget this is happening.
Most importantly, I wanted to write this blog in order to record my experience of the ultimate transition to womanhood: becoming a mother. So stick around because shit's 'bout to get real.