We’re Expecting (another) Future Jedi!

 Our Star Wars Pregnancy Announcement

The news it out! We’re expecting baby #2! I’m thrilled with the idea of Miles taking on the role of big brother and of me learning what it means to love two tiny souls so completely.

We found out I was pregnant exactly four weeks ago and announced it yesterday at Miles’ 2nd birthday party. It was the perfect opportunity for this kind of announcement because so many of our loved ones were already present from both sides of our family as well as several close friends. The week before, I had created a t-shirt for Miles that said “BIG BRO” on the back. We put it in a small paper gift bag and made sure it was the last one to be opened. Everyone seemed surprised and excited and their joy was reflected by myself and Steven. It was a moment, having my husband beside me, my son in my lap and surrounding by my loved ones as we all cheered. I managed to get my sister, Bethany, to record the reveal using my phone while knowing nothing herself of what was to come. Now I have this I can share with you and keep forever!

 Link to the video on Facebook. (Only view-able by Facebook friends. Add me if you’re curious)

A quick pregnancy update (rant)

Now that I’m free to speak of preggo things, I have so much to say. And by say, I definitely mean complain about. A few months after Miles was born there was this, an article written as I reminisced about the misery of my first pregnancy. It seems I forgot a few of those pesky symptoms that like to camp out for the first 18 weeks or so. Here’s a quick rundown: SERIOUS fatigue, all-day nausea, aversion to nearly all foods and smells, dizziness, phlegm, headaches, exhaustion, and finally, perhaps most of all… preggo brain.

Oh that preggo brain!!! It just takes your steady, well-oiled system of functioning, of life-management and scribbles all over it with a permanent marker. And not just one of those normal, medium tip sharpies. We’re talking the huge, thick sharpies used to label your moving boxes. Not sure anything will make you feel like a complete dunce quite the way having a child growing inside you does. One night I completely forgot to cut up and grill some onions for dinner and didn’t notice until I was almost ready to clear the table afterwards. A couple nights later I left some potatoes boiling in a pot, only to be reminded by the smell of burning starch wafting into the other room. Because that’s what my pregnant nose and stomach needed, clouds of charred death forcing their way through my sinuses. I often find myself standing in the hallway staring at a closed door and wondering what I was supposed to be doing. Breathing? Was I going to get something important out of the office? Or was I just heading to the bathroom to relieve my bladder for the 4th time that hour?

It all seems kind of cliche and expected, writing this all out and being quite aware that I am not the first pregnant woman to ever complain of these things. I’m giving myself a metaphorical slap on the forehead saying “DUH, Brittany! You’ve been here before! It doesn’t take a full operational brain to know that pregnant women pee alot.” I know guys, I am painfully familiar with these symptoms. I guess I just forgot for a couple years just how pregnancy totally takes over your life.

Oh, but it’s so wonderful. I’m being reminded of other things, too. Like how it feels to have a spark that ignites inside you and spreads light and joy and excitement everywhere you go.  How the months ahead begin to fill with thoughts of new life. I imagine the path before me. Looking ahead things are never certain, but if I squint a bit I can just barely see this future day where I have a family of four and somehow my heart has expanded to fit even more love within it. I wake up each morning barely able to manage the life I’ve (mostly) been able to navigate just fine for two years, but in the gap where brain function used to be, there is a new purpose. I do my best to keep up with the purpose I’ve already been given, meanwhile I tell my body “Go ahead. Suck those nutrients and that energy and the brain cells right out of my body and use them to make another tiny miracle.” Because it’s so so so so worth it.

I’ll probably see you guys again sometime around week 18? I’ll also probably be bringing along a donut or two and everything else for which I will re-acquire an appetite.

UPDATE: I’ve had a few inquiries about my announcement. I designed it myself from photos taken of my husband’s lightsaber collection and a toy saber. If you’re interested in a customized design for yourself, I’d love to work with you! Just send an email to design@silverdoves.com so we can discuss.