Our Pregnancy

So here we are, just a fingerful of days away from meeting our son. So I wanted to reflect a little bit on what this year has been like to help remember this very special time. I’m not sure that this will be a worthwhile read, it might be more introspective than interesting. Please feel free to scroll through and just check out the photos!

The first trimester was worrying, waiting and wishing. Worrying that something might go wrong, waiting for the doctor’s appointments and wishing that everything will just be okay. I felt nauseous almost every day - and being around 5-6 year olds and cafeteria food with a sharp sense of smell definitely didn’t help. Isaac and I kept our precious secret to ourselves and I incessantly googled “is _____ safe during pregnancy”. Even after we saw the most perfect little jelly bean (our eight week ultrasound), it still seemed too good to be true, and so we told no one still and kept worrying, waiting and wishing (probably me doing most of the worrying). At the end of the first trimester, we opted for some genetic testing that would rule out any serious chromosomal abnormalities, examine odds of serious disorders and diseases, and tell us the sex of our baby. We huddled around the laptop to check the results - glorious negative results once, then twice for health red flags, then a third excited click to reveal “It’s a boy!”

In the second trimester we shared our good news and had one of the best days ever - our 20 week ultrasound. It was an amazing 15 minutes of getting to watch our little one kicking, lifting arms, turning; getting to examine his heart, his bones, his fingers and toes and all his tiny precious parts. I got to connect that fluttering feeling with the sight of him spinning and moving on screen. It was at this point that our excitement overcame the worry - I stopped trying not to mention him to Isaac and our son became our new favorite topic of conversation. Months 4-6 were also when food cravings really kicked in. Spicy food and meat - more red meat than I’ve ever eaten in my life many times over. Cooking more Korean food at home was the obvious result of these spicy meaty cravings, and I still laugh thinking about how Isaac’s statement came true. He always told me that when I was pregnant I would have to eat more meat - but I don’t think even he knew that I would do it so eagerly.

The arrival of the third trimester seemed to inspire us to turn our plans and research into actions - finally buy that stroller we’ve checked out in the store several times, finalize details like a birth plan and holiday arrangements. My childhood cravings returned - along with Korean food, I found myself wanting apples, peanut butter and macaroni and cheese. My walking pace slowed and my yoga routine became much more gentle from 35 weeks on due to loosening and sore ligaments. But other than slightly resembling a giraffe standing up when I rise from the floor, I really don’t have much to complain about body-wise. Being pregnant gave me the best motivation to be health-conscious and more cautious of how I treat my body, and it also made me more forgiving of myself.

With just two weeks left until our due date, we tried to finally take a few photos to capture this moment, our anticipation and our joy.

This whole pregnancy thing has brought Isaac and I even closer together and it has multiplied our happiness many times over. These months have been such a joyful time that I am almost sad to see it  all come to an end. But its conclusion is totally eclipsed by excitement to see our son’s face and to begin the next incredible phase of our life together!