Welcome Baby Malone!

Now that our Taiwan trip has been documented for all posterity (and the internet) to see, I can finally talk about what I've been dying to talk about for 2 months now......I'm pregnant!

I don't think that should come as shock to anyone who frequents my blog since I believe all of you are my friends on Facebook as well and I already made an announcement there. But as always, the blog is a great place to elaborate on life's adventures.

But first I must make a Very Important Announcement. David would like me to assure everyone who has read about our Taiwan trip that the food in Taiwan is actually VERY good and that the only reason I did not experience culinary bliss there was due to my pregnant--and oftentimes very nauseous--state. Again, I repeat, the food in Taiwan is AMAZING but not if you are pregnant. Satisfied David?

Anyway, back to the fun, we're-having-a-baby stuff! (And I'm actually having a baby. I've dreamt I've given birth to a litter of kittens before, so it was a relief to see a real human inside of me.)
Here he is! I say he--and will continue to say he until proven wrong (which we won't be)--because David and I are 95% positive our little baby is a boy. I wasn't expecting to actually see our baby at our 12 week check-up--just to hear his heartbeat--but it was such a wonderful surprise when this image popped up on the screen. I can't feel him moving at all yet, but he was doing back flips and somersaults inside my uterus. It was also just so comforting to know that a baby was, in fact, inside of me. Those first 12 weeks it's so easy to doubt that there's really a baby growing in there (despite the nausea).

We're now headed into week 15, which means our baby is due on August 25th. (The doctor bumped our due date up a week.) While I wish I had more options for doctors and delivery--since we're restricted to the Army hospital here--I'm not terribly nervous about giving birth so far away from home and family since we have a wonderful group of friends here who have already been educating me on all things baby.

David and I are both very excited for our baby. Since arriving in Korea, I'd been feeling more and more ready to start our family but I knew that David was still a little unsure. Then, out of the blue, sometime in October, David told me that he'd been thinking about it and he felt that we should start trying for a baby in December and I agreed. So December rolled around and I got pregnant on the first try. (David will be forever proud of that fact.)

I found out I was pregnant for sure two days before Christmas but we decided to wait until my first trimester was over to spread the news. Apparently, the rest of my family also decided that November/December was a good time to get pregnant since my sister-in-law Elisa, my sister Cassy, and two of my cousins are all expecting babies in August/September. My parents are doubling their grandchildren in a one month period! At least our baby will have lots of cousins to play with.

I'm enjoying being pregnant so far. I haven't been terribly sick--I feel the worst at night--and I'm looking forward to feeling and looking more pregnant. Plus, it's been a great excuse to buy new clothes!