Thoughts On Pregnancy and Baby Drebby

Baby Drebby? Our friends wisely decided one night over dinner that we should call our baby a fun mish mash of our names during the pregnancy so that we wouldn't say "it" all the time. Hence, Drea + Robby = Baby Drebby! How fun, right!?

I have been having lots of thoughts and experiencing lots of symptoms throughout my pregnancy so far, and since I am already at the half way point (20-weeks), I just wanted to take a minute to write them down. Woah, there is just something about seeing that now in writing... "throughout my pregnancy"... Thank you Lord, I feel so humbled and in awe by what this means. I can't even begin to describe it... and I guess that's my point and the main reason why I wanted to jot some of my many thoughts down. Even though right now I am thinking about these things non-stop, I know I am bound to forget them. So thanks for indulging me as I just mentally process and strive to keep some memories. I wanted to share some pictures of my "bump" and of the baby throughout the post as well.

This was in early October, at 14 weeks.

Rob pretty much knew from the day we got married, that he wanted to start a family. I have always wanted one too, but I was not in such a hurry! We decided we wanted to start to try to have a baby in December of 2012. I always had a feeling that getting pregnant would not just "happen" for us, and thought that it was something that would take this particular overachieving, Type A planner some time. Through a season of about 19 months, Rob and I tried, waited, trusted, waited and trusted some more, that God's timing in this would be perfect. And it honestly has been. And I don't say this lightly, as if waiting was easy, and as if trusting God was easy. We grew a lot through the season of waiting, growth can be so hard, and growth can be really painful, but the result can be so beautiful. I don't mean the result of pregnancy, I mean the result of greater trust in the Lord, and the gratefulness I feel to have grown closer to God and to Rob through this season.

One day this past July, I just couldn't shake this odd feeling all day, I was hungry and felt like I could faint at any moment. The next morning I took a pregnancy test and saw the faintest 2nd line. *GASP* Was I really pregnant!? I didn't tell Rob right away, because I wanted to test it one more time, but also because I knew we were going to The Smith the next day to celebrate a new job opportunity I received. Since The Smith has a photo booth, I thought it would be perfect to tell him the big news then, if it really was true! Lo and behold test number 2 came back with two lines and this time the second one was a little darker. I was so excited to get to tell him that night at dinner, and I love that we got to capture that moment!

A hallmark of early pregnancy is morning sickness, fortunately I didn't experience this at all. I was nauseous, and had some real food aversions, but thankfully I never got sick. I was also, oh soooo tired. For a few weeks there, it was like clockwork, around 3pm every day I just felt an exhaustion like I have never felt before. I would get home and take a mini-power nap for like 15-20 minutes and that would help until about 8pm/ 8:30pm, and then it was lights out for me whether I wanted it to be or not. I couldn't stand the taste of cooked chicken, the smell of fresh broccoli, and for some reason, the only thing I really wanted to eat was breakfast food. It's not that I craved it, it's that breakfast food was the only thing I could imagine eating and enjoying. Rob said, "That's my baby!", since breakfast food is his absolute favorite. I love that!

This was from our 16-Week check up, and Baby Drebby is sucking it's thumb!

Have you ever heard of Pregnancy Brain? I thought that was just a myth or legend... but it has been TOO TRUE for me. Before I even knew I was pregnant, I sent some new shoes I ordered to Crystal in Miami instead of to myself! I kept wondering, why my shoes for work hadn't arrived yet? Ha! By the time we put two and two together I knew I was expecting, and was shocked by how instantaneous it was for my brain to stop functioning in the way I had been used to for the last 29 years! Although Crystal was sad to see the shoes go, we both thought it was hilarious.

We decided pretty much off the bat that we wanted to be surprised and not find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I love people's reactions when I tell them this. They are either like, "Awesome!", or they are like, "You're crazy!" Ha! There seems to be no middle ground on this one. We are excited about getting to be surprised. It does add a dilemma because now we have to think of not one, but two names, and that my friends, is no small task! Also, we obviously have to stay neutral in the color scheme, but I have to admit that I actually tend to prefer the neutrals, which is something I didn't realize would be the case. So far, I am not getting any feeling as to whether we are having a boy or a girl, what do you think?

Around the 14 week mark, I started to crave milk all of the sudden, and now at week 20, that craving is still going strong. I have never been a big milk drinker, unless it was in a bowl of cereal, or mixed with chocolate or something! Now there will be times where I am about to fall asleep, the lights are out, good night kisses have been given, and I have to get up because I cannot fall asleep until I have a small glass of cold milk. A couple of nights ago I woke up at 2am wanting milk, so it can be intense. We have gone from buying half a gallon of milk which would get us through about a week and a half, to buying a gallon of milk which lasts exactly a week. Rob thinks we may need to start getting two gallons soon.

In this picture, I'm about 18 weeks pregnant.

Around the 18 week mark, I think I started to feel the baby kick for the first time! Even though it was very subtle and sporadic, I mentioned it to Rob. I told him I thought it might be too early for him to feel it too but he put his hand on my bump and we sat there for a second, and *thump* he got to feel one too! I know it's just a matter of time before I start feeling the baby move more and more. The past few days whenever I feel Baby Drebby, it makes me think of popcorn popping!

Doctor's visits have been exciting, and nerve-wracking all at the same time. Almost every doctor's visit is accompanied with tests, especially at the beginning. We had to get used to the fact early on that after our fun appointments, we'd have to wait for a week or two for the results of any tests we took. Now I totally understand why people always answer, "a healthy baby", when asked what they hope they are having. We know and trust that God loves Baby Drebby abundantly more than we ever could and He has a plan for his or her life. So a big prayer request for us, is that we would continue to trust, not have any anxiety about tests, and that we would just be able to really enjoy each visit we have with the doctor, especially when we get to see the baby on the monitor! As you saw in the picture from the 16-week check up, we even got to see the baby sucking it's thumb! How sweet!!

We got a close up of the baby's foot at our 20-Week check up! Oh my word, so cute, right?

The full profile view from our 20-Week check up

My last thought for now is that Nesting Mode is a REAL THING. Rob and I have diligently been going from one room to the next in our apartment deep cleaning. We have cleaned all the way from the floor boards to the windowsills to the shelves! We're making piles for things we can give away and things we can sell and ultimately we are getting our place organized. You thought I was organized before, well now it is hyper-mode organized. You should see how pretty our pantry closet is now!! We already have so much more room for Baby Drebby's needs! It's kind of sad how excited closet organization gets me! It really is so important in a NYC sized apartment, any extra space is GOLD! After registering for Baby Drebby, we realized how precious each new empty shelf really is!

Me at 20 weeks!

Friends, thanks so much for reading through this lengthy blog post of mine! Thanks for surrounding me and Robby with so much love, prayers and support as well! Keep 'em coming!

Yorkville in Deckerville

For a couple of years now, we have been talking about going to Deckerville, Michigan where our friend Scott is from.  It finally worked out to take a road trip with Scott, Katie, Richard and Jessa during the Labor Day Holiday Weekend.  These are some of our best friends in NYC, they are like family and we are so blessed to share our lives with them.  We definitely missed that Brett and Erin couldn't make it, so maybe we'll have to do a take two of this trip in the future!

 

We rented a mini-van and left NYC on Thursday evening, arriving in Deckerville by Friday Morning.  Check out that cotton candy sunrise.  Here are a couple shots of where we stayed.  How lovely, right?  

We had the best time getting to hang out with our gracious hosts, the  

McVittie's.  I loved this sign that used to be on Scott's family's farm.  We chopped wood, watched College Football, made s'mores, learned how to make "dowelies" and then ate lots of dowelies.  (Crescent roll, wrapped around a Dowel, cooked over the fire, and then stuffed with a breakfast sausage and cheese!)  Basically, we made as many meals as possible over the open-fire.

We shot guns, shot bows and arrows, hung out in the pool, played golf, went to Lake Huron, star gazed and visited the dairy farm that is adjacent to Scott's family's land, and used to be his family.


Chopping Wood


Katie and Tessa


Dowelies!










Bulls Eye!


Golf Outing


Nice Form!


Such a pro!


Our team, we came in 2nd by 2 shots!


The New Yorkers








By Lake Huron






Cooooolllllddd water!


Emoji pose :)


On our way to Deckerville, we told our friends that I was 8 weeks pregnant!


Headed to the Dairy Farm next door.


Mooooo!


Sweet calves!




Momma Cow and baby calf just born!




The gals, poolside :)

One of these is not like the other... Why am I eating my sandwich instead of corn? Hah!



I am so grateful for the time to just rest, to slow down, to appreciate having no agenda and to have a little respite from the hustle and bustle of NYC.  It's always nice to get a away for a little while both to experience something new, and to appreciate the energy of the City when you get back!  It was the absolute perfect farewell to summer!

We're Having a Baby!

It is with so much joy and excitement, that we share the news!
We are having a baby!!!

After I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't wait to see Rob's reaction!  I knew that we were planning on going to The Smith for dinner, and I knew they had a photo booth, so what better way to tell Rob, then to capture his reaction on camera?

This was me at 5 1/2 weeks

This was our first sonogram at 7 weeks.


This was our most recent sonogram at 12 weeks!

We've been waiting on God's timing to start our family, and so it is with much thankfulness and excitement that we look forward to becoming parents.
Baby Hickson is due April 8th, 2015!

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2

New England Road Trip in Four Days

We have been wanting to take a road trip throughout New England for awhile.  All we knew was that we wanted to go drive up to Maine, and we wanted to go in the summer so we could take advantage of the best part of Lobster Season.  We set out on an early Friday morning in July in our perfectly proportioned rental car.

All set to go, leaving NYC.

Portland, Maine is only a five hour drive from Manhattan, but we wanted to make lots of stops along the way, so our first day consisted of a scenic drive up to Boston where we stayed the night.

Our first stop was in New London, CT.  We set out around 7:30am, and knew that we would be in New London around 9:45am, in time to get brunch.  We wanted to go to a mom & pop restaurant and were not disappointed.  We decided on The Yolk Cafe where there was outdoor seating and we could take Bess.  This place was great, and the atmosphere was so much fun.  The owner and chef was a Harley-Riding, fun loving lady, who would playfully through pieces of bread from behind the counter out the window to some of the younger patrons.  She even busted out a marshmallow gun!  It was a great place to stop for our first resting point.  New London was once a whaling port, and still had that seaside shipping industry feel, which set the tone for many of the small towns we saw throughout our road trip.

Our next stop was Newport, Rhode Island, about a one hour drive from New London.  

We trecked along the Cliff Walks, and enjoyed the breathtaking views.  We thought we saw seals, but turns out it was just big black labs on the dog beach below.

When we had just finished our hike along the cliffs, I got a note from our friends Peggy and Jim from Miami.  They were also in Newport at that very moment!!! We joined them for an afternoon coffee break and cupcakes and got to catch up for a bit, which was such an unexpected bonus to our trip!

After recharging with our mid-afternoon snacks, we made our way to Cape Cod, MA about an hour and a half away.  We got there at about 5pm.

Our traveling diva, I mean, companion.

 

We stopped in the town of Sandwich, MA, which is the oldest town on Cape Cod.  We walked along the boardwalk in the marshlands, and drove along the beach.  The marshes were so beautiful, lush and green!

Our photographer, getting very into his subject.

It was sooooo bright!

Ok, that's better!

Bess is like, "Ok guys, enough with the selfies!"

We found a board that had Bess's name!

Artistic Family Selfie

After walking around for about an hour, we headed to Boston, MA, another hour away.  This was our final stop for the day, and we met up with a family friend who lives in Boston for dinner.

Rob, Mario and me at Sterlings for dinner.

Love this picture!

The next morning, after a refreshing night of sleep, we got breakfast and walked over to Boston Common for a picnic.

Delciousness.

Enjoying Boston Common Coffee Co. in Boston Common!

Loved this Book Shop that was on the way back to our Hotel.

That blur right there is Bess, running at full speed up and down the halls of the Hotel.

After our picnic and stroll through Boston Common, we made our way up the East Coast to Maine.  The original plan was to set out before sunrise, but we couldn't help it and really wanted the chance to walk around Boston Common especially since our Hotel was only a couple of blocks away.

We took the scenic route up US-1/ A1A instead of up I-95, so it took about three times as long, but was so worth it.  The views on our road trip, and the time we spent in the car along the way was just as much a part of our vacation as the destinations themselves.
  

So that we could see as much of the coast as possible, we made sure to pinpoint these locations on our GPS: Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Beach Rd, Salisbury, MA; Seabrook Back Dunes, Seabrook, NH; Hampton Salt Marsh Conservation Area, Hampton, NH; Odiorne Point State Park, Rye, NH; Wallis Sands State Park, Rye, NH; and Rye Harbor State Park, Rye, NH.

Lots of folks enjoying the sunshine on the beach.

We couldn't help but be reminded of the drive up A1A in Broward County around Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale as we drove through these New Hampshire beach towns.  If it it weren't for the lobster shacks and clam bakes, you wouldn't have noticed much of a difference.

And then... we were in Maine!  Our first stop was the highly recommended Lobster Shack Restaurant in Cape Elizabeth.  It's located on a gorgeous rocky cliff, just south of Portland, and surrounded by the ocean and lighthouses.

Bess was not a fan of the fog horn from the lighthouse.

Amazing edit by Robs.

The line to wait to order our fresh seafood.

The view!

After lunch we had some homemade ice-cream at the Kettle Cove Creamery and Cafe.

The Salted Caramel was amazing.

After we were sufficiently filled up on delicious fresh seafood and homemade ice-cream, we went on a DIY lighthouse tour of sorts.

Just couldn't resist this picture.

Our first stop, the Portland Head Light lighthouse.

It was so picturesque.

Next up was Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse along this rocky jetty.

Our last stop was the Bug Light lighthouse, which was along the shore of a park where people were bringing picnics for dinner and flying kites.

After making our way to the house were were staying at and dropping of our stuff, as well as our tuckered out pup, we made our way to the Portland Lobster Company for dinner.  They had live music and a super casual atmosphere.

Our lobster buzzer lit up and let us know that our dinner was ready.  Rob and I looked up directions on how to eat a whole lobster so that we would be ready and not look like TOTAL amateurs.  The lobster came with coleslaw, corn on the cob, and melted butter on the side.  It was fun to crack the claws, and the best part was the lobster tail.

Afterward, we walked through downtown to the Novare Res Bier Cafe for dessert.  We had a Belgian Waffle à la mode coverered in fresh peaches and tried a Stout from the Maine Beer Company.

The next morning we got to really explore the house we were staying at and admire the unique decor in each room.  I loved these vintage suitcases all stacked up and this contrasting photograph of a beautiful white furry dog.

The kitchen was sooooo cute!!!

We spent Sunday morning driving up the coast of Maine to Acadia National Park.  We decided that we wanted to continue our trek up A1A instead of I-95.  We stopped along the way a couple of times to take pictures.  We made our way through Rockland and Belfast Maine before reaching Acadia.

Modern Art Museum in Rockland.

I just loved seeing this Map of New England hanging on the wall of the bakery that we stopped at for breakfast and coffee.  It was fun recognizing many of the places we had already visited so far.

What a good sport.

Fishing boat and lobster traps.

Lobster buoys

It was lunch time when we arrived to Acadia National Park, so we made our way directly to the Jordan Pond House to eat and try their famous popovers.

Our view from our table.

Afterward, we hiked a small trail with Bess to Little Long Pond, which was a dog friendly area of the Park.  A lot of areas were actually dog friendly, but we thought it would be fun to go to this area and see how Bess would be around the the water.

Tree sap


After the short hike through the woods, we reached a gorgeous meadow and the pond.

Bess ran circles around us!

Thinking about swimming...

Nope, she didn't want to get in the water, so she hopped on the small patch of grass.

I got in and tried to coax her into the pond with a big stick she had liked playing fetch with, and thankfully, it finally worked!

Look at her go!  She was a natural!

And then of course, the aftermath drying ritual which she normally does all over our apartment when we've given her a bath!

We drove around the park a little while and then hiked along the Ocean Path, which had amazing views of the Atlantic.

Brave Climbers below us.

Our last stop was Cadillac Peak a 1,528 foot high Mountain.  We drove up about 10 minutes along a very twisty-turny two-lane road.  Rob may or may not have been extremely nervous about the height... once we weren't driving anymore though, he was okay :)

It was realllllyyyy windy!

Smile!

We made it!

Another sweet shot by Robs

All of that hiking and sightseeing really got our appetites going, so on the way back to Portland, we stopped at a Lobster Pound shack.  The lobster we had the night before in Portland was good... this lobster was GREAT, mouth-watering and delicious!
 

The next day was our last morning in Maine and we ventured around Portland.

This sign made me laugh out loud.. get it?  Knotty? HAHA!

We took Bess to a dog park, and then said farewell to Maine!

We made one last stop on the way back to NYC in Old Portsmouth, NH.  We had lunch at an Irish Pub that was located in what used to be the Old Portsmouth bank.  We sat outside and had the view of the town's Church across the street.

Inside the Pub.

Original vault doors.

After lunch we took the faster way back to NYC along I-95 and made it home before 5pm with plenty of time to settle in before heading back to work the next day.  I am so incredibly thankful for the fun trip we had exploring New England.  The sites were gorgeous, the seafood was fresh and delicious, and the memories were so special.

Windy, fun, family pic at the top of Cadillac Mountain.