From confirming our pregnancy to sharing the news with close friends, family and the Wyoming Air National Guard, this week has been pretty busy! And also, an instance of "pregnancy brain" that is worth sharing.
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| Black shirt + jeans for continuity, people! Not for lack of owning clothes, although that is also true. |
3 April 2017: Pregnancy Confirmation, Notification to the Military and sharing the news with Emily!
Early Monday morning I called my clinic to schedule a last-minute appointment with my physician but, as usual, she didn't have any open slots. She's a Christian, all-natural-oriented mama of seven who works part-time as a PA at the clinic and she never has any cancellations. Aside from being my PA, we will occasionally meet for coffee and we're facebook friends, haha. I adore her. She was booked up (others are starting to realize how awesome she is!) and so I had my confirmation appointment with another physician. Thinking of scheduling an appointment with Katha sometime even though it's not medically necessary. Nevertheless, I texted Katha the news and she chose my OB.
Right after the appointment we drove to Fort Collins Café to meet up with my friend Emily. We met while taking a writing class at Colorado State University and I would occasionally watch her daughter Nora. I had planned to share the news with her in a few weeks but a break in her busy schedule allowed us to get together sooner so-I went with it!
We gave her this plastic orange (her favorite color ;) ) Easter egg with a tiny scroll that read James 1:17.
Watch her reaction to the news!
After lunch I had a very important phone call to make that I'll be honest... I was anxiously dreading. We are so very excited to be pregnant and my desire was that my student flight NCO would be just as thrilled for us, but I wasn't sure what to expect.
"Trainee Coles, what can I do for you?"
"Sir, I have some news I need to update you on."
"Trainee Coles, you can tell me anything you want except telling me you're pregnant."
::He laughs::
I paused for a few seconds in relief that he unintentionally used the word pregnant before I did.
"Yes sir, I am."
"You're joking."
"No sir, I'm not. Joking, that is. I am pregnant."
"Oh my gosh, congratulations! Wow!"
He went on to share what a blessing it is to have children and how excited he is for us but that I would be discharging from the Air Force National Guard within the next few months. During pregnancy, women are exempt from physical training and are therefore not mission-ready. He explained the soonest I could leave for basic training would be when the baby is 9 months old. It was not my intention to burn this bridge so I listened carefully as to what steps it would take to reenlist but I don't see myself doing that. And, if I were to join the military again, I would do so as an officer.
Yeah, there's higher pay but the opportunities are also different for officers and with already having a bachelor's degree, I probably should have done this straight out-the-gate. Besides, I initially joined the Guard to work as a mental health assistant and eventually work my way up to being an officer in the ANG. In the few months I spent with the Wyoming ANG I was craving more leadership opportunities, higher expectations and more chances to teach others. Those moments came few and far in-between but I will forever cherish the ones I had: Teaching others to drill one-on-one, standing up in front of the whole flight and leading them through the Air Force song as I enthusiastically belt it at the top of my lungs and, after finishing my PT tests, running alongside other trainees to motivate them to finish strong.
I can't deny that I so badly wanted those stripes on my sleeves. My outlook is that I will use this situation to either go officer in the future or not rejoin the military at all. Only time will tell what happens in that area of my life. Until then, I'm a member of God's Army and looking forward to taking on the biggest responsibility of my life: being a mommy.
5 April 2017: Filming an Announcement Video for Trev's Parents, Finishing a Fixer-Upper Project and Receiving a Military-Assigned Family Doctor
The weather in Colorado is incredible! This past week has included high's of 60s with snow the very next day. On you're own, you would never quite know what to expect week-to-week; thankfully the forecast is usually spot on. With that said, the onesie we ordered for Trevor's video idea came unexpectedly early so we went ahead and filmed it. His idea seemed kinda corny to me at first, not gonna lie, haha. But I think it turned out pretty great! I will post it after his parents get a chance to see it in about 3 weeks or so.
While waiting for Trevor to set up his next scene, I snapped this picture of the onesie! He's in the background amongst the trees. So proud of him for bringing this idea into fruition.
Wednesday was a good mail day for us because we also got the seat for the 4moms Mamaroo we were basically rebuilding. Trevor found the bare-bones unit for $13 at the Goodwill (we love thrifting in this family!) and I was pretty ecstatic about that find! Would we have bought one if it hadn't been at the thrift store? Heeeeeell no! Retail price of $220 for a swing? Nope. Wouldn't have even registered for one because I find that ridiculous.
The unit had red spray-paint all over it (someone got angry?) and so all that's left is to bleach the seat belts. Trevor scrubbed the unit's surface for about an hour working to get the paint off. I think he did great.
All-in-all the swing set us back $57:
$13 for the unit at the Goodwill
$44* for the seat and charger
$0 for the mobile because 4moms sent it to me for free!
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| Still need to bleach the straps. Otherwise, here's the finished product! |
It's also worth mentioning that we called our insurance company to be assigned an in-network family doctor. Even though I already received a referral to an in-network OB, I had to be referred by an in-network provider. It's a little bit of a hassle but that's the way it goes with the military. So, after getting off the phone with the insurance representative telling me "You'll love this doctor, she's cool!" I call the number and it's a direct line to Planned Parenthood.
The automated system provides two options, "Press 1 for hours of operation and locations, press 2 for information regarding abortions and to schedule an abortion." I kid you not. I was shocked that the military assigned me here instead of a family medicine clinic. Hung up the phone and called our insurance company back and was randomly reassigned to the same representative we had previously. Told her I don't feel comfortable walking into a Planned Parenthood (more so because there's always protestors outside the building), and she said I cannot make any changes to the system until May 1st.
8 April 2017: Participation in the 3rd Annual SAPR 5k at FE Warren
6:45am on Saturday morning we drove up to Cheyenne Depot Plaza and joined in on the SAPR (Sexual Assault Prevention & Response) 5k. It was a beautiful day for a 5k! Trevor and I power-walked it but if I had not been pregnant, I would have ran it with every fiber in my being. Maybe next year I'll show them what I've got. ;)
Fun video of the race day courtesy of Wyoming Guard Youtube channel.
SMSgt put me on the spot and announced to everyone that I would no longer be continuing with the rest of the unit. He turned the speaking over to me and asked me to explain. I had an inclination he might ask me to speak so I was mentally prepared. I announced to the group that we're expecting to which SMSgt prompted everyone to clap--made me chuckle.
Then the race began!
After the race our unit joined back up to take a few post-race pictures together before we had lunch at the DFAQ. Silly as it sounds I was excited to show Trevor our DFAQ because it's much nicer than the one at his base in Denver. This place has everything: Smoothie shop, burgers, fries, pizza, stir-fry, salads, treats, fridge-section... the list goes on. I think I will miss this place the most, haha. I love food, what can I say?
Then the race began!
After the race our unit joined back up to take a few post-race pictures together before we had lunch at the DFAQ. Silly as it sounds I was excited to show Trevor our DFAQ because it's much nicer than the one at his base in Denver. This place has everything: Smoothie shop, burgers, fries, pizza, stir-fry, salads, treats, fridge-section... the list goes on. I think I will miss this place the most, haha. I love food, what can I say?
The unit gathered together outside of the DFAQ after lunch. SMSgt Lambert called "Coles and Coles" to the front. SMSgt took a moment to thank me for my hard work, professionalism and all that I did to teach and mentor fellow student flight members. This meant SO much to me. Not to say I did any of it for recognition, but it felt so good to be acknowledged. He wished us well and asked us to call him if ever we need anything.
Thereafter, I took Trevor around the base showing him the historic houses which officers and select NCOs live in. I'm a history nerd and LOVE historic architecture.
We went to the BX and I bought a purple F.E. Warren shirt to commemorate my time at the base. It's a little tradition I began after visiting Trevor at several bases throughout the country. We drove the 10-minute commute to CACS (Command and Control Squadron) which is the top-secret security squadron I worked at every drill Sunday. It's neat that the building is so far removed from the rest of the base
and I wanted to share a little bit of my experience with him. As we passed by the Crow Creek (a hotel drafted from historic houses that I sojourned), gazelles roamed the countryside as they often meander onto the roads. Seeing the gazelles has to be one of my favorite aspects of F.E. Warren. Trevor rolled down his window to ask one for directions and it basically stared straight into our souls, haha. Fun times.
That was our week!
Week 5 Photos:
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| Baby is the size of sesame seed (in his palm)! |
5-Week Pregnancy Update:
1. Size of the baby? 1mm or so, the size of a sesame seed.
2. What's developing this week? Brain, heart and spinal cord.
3. Current weight? 117lbs; at my doctor's appointment. Up 4 pounds from last week so, unless that's true, I'm suspecting the scale at the Air Force gym was off. My weight usually fluctuates between 115-117lbs, depending on my exercise routine. More often it's closer to 117. Note to self: Get a scale and weigh-in at home.
4. Movement? Nope.
5. Sleep? No more instances of resting my hands on my belly. I had a dream last night that I had a baby girl with blonde hair. Brooke, Isla and I had a 3-hour phone call the day before so I think that influenced my dream, haha.
6. Symptoms?
- Pregnancy Brain: I spent a good 30-45 seconds earnestly confused as to why "email.com" didn't take me to my gmail account. I swear I have never done this before and I legitimately could not recall what provider my email was through (gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.).
- Cramping occasionally. Nothing that lasts too long and it definitely does not hurt too badly, but it does happen. It occurs randomly but mostly mid-day if at all.
- I can't stand pressure on my belly if I'm laying flat. The horizontal mambo revealed this to us.
- Peeing more often already. It's true.
- Bloating is still prevalent.
- Boobs hurt so badly in the morning and whenever I rest for awhile.
- Emotional. Felt like crying on Saturday after leaving my unit but understandably so. This morning I felt irritable with Trevor, which is also understandable. He's annoying sometimes, hah.
7. Cravings and Aversions? All is well and normal.
8. Best moment this week? Filming the announcement for Trevor's parents. He had this idea and we collaborated on how to make it a great production. Proud of him for his creativity and dedication to the project.
9. Prayer requests? That I would not experience any nausea in the upcoming weeks, please please please pray!
10. What are you looking forward to for next week? Purchasing the tickets to fly home at the end of the month. Cannot wait to tell my mom and a few others about the pregnancy! I feel terrible keeping it from her.
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