Tuesday December 22nd marked a milestone! 31 weeks / 8 months pregnant.

That means in give or take 9 weeks we will finally be meeting our baby to be. I can’t believe we are finally down to double digit weeks!

This has all just felt like a dream. Had you have told me last year that that this year we would be expecting our first baby , I never would have believed you. I would have laughed it off but inside I was starting to believe it would never happen for us.

It’s amazing how much life has changed. I have been so blessed and lucky this pregnancy. It has beat all my expectations. I really feared I would have a difficult time with my diet, managing my levels and my weight. I was fearful i’d gain so much weight and end up with gestational diabetes. I was worried that my levels would be a problem or sticking to my restricted diet, and doing blood tests 3 times a week. All the hard work that comes with being PKU with a high risk pregnancy. Managing each meal , meal planning, prepping, and weighing every gram of food I put in my mouth. While keeping track and recording every milligram of phenylalanine in everything I eat and being more diligent that I ever have.

I was worried i’d have trouble with sickness and nausea and vomiting which also can raise levels and be dangerous to baby.

I also worried my back would not be able to handle it and id have unimaginable pain, especially since i have multiple disk bulges going into this.

I have had my ups and downs, but looking back I can truly say its been a completely different experience than i ever imagined. I am the healthiest I have ever been in probably my whole life.

After 7 years years of being on numerous daily medications to manage my injuries , chronic pain , depression and anxiety, I have been medication free since May. Though some days I still experience pain, I have managed. I have made it and I have been ok.

My levels have been amazing my diet has been very healthy. I lost 10 lbs in the beginning so I have only really gained 5 lbs so far. I haven’t experienced any nasty pregnancy symptoms that I could not handle and I have been blessed to have so much support from Cole, our friends and family.

I am terrified of giving birth but I am so looking forward to meeting this baby of ours. I am looking forward to holding him or her in my arms, counting fingers and toes, feeling baby’s soft skin and kissing our baby all over. I am looking forward to starting the next chapter in our lives together as parents. My only wishes for our baby is to know how loved it is, to be healthy and happy and that I will be a good mom , that I will be able to provide for baby and be the type of parent and partner to Cole that our baby can be proud of.

Every moment , every second , and every day, and all the incredibly hard work I have done to get us here, has been worth it. Every kick, roll, somersault, stretch and bump gives me confidence and pushes me forward.

Thank you everyone who has been apart of this journey! It is not over yet.

And To Cole, no words are every enough to describe how much I love you. I can’t imagine life without you. I am blessed to have you. You are going to be such an amazing dad and I cannot wait to see you hold our child for the first time. I know no matter what we always have each other and I can do anything with you by my side.