I apologize for my embarrassing lack of posts over the past few months, but now you get to know why.  Drumroll please…….I’m PREGNANT!

If you just blacked out for a few seconds, don’t worry, you’re probably not the first.  The news came as quite a shock for most of our family and friends. We couldn’t be happier, even though it is gonna be a crazy year for us!

As of right now I am at 12 weeks gestation, so I’m nearing the end of the first trimester.  It has already gone by so fast.  When I first found out I was pregnant, my baby was the size of a poppy seed, and now it’s the size of a plum!  Pretty crazy!

Being pregnant hasn’t slowed me down too much.  The first month was a little rocky, as I was nauseous a lot of the time. Luckily my ob/gyn gave me some Vitamin B6 pills that have really helped, and I have felt fine ever since.  My appetite is very different than normal, though, so sometimes I have a hard time eating enough.  I get a lot of cravings, so my husband has been making a lot of impromptu trips to the grocery store for cheetos, popsicles, lifesavers, and other random things.

The worst part of pregnancy has been my allergies.  I can’t take my normal allergy medicine, so I have been pretty stuffed up and the combination of blowing my nose constantly and the dry winter air leaves me with a lot of nosebleeds, but I am learning to cope.

Actually being pregnant while a student is a pretty good setup.  I am usually able to find time for a nap during the day, and when I’m not feeling good it is easy to skip class and listen to lectures at home.  Plus I’m not on my feet all day, and I can stay home and snack when I get hungry.

I don’t think anyone was expecting me to get pregnant during med school, but such is life.  I have wanted to be a doctor since about third grade, but I’ve wanted to be a mom my whole life.  Every day I wake up and realize how truly blessed I am.  At only 25 years old, all my dreams are coming true!

But I am not naive enough to think it is going to be easy.  In case you haven’t done the math, I will be eight months pregnant when I take the boards and move halfway across the country, which is definitely going to be difficult.  But taking the boards doesn’t seem as daunting anymore, considering I have to push a baby out of me the next month.

As I have learned to do in med school, I just take things one day at a time.  If I try to think of all the things I need to do in the next seven months, it is just too overwhelming.  But everyday I do what I need to do, and somehow everything will work out in the end.

“Baby Howie” (as my friends lovingly call him/her) is due July 21st.  (Yes, I am aware it is going to be hot in Arizona in July.)  I have yet to figure out how I will manage maternity leave and rotations, but hopefully my school is supportive.  I know I’m not the first student to get pregnant, so they are probably familiar with this sort of thing.

Stay tuned for more updates about my crazy life.  But for now you can know that I am doing well, and I am just loving life as a pregnant mama!  2014 is definitely going to be a year to remember!

Here is our little peanut…my friends and I took this picture in our ultrasound lab at school! One of my favorite parts about being pregnant in med school is unlimited ultrasounds!!