A New Chapter: Baby Hervey

I thought I would catch everyone up with all the excitement of the past few months...Baby Hervey!!

We found out on Sunday, October 5....actually, I found out first. I had decided to take a pregnancy test honestly because I was sure I was not pregnant and just wanted the confirmation that I wasn't. Mike had gone into work for a few hours and I was supposed to meet him at my parents' church, Loganville UMC, for their Blessing of the Animals service that afternoon. About 1, I decided to run out and get a Sunday paper and decided to swing by the Dollar Store to grab a few tests. I had heard their tests were very accurate (and cheap) and honestly, I was convinced it was going to be negative and I didn't want to waste an expensive test on a big fat negative result! I came home, took the test, and waited. When I went back to check on it, there was a very faint 2nd line...I stood there in shock!! I went to the Blessing of the Animals and acted like normal...even with Mike and my mom there. I hadn't thought a=of a fun way to tell Mike, so when we got home and he said he was going to the bathroom, I ran in there, grabbed the test from the counter, and just came out and held it up. He looked at it, looked at me, and asked, "is this what I think it is?" I said it was and we both cried...it was pretty special! We told our families throughout the week and everyone was thrilled!

I am now almost 16 weeks and feeling okay. We had a scare at 6 weeks with me bleeding that sent us to the ER at Eastside....after some very stressful hours, loads of bloodwork, and a long ultrasound, we finally got news that everything was ok. There was apparently a small pool of blood between where the baby implanted and the uterine wall. They said it was not uncommon and that they would watch it on the ultrasounds. We also found out that I am Rh-, so I have to have the Rhogam shots. To make it simple, if the baby has Rh+ blood, which we don't know until he is born, and his blood gets into my bloodstream, my body could attack it. It's not such a huge deal for this baby, but definitely a concern for any future babies we have. So I had the first shot at the ER and it was awful. I mean, awful. No one enjoys needles and shots, but this one was fierce! Mike said he even turned his head when he saw how long and thick the needle was. I will have another shot at 28 weeks, one before delivery, and then one after delivery is the baby has Rh+ blood...if he has Rh- blood, then I won't have to get that last shot. But, with each subsequent pregnancy, I will have to have the same shot routine.

Since then, all has been well. I have been very, very sick and have lost close to 18 pounds since I got pregnant. I haven't had much of an appetite and when I do eat, it is usually a small amount, like half a sandwich or part of a bowl of soup. We have been to the OB 3 times, had 1 US at the OB offcie, had numerous vials of blood taken, failed the 1 hour glucose test, passed the 3 hour with flying colors, been to the endocrinologist to check my thyroid levels and will continue to go every 6 weeks, seen the maternal-fetal specialist twice, had 2 more ultrasounds with the specialist, and finally, had a free cell DNA test to check to see if Baby Hervey has any chromosomal abnormalities and to find out the gender. We found out on December 23 that we came back with the lowest level of risk for chromosomal abnormalities and while the nurse said that is great, she also reminded us that nothing is certain until delivery. They do not recommend that we have any further testing...yay!! And....we found out that Baby Hervey is a boy!!

I am hoping that I start feeling better in the next few weeks...I have not been physically since since Christmas Eve, but I definitely still have daily bouts of serious nausea...it's not fun! I am going to start doing updates every 2 weeks, so stay tuned for more updates on Mama and Baby Hervey!!

Give Me Jesus

It's been a long week at school. A very long week. I am tired. And weary. I came home and was looking something up on You Tube and this song popped up as a recommendation. God totally had His hand in that. I love this song, but had never heard this version before. I listened to it, sang along with it, and then, of course, I bought it on iTunes. It is my mantra for the time being..."You can have all this world, Give me Jesus."

The Hervey Story : The Prologue

So it's been a while since I last updated. Actually that is an understatement....it has been over a year...419 days to be exact! But after reading some blogs lately and getting sucked into the lives of complete strangers, I decided to dive back into the world of blogging.

My blog used to be called Joy On The Run and it was a place where I wrote random ramblings about my life, but it has a new name- "The Hervey Story" and a new address because this blog is no longer just about me and my life. It is now about us and our life. I am no longer just a "me," I am part of a "we." On May 31, 2014, I became a part of a dynamic duo better known as Mr. & Mrs. Hervey!

I will spare you all of the details (since most of you have heard the story a few dozen times) but Mike proposed in the most perfect way on October 26 at the top of Skyview Atlanta, the ferris wheel in downtown Atlanta. It was utterly magical! My engagement ring is pretty magical, too. For one, it is my engagement ring. But also because the center stone is from my Nannie. She passed away in December 2006 and she left her jewelry to my sister and I. The diamond was set in an old setting that needed a lot of repair. I knew I would most likely never wear that ring the way it was, so we decided to take the stone out and use it in the engagement ring. I had seen a setting that I loved at Barron's in Snellville and nothing could have prepared me for how gorgeous the diamond looks in the setting. I am pretty sure I stared at it for a solid half an hour after Mike slipped it on my finger!

Soon after we were engaged...like that week, we started planning and it was really pretty much planned within a couple of weeks. Everything just fell into place seamlessly. There was one MAJOR issue, but that is for another (l-o-n-g) post on another day! The date was set and the countdown was on. We spent our time still dating each other, going to church, spending time with our families, and gearing up for becoming husband and wife. Thanks to awesome technology, we did our premarital counseling over FaceTime, since our minister lived in Connecticut. I rearranged things in the house to make room for Mike and all his stuff (and he has a lot of stuff!) and spent my Saturdays and Sundays at fabulous wedding showers hosted by some of our amazing family and friends. Then on the last day of May, we woke up bright and early (like 3:30 am early) to get ready for our big day. The ceremony was at 10:30 at Loganville UMC and we had a fantastic brunch reception at The Georgia Club in Statham. I will be honest, I had never been to much less heard of a morning wedding and a brunch reception, but it sounded just perfect for us. And from what everyone has said, the entire day from beginning to end was very much perfect for us. And I agree! I won't bog down the blog with pictures, but if you want to see more, click here!

Since we got married and spent a glorious days in Saint Lucia, life has been great. Mike went back to work at UGA and is taking online classes at FSU (we will both be quite happy when December comes and he finishes his MLS!) Over the summer, I spent my days getting the house organized...redoing the linen closet to make room for the new towels, redoing the kitchen cabinets to make room for the new dishes, redoing the china cabinet to make room for the new fine china, and reorganizing the garage to make room for some new shelves and cabinets. Thankfully, everything (for the most part) has found a home...there are still a few random items living in random places. I will find new homes for them when I need their current random homes for something else!

So, here we were...the middle of September...school is back in full swing and married life is simply amazing. I recently started thinking about our lives as stories and since Mike and I are both librarians it is kind of fitting for our story to be told together. If you had told me when I was 24 or 25 that I would be 35 when I got married, I would have very quickly said "no, thank you....I'd rather it happen much, much sooner than that." But you know what? Now that I am on the flip side, I would not have it any other way. God knew what He was doing. I could not picture a better man for me than Michael and our story, written by God, is absolutely perfect! We are both excited to see where God takes us and what the future holds for our family and our story, but for now, we are basking in the wonderfulness of being Mr. & Mrs. Hervey!