Our Beginnings (Happy Valentine's Day!)

Whenever I look back and reflect on my story, I am reminded that where I am today is no accident. I see the way the Lord fashioned each choice, experience and opportunity to make me who I am and bring me to where I am today. I am blessed. I am thankful. I am undeserving. I am humbled.  So in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would share the part of my story where the Lord brings into my life the man that I would one day fall in love with, marry and begin this journey of parenthood with.

Seth was actually not the type of guy that I grew up seeing myself with. Sure he was a football player (totally expected) and complete man of God, but I always thought that I wanted the center-of-attention life-of-the-party type that I connect with immediately in our very first conversation. This is not our story. In fact, I don’t even remember meeting Seth for the first time. We simply found ourselves in similar circles early in college.

I do remember the first time I gave Seth a first thought. It must have been sometime sophomore year; it was cold out. I don’t know who all was hanging out that night or what we did, but I remember riding along (alone) with Seth to drop off the Pietrini Jeep at Nathan’s Briarwood apartment. On the walk back and while we casually talked about nothing important, I thought about if I could ever see myself with this guy. He was great, but I just had this feeling like I wanted to shake him because he wasn’t easy for me to get to open up like the extroverted, easy-to-connect with type that I expected to see myself with.

I sure didn’t see it, but Seth was starting to, and our friends (particularly his – i.e. those that knew me as “Beccatime”, or BT for short) were starting to talk about it.

We became good enough friends that I almost visited him in Chicago that summer after freshman year. I thought you may enjoy these select email excerpts I received from him in the days before cell phones and Facebook. And you didn’t think Seth was much of a flirt…

6/11/03

To my favorite person in the entire world:

Sorry I took so long, but I couldn't get into my email since I didn't change my password like bobby craton told us to…I just got back from a White Sox game and a movie with some friends to finally find it working.  Anyways, anytime you want to come out here you are welcome for as long as you want, just let me know and I'll set it up. 

How has your summer been so far? I hope it hasn't been as lazy as mine…I'm interested to hear about all of the fun things you people do out in Minnesota…

Your favorite person in the entire world

Seth

7/2/03

To the less filling and great tasting (?) girl I have decided to try calling  Beccalite:

Assuming you were referring to July 25 as the last weekend in July, everything will work out perfect...It would be great to see you that weekend. I am already starting to experience BWS (that's a fancy medical term for Becca Withdrawl Syndrome), so I hope to see you before school starts...

From someone who has run out of clever ideas to end his emails with

P.S. If you get the Taylor magazine at your house, open it up to the inside cover and you might just find a picture of something to hold you over until the next time I see you.

While it didn’t work out to visit that summer, by the middle of sophomore year, we definitely had a few I-might-like-you-moments. For Seth, after our shared J-term class and more time together, including a trip to his parents house that break, he was about ready to pursue me. A few days after Seth begin to pray about this decision, I broke the news (and his heart, kind of). You see, Seth had decided that he would spend second semester junior year studying abroad in London. Second semester was the obvious choice for him since he played football. For me, on the other hand, it made sense for me to study abroad first semester to allow me to take a J-term class.

I announced I would be studying abroad in Hong Kong first semester. He heard, “We’ll be an entire year apart.” I knew (nearly) nothing of his interest at the time, and Seth thought this was a closed door. So he thought.

A couple months later we both attended a mission trip to Mexico for spring break. And I tested him. I vividly remember our group walking to the bus one afternoon after climbing a mountain. I intentionally dropped back just a bit to see if Seth would notice, and if he would stop and wait. He did just that. And for the very first time in my life, I was scared of this boy that liked me. Because I remember thinking, this might just be real.

Our story from there was not all rainbows and butterflies. This I will share another day. But I will share this for now: The Lord knew what I needed, and wanted, better than I knew myself. Thank goodness! Because has given me more than I ever could have asked for or imagined. I love you like crazy Seth Pietrini. And now we are being given a new life to add to this family of ours. We have lots of love to be shared. Happy Valentine’s Day Little Pea!

Telling the Pietrini's

This past weekend finally gave us an opportunity to tell the Pietrini's, although we still were not able to get quite the whole clan together. Zach and Kaelee were in Minnesota visiting Kaelee's family. (Seth called Zach that Friday night to tell him.) We invited the fam over for the Super Bowl. This would not have been our first choice considering the youth group winter retreat took place the same weekend (a.k.a. the most exhausting weekend of the year), but we didn't want to wait any longer. The next opportunity would be February 15, tax night, and not only would I be nearly ready to tell the world since I would be just two days shy of 11 weeks but I would already have told my closest girlfriends. We have a little getaway planned for this weekend.

So Seth being amazing as usual let me sleep on the way home from camp. And take a nap when we got home while he prepared bacon wrapped dates and brownies for the Super Bowl. The Pietrini's arrived around kick off, but between the commotion of eating, catching up and watching (for some of us "watching") the game, the opportune time did not come until half time. Due to the high volume of the television, Seth muted it, and said, "We have an announcement (I see Dana's eyes widen since I'm facing her), and it's probably what you are thinking. Becca's pregnant." Following cheers, and hugs, we shared details and the ultrasound pictures. Seth's mom told us she knew we would be sharing this news. She told Jim so and almost brought over a gift just in case. Between Carol and Maria, I guess mom's just know these things. 

My Favorite Moment

Today I am giving thanks and breathing a sigh of relief. Leading up to my eight week appointment on Monday, I was feeling good. Too good. My sudden disappearance of the need to munch in the middle of the night, or at least right away in the morning, and the fact that I was still not feeling any pregnancy sickness left me worried that my baby's heart had stopped beating. (Although Seth liked to point out that I have several other pregnancy symptoms such as frequent cravings and nasal congestion, among other things.)

I had no signs of miscarriage. No spotting or anything like that. It was just the feeling of nothing that had me worried something was wrong. On the drive to my appointment and on the brink of tears, I was praying desperately. Seth was not with me since I received notice that day that my appointment had to be moved from late afternoon to lunch time.

Inside the ultrasound room, my fears faded. In fact, I experienced my favorite moment so far in this pregnancy. Now far enough along (eight weeks three days) to be viewed in the ultrasound externally, I could already see the little baby's head and hands just starting to bud. Most importantly, I could see the quick little pitter-patter of that Little Pea's heartbeat. A solid 176. Maybe Pietrini's can have girls.

Telling the Miller's

Shortly after Seth and I learned about our pregnancy, I received an invitation to my high school friend Lauren's shower on January 21. This presented a perfect excuse to travel to Minnesota so close to Christmas without (hopefully) any suspicion of the news we would be presenting.

On Friday night January 20, the Lord decided to send the second real snow of this mild winter season leaving us with a choice to make: either travel to Minnesota early the next morning or not go at all. Travel home from work was over two hours and there was no way we were going to make it to Minnesota at any decent hour that night...if at all. Lindsey Moon had made her way to Palatine on the train from the city to travel with us since she too was invited to the shower and wanted to surprise her dad for his birthday. I shared with her my planned surprise for the weekend and we decided to bite the bullet and make the trek early the next morning.

We arrived to my parents around 11:30 AM and brunch was nearly ready. Peter, Sarah, and Elora came over to join us and I was prepared to make my announcement while we ate. I waited for my dad to get seated and exclaimed, "Oh! I have something I got for Elora that I just can't wait to give her, but I have to put it on her." I scooped up the little babe and brought here into the other room. I fashioned the "i love my baby-cousin-to-be" bib around her neck and well, I'll let the video tell you the rest...

We had a great rest of the weekend, already planning baby showers and guessing the gender. For some reason, my mom, sister, and me have the feeling it's a girl. The guys didn't share their inclination, but Peter did share he has the thought that Pietrini's only have boys. We'll just have to wait until late April to find out.

Already showering us with gifts

First Ultrasound & Due Date Announcement

Yesterday I had my first prenatal appointment and ultrasound and everything is looking good. There wasn't too much to see of course, but I got tears in my eyes seeing my little baby and hearing his/her heartbeat. Before the appointment, I sent Seth a picture of a 7 week ultrasound so he didn't get his hopes up of seeing more than just a little, but beautiful, blob.

The heartbeat read 128. Yes, that's low, but for good reason. I was not as far along as I expected and measured just 6 weeks and 3 days. I'll be back to the office again in two weeks for another look at the heartbeat. We'll be looking for a much faster beat then.

So, at 6 weeks and 3 days yesterday, that makes our due date September 7, 2012. This was pretty exciting to me since that day is not only the day Seth and I got engaged, but it is also my dad's birthday. How great is that!

On another note, today's "craving" was cheese. I saw a commercial advertising cheese and just had to have it. I say "cravings" because it's more like I found something that sounds good because nothing else does. I guess I am like my sister in that way. She described her "cravings" the same way.

So Seth made mac and cheese and cheesy garlic bread. Yum! 

Cravings, or am I just Hungry?

Beef. It seems to be my first "craving." 

Yesterday Seth made each of us a nice bacon wrapped steak with green beans. After literally licking my plate I said, "I want another. Or, how about a McDonald's burger?" Seth's immediate response to his hardly pregnant wife, "I will go for you." He's the best!

Mmmmmmm

Our Little Secret

Seth and I successfully managed to thwart questions of babies over New Years. Naturally, this is a topic of conversation, especially with our Taylor friends, but even with Nate's relentless prodding, we never cracked.

Time is going too slow. It's not the secret that I'm excited to tell, it's actually looking pregnant. There is something about a baby belly that excites me, and I'll feel more like I have something to show for being pregnant. 

This week our Little Pea is the size of a pea! Our babies heart is now beating and his/her features are beginning to form. I am still feeling great. No morning sickness. No added tiredness. And I actually have less of an appetite than an increase. So far.

6 Weeks

Baby, Jesus loves you already, and so do we!