First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes Baby in a Baby Carriage!

Well if you believe everything you read on Facebook (and why wouldn't you?), word in the social networking world is we're having a baby. I must confess, this particular rumor is true! Tyson and I are going to be parents. God help that poor child, he/she never even had a chance at a normal life.

Tyson has already convinced me that our baby's first outfit, regardless of gender, will be a UT Vols outfit. He has also stipulated that Baby Patrick's first outfit home from the hospital will be a completely different UT Vols outfit. I used to think I had some semblance of reasonableness left in me when it came to the Vols, but I think Tyson must have completed my conversion phase without me even knowing it during the last football season. What other explanation can there be for a young, excited mother-to-be agreeing to deck their newborn out in orange rather than the traditional adorable pinks for a girl and blues for a boy? I must officially be just another crazy obsessed die-hard Vol for life. If this kid's blood doesn't run orange straight out of the womb, I'm afraid it's in for a life of torture by its father, and apparently even its own mother. There's no safe ground!

All kidding aside, we could not be happier or more excited about becoming parents. At barely six weeks along, we are already making plans for a nursery, itching to start a baby registry, and have started buying packages of diapers at every trip to the store so that we have a stock built up before the baby even comes. We've bought three baby books and have all but shouted our expectant status from the rooftops to anyone and everyone who will listen. We're pumped. And young though we may be, at my age of 23, almost 24, both mine and Tyson's mothers had already given birth to two children each by this point in their lives, so I have no doubt that we are ready and capable. We know how much life is about to change for us, and in fact it already has for me, but we welcome the challenge and can't wait to start building our own little family.

Our first ultrasound is scheduled for two weeks from today on March 24th. So far, so good at this point in the pregnancy. All my levels look good, and I've had absolutely no morning sickness so far (fingers crossed it stays that way). I tire out very easily, but other than that, not much has changed yet. Tyson has already become the junk food Nazi, denying me anything that wouldn't be good for the baby and asking me incessantly if I'm "supposed to be eating that." He's going to be a great dad! :)

Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks and months for more updates on Baby Patrick's progress. He or she should be making his or her first appearance in the world around November 7th, not even a full 8 months from now!