We’re Pregnant!
Can you guys believe it? Troy and I still can’t, haha! We have to remind each other nearly every day!
You guys know I am an open book, so this secret was EXTREMELY HARD to keep from you! I am so incredibly excited to have it out in the open!!! This pregnancy announcement has definitely been the biggest secret of my life! It is hard to keep something a secret that you are soooo happy about!!
Here are the details before I dive into the story: I am 15 weeks and due on Nov 5! I know 15 weeks is a long time to wait, but I thought Mother’s Day was such a special day to share our big news.
A Maui Baby
Troy and I were sooooo relaxed in Maui without a care in the world. It was a perfect set up to make a baby!
The Background: We had always discussed starting to ‘try’ for a baby in January. We have a lot of friends who struggle with fertility and it took my sister yearssss, so we knew/thought it could take awhile for us as well.
IT DIDN’T. I got an app and tracked it in January and went by the ovulation schedule. When I found out I was pregnant, I used that period to determine I must be 8 weeks and went to the dr. She then told me no, you are only 6 weeks. Turns out I didn’t even track the ovulation right… it was actually a week after we thought it was!
My mom always told us she had a baby the first month every time they tried. We didn’t listen. Apparently I got those genes from my mom.
Needless to say, we feel extremely blessed. We feel like this baby is such an incredible gift! We still just can’t believe it. I still cry nearly every time I talk to the baby or look down at my stomach.
*I know so many women struggle with fertility, and I am definitely here for you if you need to talk. I have been through all of it with my sister (for years) and so many of my friends.
How I Found Out
I wanted a baby sooo bad. We just didn’t expect it to happen so fast. When I was 2 days late I had so much hope, but the line test I took was negative. Every negative test (you know if you are trying) is a stab in the heart. When I was four days late I took the second test that was in the package- another negative. Troy and I just chalked it up to Hawaii and the traveling and just thought my period was running behind.
When I was five days late I made Troy go out and buy a digital test (should have started with this to begin with!) I just needed a confirmation because we were heading to New Orleans that weekend for a wedding and then I was going to Mexico that next week for an influencer trip.
I was washing my face and Troy was downstairs. I just KNEW it was going to be negative again so I barely looked at it. When I was done washing my face I looked down and tears just started flowing uncontrollably. PREGNANT!!!
I grabbed it, yelled ‘Baaabe…’ from the top of the stairs, and began a slow climb down them. I was such a hot mess by the time I got to the bottom. Just picture this: Flannel pajama bottoms that are wayyy too short with a polka dot night shirt. I held the test in my hand and said ‘I’m pregnant’!! After getting over the initial shock of it all we proceeded to face time our family to let them know.
Each phone call made me cry even harder haha! I can’t explain it. The more I said it the more joy overcame me and the more I cried. I think I cried with my older sister the most, who was 6 months pregnant at the time. I was scared to tell her about how easily I got pregnant but I shouldn’t have been. She was bawling joyously with me. She was so happy for us.
Haha I am now crying just writing this post. Goodness.
*You guys know I had to add Emmy to our pregnancy announcement! She is so excited to meet her cousin!
Still In Shock
Troy and I have remained in shock throughout most of the first trimester. We just can’t believe it. We thought we had months more to prepare.
I think the first time it really hit us was after my 14 week appt. I was finally in the second trimester and the baby’s heartbeat was strong and healthy.
We got home and sat on the couch and Troy said, ‘We are having a baby.’ We then started talking about all the plants we couldn’t keep alive. I mean we can’t even keep a cactus alive! Or a succulent! Troy then reminded me that I could only take care of a dog for one week before I gave it away.
But in the end we agreed we could do this!
I Will Need Your Help
I know NOTHING about babies!!!! I will need your help and wisdom! We are in this together. If you aren’t pregnant, don’t worry. You will still get a laugh out of following me. I am going to spill the good, the bad, and the super ugly! Pregnancy is NO JOKE and nothing like what I thought it would be! I cannot wait to take you through this journey with us.
Again, I wish I could have shared this pregnancy announcement earlier because I already have SO MANY QUESTIONS!!
Our Next Steps
We have to find a house! Get ready to start the house hunt with me AGAIN at the end of this month! We need to move out some time this summer to start preparing for the baby.
Gender Reveal- coming Memorial Day weekend! Our reveal will be done with fireworks!! SOOOOO EXCITED!! Any guesses?
Love you guys and so so so excited to share the wonderful news with you all! Cannot wait to see what’s next for The Miller Affect!
xox Amanda
PS: I bought our hats on Etsy and the moccasins on Etsy 🙂 We got this idea for another pregnancy announcement from another couple’s photo we saw on Pinterest! I thought it was so perfect for us!
Adria Lea shot our pregnancy announcement!
Comments
OH MY WORD! I saw your announcement on Mother’s Day and freaked! CONGRATS!!!! I’m also due with bebe #1 in November! (so needless to say I’ll be following ALL THE COMMENTS and things you find out!)
Here’s to finding easy, breezy outfits for these HOT, humid southern summers!
Yayyy we are so close in dates! That is so exciting! Congrats as well love! xox Amanda
Congratulations,.. motherhood is really magical. I dint knew it until I became mom to cute little baby boy this Jan,.. it’s really tiring but one look of the baby will make everything happy in no time.
Yes my sister is sooooo tired all of the time haha but I am prepared for it (well, as prepared as you can be I guess!) xox A
One last thought!😂 I agree with so many of the Mothers’ comments on the subject of there is no manual to prepare you for the day you bring your beautiful baby home! We took classes through the Red Cross just and it taught us a lot but didn’t prepare us on how to deal with a colicky babyfot six months!! I’m just trying to tell you just raise the baby on your terms because each sweet baby has thei
Own agenda!!!☺️😍💕‼️
Awh yes I completely agree! All babies are different. I am sure that really tried your patience. My younger sister was colicky and my mom said it was soooo tough! xox Amanda
I just thought of a great website that I just used to send a baby gift. It’s called Babylist.com!! She went to all the stores she loved and listed everything! The stores were anywhere from Anthropology to Pottery Barn to Target to some I had never heard of! It was so organized and they mailed all the hits to her or to the baby shower I attended. Great stuff from practical to strollers, etc… just an idea
Oh I love this idea! I need to make a baby gift list haha! Thank you! xox Amanda
Congrats!! I can’t keep a cactus or a succulent alive but I have two little boys who are flourishing! You can definitely do it!
Haha yayyy there is hope for us yet! Thanks so much babe. xox A
God is so good! I’m so happy for your sweet family! I’m due about a week before you 10/25 with our second baby! We are going to be surprised with the gender this time around! Your story is so similar to my first pregnancy. We figured it might take us a while (it took my mom years) but we got pregnant on our first try! I was blessed with a super easy pregnancy and an amazing labor/delivery (yay for epidurals!) baby number two took 3 tries, and now he or she is in there cooking!!! Please let me know if you have any questions because I can give you the non terrifying side of it. I felt like all of the people I talked to had planned c sections or terrible birth stories! Yikes!!!
Katie,
Congratulations on your second baby! So happy for you! So glad we are close with our due dates! Oct is a great time to have a baby (or so I have heard haha!) xox A
What a wonderful surprise! Girl or boy, this baby will so beautiful and, no doubt, very lean and tall!☺️😍 I look forward to going through this with you. After six years of trying , we opted to adopt and our beautiful babies are now 30 and 27! God blessed us by choosing our babies for us and in the end we feel so very blessed!!
Amanda, I can feel the joy you and Troy have coming through my phone almost(😂💕❤️) ‼️‼️Enjoy each stage and can’t wait to read everything you write!❤️❤️❤️ I think it’s a girl!!! PS. How cool is it that your sister is pregnant right now also!!!
I definitely want to look into adoption one day! My niece is adopted and we love her more than anything in the world! Adoption is such a wonderful thing and people who do so are as equally wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your hearts and house to those who need one! xox Amanda
Oh Amanda you have me at tears! Happy tears of course! This is just the most beautiful news!! I first saw your post on this yesterday on ig and it’s funny but as soon as it sunk on me I thought “oh Emmy must be the happiest for her auntie Manda!” and a few seconds later I scroll down and look at Emmy’s post about it, it just made me even happier to see that you included sweet Emmy in her baby cousin’s shoot. Congratulations to both of you, I know you guys have the house hunting coming up and know how stressful of a process it is however this time is just very special as you are now looking for your baby’s very first home. Again, congratulations and may God continue to bless all three of you!! 🙂
Oh you know we had to include her in this! My sister is hoping I have all boys so that her girls will always be my girls! Love Emmy more than anything in the world! Thank you so much for all your kind words!! xox Amanda
You are very blessed! How exciting. A baby is the most beautiful gift. I pray every day to be blessed in the same way. Unfortunately God has a different plan for us right now and is making it a little harder than I would like!
Hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy-and cant wait to read all about it along the way!
Xoxo
Ps-would you mind messaging or e-mailing me to discuss the troubles your sister had with getting pregnant to compare notes?
Hi Ashley, feel free to email me at themilleraffectpr@gmail.com with any questions! Thinking of you guys! <3 A
Amanda, I am absolutely thrilled for you both. Reading this post made me feel like I was right there with you as you were telling the story! CONGRATULATIONS! xoxoxox
YAY! I tried to make it as real as I could so that you guys could feel what we felt! Thanks so much for your kind words! A
It’s funny, i have been following you forever so even though you don’t know me i feel like i know you and i totally teared up when i saw your instagram post yesterday and again today with this beautiful post. So very happy for you. Your big beautiful heart deserves all the happiness motherhood will bring you.
Awh I love this! Thank you so much for commenting and for following me all this time! Means everything to have your support! xox A
This is incredible news – and I love the way you shared it with your audience! What an exciting journey you and Troy are now on! xoxo
Thank you! I will be sharing everythingggg and so excited to do so! This journey was such a mystery to me before I was pregnant and so many things are not as I thought for sure haha! xox A
Waaw,.. Congratulations,.. very happy for you .. motherhood is magical,.. I delivered baby boy this Jan and life changed from then,.. It’s daily struggle but One look of baby will change every pain to pleasure,..
Awh I love that and we are so so excited! Congrats on your new little one too! xox A
wow, amazing news and congratulations! You are very blessed and lucky it happened for you so easily. Don’t take it for granted when the baby is challenging at times! So happy for you both!
We definitely won’t! We know this is such a gift! Thank you! xox A
Congrats. As an “older” person here with a 14 and 12 year old two big things I can tell you regarding being a first time parent:
1. Don’t overthink things. Go with you mama gut. I was mid 30s successful lawyer when I had my first and spent the first 3 months crying because I couldn’t figure out how to mother my little girl. She cried, I cried. I looked in books, I looked online. I was so stressed out that I honestly think she felt it too. They don’t come with manuals but I truly think we have maternal instincts that we have shut off and we shouldn’t. One day I just threw my hands up and said I can do this, I think my girl also said okay, I have stupid parents but I can get through this and tada, it all worked out.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
One last little tidbit, don’t go super crazy with the baby items. I mean, our mamas didn’t have diaper wipe warmers, 50million devices to keep us occupied and happy and look how we all turned out. Also don’t necessarily need several “real” diaper changing stations throughout your home. Diapers and wipes everywhere, yes, but super easy to change on the floor as it is standing up over a changing station. But one thing you maybe can never have enough of is books and music.
Enjoy this special time.
Thank you so much Susan! I know my sister has some of the latest and greatest gadgets and my mom is always shaking her head saying they didn’t need that stuff back then so you don’t need it now haha! Love all of this advice!! xox A
So glad I didn’t spill the secret! I am relieved too! 🤣🤣🤣 love and hugs! Can’t wait for even for fun lake days with so many kids running around!!!!
So glad I DIDNT SPILL haha it was so hard! Thanks for keeping our secret love! Love you! A
Sooo happy and excited for you guys! Being a mom is just the biggest blessing. Wishing you all the best!!
I guess BOY!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to tell you what the gender is!!! xox A
First of all CONGRATS!!! I’m also pregnant 🤰🏻 w/ my 1st child; 12 weeks in & still can’t believe its for real! I think its normal, even more since we still aren’t showing a belly!
I found out more or less the same as you, thought it would take a long time since I have so many friends w/ fertility issues & POOF!- pee on a stick & PREGNANT. 1st reaction was to get a blood test & then call all family members through Facetime.
I have several friends pregnant at the time, so I made a pregant ladies chat- we are 7!!! It was been pretty useful for tios, help, questions, & support. I think it will even be useful after we give birth- for baby tips!
I still don’t know baby’s sex but will know by next week!- I will do a fender reveal May 19! So excited & can’t wait!
If you have any questions, want to share info, anything, don’t hesitate!!
Im due Nov 28.
Xoxo,
Claudia Ferrer
That is so exciting! We are in this together!! We definitely know this is a special gift <3 xox Amanda
Congratulations!! Motherhood is the greatest gift.
Also-loving your hats!! Where did you get them??
Thank you so much! I have them linked at the very end of the post! xox Amanda
I came here looking for some outfit inspo for my 19 yo daughter who is 6’2″ and I find a fun announcement!
Congratulations to you both. What a blessing! You all will have such cutie-pie kids—y’all look like an advertisement!
Enjoy this time so so much and best wishes to you from Ga!!
Thank you soooo much, that is so sweet of you! We are so excited! Happy Mother’s Day! xox A
Congrats to you and your husband!! I know what you mean about getting pregnant fast. I’ve been pregnant 3 times and each time we were really not trying but if my husband and I were in the same room during ovulation…… I would get pregnant! My mom called me “fertile Meryl”. I have always had a soft spot for women who’ve had to suffer with infertility. I’m so happy for you both and I look forward to seeing you throughout your pregnancy and then adding to your little family.
Mandy,
At least we know now we can take the precautions next time! I still feel so blessed that it happened this quickly! xox Amanda
Congrats! We did our gender reveal with fireworks last Fourth of July.
It was so fun (we already did it!) We did have a rogue firework that came so close it burned a hole in Troy’s shirt.. haha exciting night!
xox A
Amanda (and Troy),
First off CONGRATS!! I’m pregnant with our first and know the feelings (all of them!). I actually joined a few momma groups online and asked a ton of questions which was super helpful! For registry stuff the chica from the everygirl online has THE MOST comprehensive registry list that I totally adored and basically copied verbatim:)I am so excited to see and hear about your journey, you have an enormous support network between family, friends and online so don’t worry I can’t keep a succulent alive either (good thing kiddos don’t need much other than love and milk!). You got this!
Ohhh that sounds like the perfect registry- I need to check that out! I just planned on bringing my friends that had many kids along with me haha! So excited for you too and Happy Mother’s Day!!
xox A
I read this with tears in my eyes! I can tell by reading this how very excited you are for this journey. A million congrats to you both! You are going to make a wonderful mother 💗
Awh thanks so much Ally!! We are so excited!!! xox A
Congratulations! It’s funny because there are 5 of you who suddenly “disappeared”. You posted but not in the same ways and I assumed. So far 3 have shared the news. Relax! Love this baby and go with your instinct. Best part-they don’t know if you “did it right”. Honestly, you have to parent in the way that works for your family. I have three myself-14,19,20. I couldn’t be happier with the young people they have become. Enjoy this time! 💕
Haha I would love to know who all you are referring to! But yes, I totally disappeared for sure haha! Started posting 6 times a week instead of 20! I figured people would guess for sure! So glad it is out in the open!
Thanks so much for commenting love! xox A
The Calverts send their good wishes and blessings! Can’t wait to meet Little Nugget!
With much love!
Thanks so much Laura Beth! We are long overdue for a trip to SA! Hope to see you guys soon!
xox Amanda
Congratulations to both of you! Your story made me cry ….I’m so happy for you. I became a first time grandmother 5 months ago and he is my world! Now I’m looking forward to following your journey.
thanks Janice! I am sure becoming a grandmother is such a special thing too! My mom and dad looooove their grandkids!!
xox Amanda
Congratulations Amanda and Troy so happy for you both!
I am guessing Boy!
Best wishes always, xo
Thank you so much Nicole, we are sooooo excited!! xox Amanda
I am so happy for you both! I love following your page! My husband and I are 23 weeks along with our first as well. Wishing you the very best with your pregnancy!
Omg isn’t it such an exciting/scary time?! At least we are in this together!! Xox Amanda