What to Expect Giveaway!!

Last week Little A grew up on me.  Somehow she reached 2 1/2.  How did that happen?  How in the world has it been over three years since I first found out I was pregnant with Baby Steinhoff.

I can still remember getting that first positive pregnancy test.  I had been feeling a little off, but I initially wrote that off to a busy month with lots of travel.  E and I had decided we were ready to add to our little family, but we had just started trying.  I was expecting it would be at least a few months before I would get pregnant.  But, there I was looking at a positive pregnancy test in mid-July.  I was in shock.  That couldn’t be possible.  I called E.  No fancy way to announce it, I just called and told him the good news. 

After talking to E, I figured the next step was probably to call the doctor.  While scheduling my first appointment, the nice lady on the phone informed me that I was probably about 6 weeks along.  6 weeks!  If I wasn’t freaked out already, I certainly was after that call.

At the time, I didn’t realize that the first 2 weeks don’t really count.  There were a lot of things I didn’t know about being pregnant.  So, after a quick trip to Target for a few more pregnancy tests to make sure I was really pregnant, I headed to the bookstore.  As I approached the pregnancy section at Barnes and Noble, I was a little (more) overwhelmed.  There were so many books!  When I saw the familiar What to Expect cover, I quickly grabbed a copy and headed to check out, praying that nobody I knew would see me.  

Reading through the first few chapters of What To Expect When You’re Expecting was so great to give me some general information about what was going on with my body, and my new baby, before I was ready to share the good news with family and friends.  Throughout my pregnancy, when I had any weird feelings, or questions about what was going on with me, I first turned to What to Expect.  I appreciated that there were short explanations for a variety of common pregnancy issues.  Yes, I could have searched for my answers online, but, if you’ve ever looked up health related questions online, you know that there is often way more information that you really need to know.  With What to Expect, I didn’t feel like there was information overload.  I found answers, but didn’t have to see accounts of every worst case experience like I may have found on the web.

My very favorite part of the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book though is the weekly guide to baby’s progress.  When I was pregnant with Little A, on Wednesday nights, E and I would get ready for bed, and then we would read about what was happening with our baby.  As soon as I got my positive pregnancy test with Baby J, I got the book back out, and we followed along with her progress too.  Through both pregnancies, it was such a fun time to read what was happening together.

Now that the girls are growing (far too quickly!) I’ve enjoyed having What to Expect the First Year and What to Expect the Second Year to check in with from time to time.  Even after going through the first two years with Little A, my brain can’t seem to remember much about baby development, so I find myself turning to What to Expect as a reminder the common ages for reaching different milestones.

The people at What to Expect have offered a set of all 3 books to one lucky reader.  To enter, leave a comment below with your go to sources for information about pregnancy and little ones.  Entries will close Monday, November 12th.  I will announce a winner on Tuesday, November 13th.