Who We Told & When

First to Know:

Carmen and I had been attending Weight Watchers for about 1-2 months when I found out I was pregnant. I kept up the secret for a while, but couldn't imagine continuing the charade much longer.  I had to tell her 1) because I didn't want to keep paying the $12/week for Weight Watchers and 2) I had to tell someone!!  She and I were in her kitchen when I told her the news...she screamed and hugged me and was so excited for us!  That night we went to Babies R Us and Barnes & Noble to find a Pregnancy Journal.  It was a fun night and I was excited to share the news with someone!

Next to Know: 

Rudi & I went to dinner with my parents (Eschol & Dorothy) and Rudi's dad & fiance (Louie & Kathy) at Windward Passage on February 12th.  We had already had plans to go to dinner with them before we found out we were pregnant, so we figured it would be great to tell them while we had them all together in one place.  We went through cocktail hour and dinner and hadn't yet spread the word.  Rudi kept kicking me under the table and asking me if I was ready to tell them, but for some reason I was nervous to tell the news!  After we were done with dinner, Rudi says to the table "Well, Leigh Ann & I have some news that we would like to share with you".  I think my mom's eyes were about to pop out of her head!  He said "We are expecting!"  My mom screamed and everyone was super excited and happy for us.  We got big hugs from everyone and told them the story of how we found out, etc.  It was fun to have them all together for that moment.

Ashley called us from out of town the next day (Saturday) and we told her the news on speakerphone.  She was super excited and happy for us, as well.

Next we tried calling Shelley, Marti, Jamie, Derek, and Ella to share the exciting news.  I don't think any of them answered when we called, so we waited patiently for call backs.  I believe Marti was the first to call back, then we heard from Jaime & Derek, then we got the opportunity to Skype with Shelley & family.  It was so fun to share this news with our family and hear their reactions!  Ryleigh screamed and was super excited and it was fun to see her face over the computer.

I was lucky enough to take a short business trip to Atlanta.  I was able to get together most of the Atlanta crew and have them meet me for dinner.  It was there that I was able to tell them - Andrea, Alex, Heather Kotula, Kelley Juhasz, Devon, Barrett, Heather Anthony, & Christy.  It was great to see all my Atlanta friends and so exciting to see their reactions in person.  That dinner was definitely a change from most as we talked about birth, raising kids, changing diapers, etc.  Times are sure changing!

We waited to tell most non-family until our 12 week appointment...just to make sure all was good with the baby.  When we heard the heartbeat for the first time, it was nothing short of AMAZING.  We both made our rounds of phones calls to our friends and their responses were so fun.  This baby will definitely come into this world surrounded by love and support.  We feel so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family in our life.  We love you all and THANK YOU for all the wishes and support!