Now where did I leave off???  Oh yea – I just found out that I was pregnant – and I’m in a daze.  (Sorry, its been a minute – life gets in the way of my blogs.)

Back to the scene in Boston….after finally getting my sister, Donna, on the phone and telling her the news – her first response was I KNEW IT – I JUST HAD A DREAM ABOUT THAT!!!  Funny thing is, weeks before – I also had a dream about a baby’s foot, inside my stomach, kicking.  But that didn’t tip me off – neither did the sudden fatigue that I was experiencing either.  Somehow, I missed all of the warning signs…

Leaving Boston the next morning, I could not WAIT to get back to Miami….I was headed straight to the doctor’s office to get the confirmation that my husband needed so I can start to tell a few close people around me.  But first, it was a long flight back home.  That nauseous feeling kicked in on the plane and I was a wreck.  I cried the entire flight back home with a million thoughts going thru my mind.  I was scared, anxious, lonely, confused, unsure, happy, excited – all at the same time.  Unfortunately, I was left to deal with my feelings alone because my husband who was sitting next to me, was knocked out, mouth wide open, and snoring – for the entire flight. Every time I turned around to look at him – I just wanted to punch him.  Instead,  i just stared out the window for 2.5 hours and cried some more.

This was the beginning of my journey…It all went uphill from there.  It took about two days for me to gather my thoughts and shake the fear and nervousness I had.  After getting confirmation from the doctor, ob-gyn AND getting a sonogram – Bobby finally believed we were bringing a baby into the world and the fun began…but first – work!

A few weeks after my big news – there was another great moment going on…the Miami HEAT was on the verge of winning the NBA Championship. The night that we won, all of my colleagues were in town, family and friends of the team – it was an awesome moment and feeling.  My intent was to take in the moment and enjoy being on that high – but it was impossible for me.  I could not celebrate because I was dealing with 1st trimester blues…heartburn, fatigue, and feeling nauseous. The team pulled off an incredible run to win the championship at home – and everyone around me was all hugs and kisses (and screaming, jumping, dancing, shouting…everything that could have possibly worked my nerves).  Bottles of champagne was being popped, streamers and confetti thrown all over the arena…it was a celebration!  And I was miserable.  But I put on my game face and ran around with my guy handling press interviews, trophy photos and more until about 2:30AM.  Once we finally made it to the family room to get some food and join the rest of the team – I grabbed a plate of food, sat down next to Bobby and exploded in tears.  It was a long night, I was tired and overwhelmed – and I didn’t understand my tears – but I let them flow.

I survived the celebration and skipped out on the parties the rest of the week – I was perfectly content being at home and wondering about my future.  Plus, I had work to do…I had to plan for a championship media tour that included stops to The View, Jimmy Fallon, projects that were in the works..and there was plenty of traveling ahead.  But first, with all of the emotions of the pregnancy, the championship and all the whirlwind that comes after it – I needed to breathe.  And I found my breathing space in St. Lucia at Jade Mountain.  If you have the chance – GO.  Bobby and I spent four days of peace and quiet, enjoying the Piton mountains, eating amazing food, sleeping in an awesome room that only had three walls, no alarm, no clocks, no phones and no TV’s,  The sun woke me up at 5AM every morning when it came peering right into our room…my alarm clock were the birds chirping and if I concentrated hard enough – I could ignore the sounds of my husband’s snores and focus on the peacefulness of the moment and just breathe.  No schedule to keep up with or people to manage.  Just us and nature….and peace.  I enjoyed being away from the madness and being able to think clearly.  I soaked up every moment because I knew – I had to get back to work and my schedule was about to be nuts.

As soon as I got back from St. Lucia, I was on a plane the next day to LA for meetings…the rest of July, August, September was a blur….between commercial shoots, project meetings, planning retreats, presentations – I spent most of my 1st and 2nd trimester being pregnant in heels – and on the road.  I had several trips to LA, NYC, CHI…international trips to London for the Olympics and Switzerland for business.  It wasn’t all work because I experienced awesome moments, like taking a helicopter tour thru the French Alps…I cherished every moment knowing my baby was along for the ride.

In September – we hit the road for the book launch and tour of “A Father First” making stops in NYC, ATL, MIA, CHI, MIL, LA, DC – we were on the road for almost two weeks.  Hitting the NY Times bestsellers list made the grind worthwhile.  But I longed for my bed and boppy body pillow. Coming off the tour, I had two weeks to regroup from a full summer travel schedule only to go back across waters and head to China for a week.  My greatest concern was the 15hr flight and the food.  Thankfully both flights were uneventful and I managed to sleep well on the plane..and having compression socks helped as well.  My last trip came a week after coming back from China when I flew to NYC overnight for business meetings.  I remember leaving the hotel thinking – this is my last trip with no worries.  Meaning, the next time I would have to travel – I would either A) be worried about leaving my baby behind or B) be traveling with my baby.  Either way – reality set in and I knew that my life was truly about to change.

As I write this – I’m going into my 30th week…and its been a drama free ride.  The only way I survived being pregnant in heels (which I’ve since tucked away far in my closet)  and on the road traveling the way I did was because I was healthy and didn’t experience any morning sickness.  I don’t take that for granted because that’s not every woman’s story.  I’ve been truly blessed and have been reminded of that every step of the way.  During the most stressful moments of my days or when my schedule overwhelmed me – feeling a kick, flutter or movement bought me back to what is truly important. And that’s enjoying the journey, staying connected and present, and living in my moment.

Here are a few more photos from the past few months…I’ll be back soon to share my thoughts on pregnancy etiquette: “THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T SAY OR DO TO A PREGNANT WOMAN”….I got some stories to tell!