Babies are on the brain and in utero here at the Hopkins house.

While we had been trying for Baby #2 for months now, I felt the same shock and disbelief as I did the first go-round when I found out I was pregnant. Ecstatic, I called my husband, broke the news and talked briefly about everything we could fit into a three minute conversation.

Except, of course, where to (medically) go from here.

With our first child, we were civilians in San Antonio, so I was totally lost in the military system. I pictured a maze of paperwork, ten dozen blood draws, and of course, the old Army adage "hurry up and wait" crept into the back of my brain.

I will admit that I relied heavily on my pregnant friends, asking them about a million questions about how to kick start the process of getting appointments. However, I was on the phone for just a few minutes and felt at ease immediately. Everything was explained to me thoroughly.

I was to go to the McChord Women's Clinic for a positive pregnancy test, which they check through a blood draw. Less than 24 hours later, I received a call informing me of my positive result, and I was given the option of keeping my care at McChord or moving over to Madigan. For me, this was a no-brainer, as Madigan is right down the road. I was also told that I would be having an initial intake appointment to go over medical history, before I even saw a doctor. I found this a little annoying at the time, only because I am the most impatient person in the world and wanted to see Baby #2, NOW.

Once I got to the intake appointment (typically done at 8 to 10 weeks), all annoyances flew out of the window. My nurse at the Obstetrician/Gynecology (OB/GYN) clinic was fantastic, made notes of everything under the sun, and explained in detail where the OB and midwife routes would take me.

Due to some complications during my last delivery, I opted for the OB route. In addition, I decided to do genetic screening, which also required a short 30-minute class. Genetic screening also required additional blood work and an ultrasound earlier in the pregnancy.

Within two weeks, I found myself at the same OB/GYN clinic, but this time I was seeing my doctor. From the moment she walked in the door, I felt confident that this pregnancy was in the right hands. We briefly went over medical information, but talked more so about the last pregnancy. I received my ultrasound, went over expectations for the next trimester, and the appointment was then finished.

I am currently 14 weeks pregnant, and will only have a monthly check up appointment until my 36th week. From there, appointments become biweekly to weekly. The glucose test will be in my second trimester, which we hopefully will pass with flying colors. Lastly, we will also be finding out the gender in mid-December, which Madigan will do once you are between 19 and 22 weeks.