5 Months

I can't believe that Anderson is almost a half of a year old!! It has flown by! He is such a sweet little boy and is such a blessing to our family. He is changing more and more every day and has gotten so big lately. Some of the new things that he is doing are:

- No more swaddle blanket- I wondered when we would stop swaddling him and if we were doing it too long- he let us know when he was over the swaddling- he just started wiggling out of it and would be completely out when I would go in to check on him- so no more swaddle.

-Eating pears, peaches, prunes and cereal- 3 times a day

-Still has 6 oz. of milk about every 3 hours- PIGGY!!

-Much more sturdy when sitting and can hold himself up for a few seconds

- Trying to get his knees up to crawl- just needs to get his arms working at the same time

-Loves these little cookies called Mum Mums

-Had is first beach trip- LOVED it

-Nickname that seems to have stuck is Bobby or Bob- not exactly short for Anderson but it seems to fit him

-Sleeping from 7 p.m.-8 a.m.- loves his sleep like his mommy:)

Here are a few pictures of "Bobby":

4 months

Anderson will be 4 months old this weekend. I can't believe it. It had gone by so fast. He is such a happy baby. Here are some of his accomplishments and interests:

- He sleeps from about 7:30 p.m.- 5 a.m. (he has been doing that for a long time)

- He just rolled over today both ways (back to stomach and stomach to back)

- He eats cereal

- He drinks about 5 oz. of milk every 3 hours

- He takes 3-4 naps a day with one of them being 2 hours or so (he only does this for the babysitter- on the weekends they are all 30 minutes).

- I smiles and laughs (a lot)

- He can hold his head up very well and can sit in his jumper and exersaucer

- He took his first plane trip and did GREAT!!

- He went to the beach for the first time

- He loves to be outside (just like his daddy)

- If he is cranky and you move his legs like he is riding a bike he will smile

- His favorite toy is his activity mat

- He is getting MUCH better about riding in the car (he used to scream EVERY time we were in the car).

Back to work :(

I had to start back to work last week. I will have to say that it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I spent the week leading up to it crying my eyes out every day. My heart hurt so bad every time I thought about it. These were some of the thoughts going through my mind:

-I have this beautiful baby boy that I have spent every waking moment (no pun intended) with for the past 4 months. Now I'm just supposed to hand him over to someone else to take care of- now, when he's changing every day and really starting to notice I'm even around.

-Kids grow up SO fast (I know from experience with Madison starting middle school!!!) and he is only going to be this little once. I should be there to see all of his accomplishments.

-Mommies should be with their babies. It is just the natural course of life. Mommies take care of their babies, period.

-I'm going to have to take all of my personal items out of his diaper bag and use my own purse for the first time since he had been born. (Somehow that felt symbolic and depressing).

All of these thoughts and emotions were swimming around him my heart and head. It was the first time in my life I think I have felt true anxiety. I felt like I couldn't breath sometimes just thinking about it.

With all that said, I made it through the first day after many, many tears. And each day after has been easier and easier. Sometimes it makes me sad that it isn't as hard as it was that first day. Somehow it feels wrong to not be devastated every day that I have to leave him.

On the positive side: I have an amazing woman that keeps Anderson. She seems to love him very much, which helps tremendously. It is much easier to leave your baby with someone that you know will love on them. She sends me emails during the day and sometimes even sends pictures of my little man!! I also have the best schedule of any working mother. You just can't beat working in the school system. I am able to leave at 2:45 on most days (I am definitely more motivated to get my work done so I don't have to stay late) and we have at least a week break about every six weeks plus summers off. So I guess if I must work this is the job to have.

So much to share...

So much has happened since my last post. Which is probably why I haven't posted. Life has gotten a whole lot busier!!

So I'm going to try to touch on the main events of the last several months:

Let's go back to mid April. Dave and I have been wanting to sell our house and move to a more family oriented neighborhood for several years. With Anderson on the way and the market for selling a home not getting any better, we finally decided that we would just rent out our house and move. We already have one rental home so we figured "what's one more." It is a risk but we really wanted to get settled before Madison started middle school. We ended up finding a really cute young married couple to rent out the house. They wanted to move in by the end of May. We had just signed a contract on a house so we figured we would be out way before then and it would give us plenty of time to move out. Wrong!!! (I'll come back to that later).

On April 15th (38 wks pregnant), I started to have contractions that night. Nothing too bad but definitely there. That was Thursday. On Friday, I went about my day- took Madison to school, picked her up and then she went to her dad's for the weekend. I went for one of my long walks during the day hoping to get Anderson moving. I was so ready to meet him!! Throughout the day on Friday I had contractions here and there but again nothing too bad. When Dave came home from work we went to his mom's house for dinner. Once we got to her house the contractions started getting a little stronger and closer together. I started timing them but they were still 20-30 minutes apart. Then I noticed that I was bleeding a little bit. That kind of concerned me and Dave's mom finally convinced me to call the doctor. I did and she said it was normal but she would feel better if I just stopped by the hospital to be checked just to make sure I wasn't leaking amniotic fluid. Our friend's R.J. and Kim (who are expecting their daughter Sophia in September) had just come over so they decided to come along with us. None of us, including me, thought I would be staying. I really thought they were going to laugh at me and tell me to go home. I just wasn't in that much pain.

When we got to the hospital around 9:00 p.m. they checked me in and the nurse got me into the triage room. When she checked me she said I was almost 5 cm and my water had broken already!! What??!! I was in shock. We didn't even bring our bags or anything. Dave had to run back to the house and get my bag, car seat, camera, etc. Luckily I had just packed my bag a day or two before.

Shortly after he got back they gave me my epidural. The nurse said that would probably slow things down a lot. A few hours later I felt like I needed to push. She checked me and I was 10 cm. I started pushing before the doctor got there. She nurse at one point said "o.k. stop pushing because the dr. is not here yet." Altogether I probably pushed for 20-25 minutes including the time we had to wait for the doctor. He was born at 1:24 a.m. on Saturday, April 17th, 2010.

The first thing I thought when I saw him was,"Oh my goodness, where did all of this dark hair come from??!!" He has a ton of hair!! He weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 19 inches long.

So back to the moving part of the story. Like I said we had a contract on a house. Due to the state of our economy and the downfall of the housing industry the loan process is quite different from how it was a few years ago. A few years ago if you had a pulse, you were approved for a loan. We had run into a few problems with our loan. We had to get a few things cleared up and one thing in particular was going to take longer than we had before we would need to close on the house. So the day that I went into labor we had to back out of the contract in order to get our earnest money back. So the Monday after Anderson was born on Saturday we had to start looking at houses again. Remember we had renters moving into our current home at the end of May. That gave us a little over a month to find a house, close, and move. All with a newborn!! Let's just say the next month and a half were CRAZY to say the least.

We ended up finding a great house that was about $50,000 less than the original house. It was one that we had looked at to begin with but it was under contract. We decided to just go in and look anyway. Our agent called the selling agent and the contract with the other people fell through that day!! So we put a contract on it before it even went back on the market. It just goes to show that God has a plan!!

The end of May came all too quick and we had not closed on the house yet. So, we had to pack all of our stuff (and let's just say we had A LOT of stuff!!) in PODS and stay at our parents houses. I went to my parents with the kids for two weeks while Dave stayed at his mom's to be closer to work. I had the back of my car loaded down with all of Anderson's stuff. The last week before we closed I came back down with Anderson and Madison and stayed with Dave at his mom's.

It felt amazing to finally be in our own home after three weeks. Although we really did enjoy spending time with our families and they loved getting to see Anderson full-time. I finally was able to actually pick up Anderson's crib and furniture from the store and set up his room.

Getting Ready...

Dave and I (and our friends Patrick and Kristen:)dedicated most of our Saturday to finishing up our baby registry. We went to Babies R Us a couple of weeks ago but were unable to finish registering for ALL the necessary items (which is A LOT) so we finished that up and also registered at The Baby's Room.

I have become addicted to The Baby's Room. I have been going in there a couple of times a week to try and narrow down the baby bedding. I really thought I had it picked out but when we went Saturday I felt like I was so confused . I just couldn't decide. I really don't like all the themed bedding that they have for boys (no offense to anyone who does). It just seems like every item they sell for boys has some sort of dinosaur or animal plastered across it. I was actually trying to make a somewhat neutral (but really too girly) bedding work but Dave was not having it. Finally, the girl working there showed me a bedding set that was made by the same designer as the two other sets that I was in love with (but again too girly). It was perfect but totally different from what I thought I wanted. Click on the links to see pictures of the bedding we picked out:
Bedding 1
Bedding 2
Bedding 3
Bedding 4
Bedding 5

I am so happy to have finally made a decision!! We also picked out the crib, the dresser/changing table and the rocker and ottoman. I feel like we have made progress. Even though we will not begin putting the room together until about a month out because we are still holding out on getting our house sold. I will be so frustrated if the house sells once we get the room finished.

I am 27 weeks now and cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I had Madison at 38 weeks so it is really crazy to think that I could realistically have this baby in a little over 10 weeks. That makes me so excited but then so anxious also when I think about all that there is left to do!!

Here a some pics of the crib and dresser and my ever growing belly:
19 weeks

22 weeks23 weeks
26 weeks

New Year's 2010

For New Year's this year, Dave and I and 8 of our friends went to my parent's cabin in North GA. We rode 4 wheelers, played on the rope swing, went for a couple of hikes, played games, cooked yummy food, sat by the fire, and generally just had a good time. It was FREEZING cold!! It got down to 14 degrees. When we woke up on Saturday morning it was snowing outside!! It was pretty exciting since it may be the only snow we see in GA this year!! Here are a some pics from our few days in the mountains...

Grand Canyon

Dave and I had been trying to plan a trip before Christmas. Since we fly standby we really can't make any concrete plans until a few days or in some cases a day out. So on Thursday and Friday I spend much of my day researching hotels, rental cars and flights. We were considering a wide range of destinations from Washington State to Puerto Rico. On Friday night we were checking the flights with plans to fly out to Las Vegas on Saturday. The flights had been looking really weird all day. They looked good then they looked really bad but at the last minute everyone on the standby list made the flight. So at about 6:30 Dave suggested that we go down to the airport that night and attempt to make the last flight of the night (even though the listing showed -6 seats with 6 people in front of us on the standby list). Madison was the first to run right upstairs and start packing (oh yeah I didn't mention that we hadn't packed yet!!). I wasn't really rushing because I thought we would NEVER make it. Not only because the flight was booked up but because it was 6:30 and we hadn't even packed and the flight left at 9:50.

We finally got our stuff packed and out the door. We made it to the airport in 30 minutes!! Record timing! We got right through security and to our gate. The flight had actually been delayed until 10:30. Which wasn't in our favor because it gave anyone who might have missed the 9:50 flight more time to make it. Somehow and I don't know how we made the flight. We were actually pretty shocked. So off we were to Vegas!!

We didn't get to Vegas until about 12:00 Vegas time which was 3:00 our time. We stayed in a hotel in Vegas that night and got up the next morning and headed for the Grand Canyon. It was about a 5 hour drive. We stopped at the Hoover Dam on the way which was really amazing to see.

The Grand Canyon was incredible!! We got there right at sunset which was beautiful. I was really amazed when I walked up to it the first time. It is breathtaking!! There was a lot of snow on the ground and some ice. I couldn't believe how dangerous it was. You could walk right up to the edge of it and look down. Only some places had railings. And there was ice!! I kept Madison on a close watch. I was so scared she was going to fall in. She had a blast though playing in the snow.

We spent that night and the next day at the Grand Canyon and drove back to Vegas the next evening. We had a really fun trip but were so happy to make the 6:30 a.m. flight back to Atlanta. Now we are home and ready for Christmas with our families!!

It's a Boy!!

I finally talked Dave into letting me make an appointment for a 3D sonogram. I really wanted to surprise our families on Thanksgiving with the news of "It's a boy" or "It's a girl". So this past Tuesday, Dave, Madison and I secretly went to Babies 1st Image to have a sonogram. It was the coolest experience. They have a huge screen that you get to watch the baby on.

I told the lady doing the sonogram that I wanted us to guess what sex the baby was before she told us. So she got the baby in the right position on the screen and I knew immediately that it was a boy. His "package" was hard to miss!! The pictures turned out really well and I look at them several time a day and think, "That is my son!!"

So on Wednesday before Thanksgiving we went to my parent's cabin to spend the night. I wanted to wait and tell them on Thursday because my whole family wasn't there yet. It was extremely hard to not spill the news, especially to my mom. But I held it in.

Thursday we went down to Ellijay to have lunch with Dave's family. As soon as everyone was there, Dave put the DVD in and told them we had something we wanted them to watch. We let them watch the video and also guess what they thought the sex was. It was unanimously, BOY.

After lunch, we went back up to my parent's cabin and I waited until the right time and went upstairs to put on the shirt that I had made that said, "It's a boy". I came down and went into the living room and just stood there waiting for someone to notice my shirt. Finally, my brother did and then my dad. My sister-in-law came running in from the kitchen. My mom still had no clue was was going on so we all went into the kitchen. I just stood in front of her and smiled. Everyone was behind me watching. She stood there for a minute wondering why everyone was staring at her. Then finally, her eyes connected with my shirt and she screamed. It was a a really fun way to share the wonderful news about our precious little boy.

So here are a few pics/video clip of our handsome little man and some updated pics of my baby bump: Sweet little profile

Look at that little face- I think he already looks like his daddy!!

Looks like he's sucking his thumb

His boy parts

16 weeks

18 weeks

Baby Bump

I am now 4 months pregnant and my belly is starting to show signs of being pregnant. It isn't enough for the general public to notice that I am pregnant so I just look like I ate one too many hamburgers. I'm feeling MUCH better now. The nausea is for the most part gone. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and I will get to schedule my sonogram appointment then so I'm really excited about that. I can't wait to find out if this little bean is a girl or a boy. I really don't have any strong feelings one way or the other. But I can't wait to know and be able to start looking at baby stuff. Here are a few pictures of my belly's transformation so far...

6 Weeks

12 Weeks

13 Weeks

14 Weeks

We're Gonna Have a BABY!!!

I've been waiting and waiting to be able to make this post. I found out I was pregnant on August 19th at about 5:15 a.m. I had taken a couple of tests a few days before with negative results but I decided I would take another one first thing in the morning. I really figured it would be negative but I made myself not sit and watch it. I decided I would get into the shower and not look until I got out. I even ran past it with my hand over my eyes so I wouldn't be tempted to peek. When I got out of the shower and saw two lines on that little strip (one out of the many I ordered bulk online) I just about fainted. I was shaking and could not keep my mouth from dropping open. I really was shocked!! For a split second I thought about all the neat ideas that I had gone over in my head of how I would tell Dave when the time came. But I quickly realized I was not going to be able to keep this in... no way!! So I went into our bedroom where Dave was peacefully sleeping (and could have continued for another 45 minutes...ooops) and said, "Dave wake-up, I'm pregnant!!" Of course he was still half asleep and it took him a minute to realize what I was telling him.

We decided to tell Madison that night. Dave went into her bathroom, where she was getting ready for bed. He had a shirt that said, I'm the Big Sister. She had gotten it when her dad had their little boy. So he took it into the bathroom and said, "Madison to you think you can still wear this shirt?" The look she gave him was priceless- like "What are you talking about you crazy man!!" I won't go into anymore detail because I am posting the video that I took so you can see the rest for yourself.

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant I realized I was still spotting (like I have every month for the past year!!) So I called my doctor just to make sure that was o.k. Well they wanted me to come in and ended up giving me the whole miscarriage and chemical pregnancy talk. They tested my HCG levels that day and a couple of days later. When the results came back- all was looking good. But I still was spotting (a little) and I still didn't feel reassured that it was progressing normally.

So today I had my first sonogram. I was so nervous thinking about all the possibilities. I prayed that God would give me peace and I knew in my heart that His plan is SOOO much better than anything I could ever dream up. When the picture first showed up on the screen I could see the little "beaner" (that was my nickname growing up and it looks like a bean) right away. Everything looks great and we were able to see and hear a strong heartbeat. Dave said the heartbeat definitely sounded like a boy!! ;) We will see...

Update

I got a call last week from my doctor's office giving me the results of my ultrasound (which I already knew that the cyst had come back). The nurse informed me that I was being referred to a surgeon (the one that came in during my last surgery). She said that I was probably going to have to have another surgery because if the cyst ruptured it would make me very sick. I was so upset!!! I did not want to have another surgery. All I could see were my hopes of getting pregnant slipping away.

So Monday I went to see the surgeon and he told me that the only problem with the cyst is that it could cause me pain (which I don't have nor have I ever had). He said that even if it ruptured it would not harm me in any way but again might be painful. I can handle painful!! He said that it probably won't go away on its own and will probably get larger over time and will one day need to be removed. But for now, I'm not going to have a surgery to remove something that isn't causing any problems.

So no surgery for me!! :)

It's Back!!!

So I went to the Dr. today to have the 3 month follow-up sonogram to make sure that my cyst had not come back (remember she was not able to remove it, only drain it). And guess what??!!

It's back!!!

And it is basically the same size as before the surgery. I am so frustrated. Not only did I have to endure the surgery but it also cost around $1000 after insurance. And now three months later, I'm right back where I started. The only upside is that at least in doing the surgery they were able to get a better idea of where it was and what it was.

My doctor is going to call me next week to talk to me about it. Please pray that she says it is no big deal and doesn't want to do another surgery and that this will not interfere with me getting pregnant.

Madison's 10th Birthday

I can't believe that I'm even typing the words- Madison's 10th birthday!! 10 years!!! Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was holding this little, sweet, red-headed baby in my arms. For those of you who have small children- babies, toddlers- enjoy every minute of it!! When you want to pull your hair out because they won't sleep through the night, soon they won't need you to rock them to sleep. I'm going to sound like an old granny but I'm going to say it anyway... They grow up soooo fast!! I think grannies say stuff like that because they've experienced it and they know it is true. It happens so gradually that you don't realize it is happening until one day you wake up and your little baby is 10!!

I'm probably being dramatic about her turning 10 because it's not like she's going away to college or getting married but I guess I see how quickly that will be here too.

Dave and I are trying to get pregnant. Every month I am so anxious to find out if I'm going to have a baby or not. Then I find myself impatiently thinking about how long 9 months will be before we will actually get to meet the little one. When I think about how much I am always wishing for the next thing, the next step, the next stage I realize how silly that it. I'm wishing my life away!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who is guilty of this.

If only we (I) could be completely content with what is going on right now...

So it brings me back to my original thought- Madison turning 10. I'm going to do my best everyday to enjoy Madison being 10, enjoying all that comes with having a 10 year-old, pre-puberty, enthusiastic (for those of you who know Madison you know I really mean emotional!!) daughter.

Then when Dave and I do have another bundle of joy, I'm going to be very clear that he/she is not allowed to grow up!!


*Pictures of Madison's as a little one and from her birthday at the Braves game.