It's a..........????

We are having a ..................................................

SORRY! We are going to announce it on Christmas with our families and then we will make it public!  The third ultrasound did go well though.  The baby weighs about 6 ounces and is just at 6 inches long (think palm of your hand).  We got to see the heart beating and the blood flowing through it, the hands, feet and we could see the babies ribs.  It was very cool!  The baby did not want to cooperate at one point and the tech was having to tap on my belly and then she had me turn on my side.  The baby finally moved, but I do not think it was very happy!

Third Doctor's Appointment

I had my third doctor's appointment today and everything is going well! I was able to hear the heartbeat and it had a rate of 155, which my doctor said was perfect. He also told me that I am gaining the appropriate weight that I need to at a nice slow pace. I had to get blood drawn for part two of the Down Syndrome testing (the first part came back negative). The most exciting part of the appointment was when the doctor said, "Let me see what strings I can pull to get you an ultrasound next week to find out the gender." I was very excited about this and we are going to be finding out next Wednesday; right before Christmas! The challenge now is how are we going to tell our families. We had it set in our mind that we wouldn't be able to find out until after Christmas and were planning on having a reveal party. That is probably going to change now. So in the meantime are you team pink or team blue??

Baby Update at 16 Weeks

So, if you saw my last post (that I put up like 5 mins ago), you can see that I FINALLY posted a pic of the belly.  A lot of people have been asking me if I had started showing yet, but I have been wearing a lot of loose clothing so it was hard to tell.  I took this photo in one of my new maternity shirts that I bought in NYC this past weekend.  I have to give a shout out to the employees at Destination Maternity in Manhattan (on Madison Ave.) because they were wonderful!!  Prior to our weekend trip to NYC, I was starting to feel really frumpy and just felt like I was gaining weight and not growing a baby.  Shawn said that we could do some maternity clothes shopping while we were in NYC to try and find some not so plain clothes.  I was a bit skeptical because I had this pre-conceived notion that all of the stores in Manhattan were very high end and I was going to this place that was known for super affordable clothing.  Like I mentioned earlier, the staff was fabulous!  The offered me water and/or juice while I was looking at the clothes and trying them on.  She called me by my name each time she spoke to me, got me additional sizes and boosted my ego!  She had asked me at one point how far along I was and I said that I was going into my sixteenth week and she was in shock.  She said that I looked great for 16 weeks (she thought I was only about 2 months along).  Needless to say, that little comment went a long way with me.  Anyway, I got 2 knit tops, a dress and a sweater for $113.  I figured in NYC that was a steal!

Baby update:  I go to the doctor next Monday, but as I mentioned a few posts ago, it is just for a quick doctor's visit.  However, when I am at this appointment I will be able to schedule the ultrasound that is going to tell us the sex of the baby!  This is very exciting and I will be sure to share with you all as soon as we know when the date will be.  So, at 16 weeks here is going on with the baby.  It is the size of an avocado (4 inches in length and weighs 3 1/2 ounces) and tiny bones are forming in its ears, so it can hear our voices.  Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in and taste buds are forming.

And for our fun fact: Babies are born with 300 bones, but only 206 remain by adulthood because some of the bones fuse together!

First Belly Pic!

As promised, like 2 weeks ago, here is the first belly pic!

Baby Update!

I am not due to go to the doctor for another 2 weeks, but I thought I would update everyone on the babies development.  Currently, I am 14 weeks and out of the first trimester.  According to everything I have been reading I should be waking up any day now and feeling like a new woman.  I really have to laugh at this because I am still feeling nausea in the morning and at night starting at 8pm and I am still very tired.  The other fabulous thing that is going on is severe back pain.  Of course, the doctor is like well you can't really take anything so stretch, alternate between hot and cold packs and put your feet up.  I just have to vent here for a minute because really does every doctor think that once you get pregnant you just quit working automatically??  Also, with today's advances in science and medicine you would really think that they would have created some drugs/medicines that are safe to take when you are pregnant.  Anyway, enough of that because I know it will be all worth it in the end.  I also know a few people who have struggled with infertility and I will be forever grateful that we did not have any problems.  I have been told that the back pain could be from the baby sitting on my kidneys or he/she is pressed up on a nerve.  I also bought a Snoogle the other weekend at Babies R' Us because pretty soon I am not going to be able to sleep on my back anymore.  This pillow will help me sleep more comfortably on my side and give me support where I need it.


So here is what is going on with the baby, at 14 weeks, development wise.  The babies sex organs are continuing to get more sophisticated.  If we are having a girl, her ovaries are moving down into her pelvis.  If we are having a boy, his prostrate is forming this week.  Our babies thyroid is starting to work this week which is a crucial part to his/her development.  Some other important notes are that the roof of his/her tiny mouth is fully formed and he/she's sucking reflexes are helping to create full, cherubic cheeks.  My baby is approximately 3 1/2 inches long and weighs about an ounce and a half (about the size of a nectarine).  However, in just 2 months' time, the baby will double in length and reach the impressive weight of one whole pound!


A lot of people have been asking  me for belly pics.  They will come and I hope to take a picture this week and take one each week up until I deliver.  At the beginning, unless you are skinny, it is kind of hard to tell what is just fat and what is really baby...haha!  I also tend to get asked the same questions almost everyday about my pregnancy, so I going to write them out below.


*When are you going to find out if it is a boy or girl?  It is generally between 18 and 20 weeks.  I will find out the exact date when I go for my next doctor appt.

*Are you experiencing any heartburn?  I was not having any heartburn up until about 2 days ago.  I have now bought a bottle of Tums and use 2-3 a day (p.s. this is safe and is the only thing I can do for it!)

*How are you feeling?  Well, I am feeling like a pregnant woman more and more everyday.  Some days are still better than others, but I am very eager to get past all these not so nice symptoms.

*Are you having any cravings yet?  No, not yet.  However, if I set my mind to having "x" food, I will not stop thinking about it until I have it!  I have not had to send Shawn out to the store at midnight for anything.......well not yet!


Lastly, my sister Ashley just sent me a text a few minutes ago that was a fun baby fact.  I am going to try and include one with each post, so here it is.  The average baby goes through 5,000 diapers their first year!! That is INSANE!!!

Baby Furniture Adventure

Shawn and I have been trying to figure out where we would get baby furniture at and after talking to some co-workers we decided to make a trip up to the Hickory Furniture Mart.  We called up Shawn's parents and asked them if they wanted to come for the weekend and ride up their with us.  They were eager to come and help us look and they also have a van, so in case we found something we would have a way to bring it back.  So, for those of you who are not familiar with the furniture mart it is about an hour and 45 minute drive from our house and has 4 levels.  Each level consists of numerous furniture places and it is great because it is all in doors and you are sure to find something that you are looking for.  Well, in our case, we were not so lucky.  When we walked in a nice lady greeted us, gave us a map and asked us if we were looking for anything in particular.  We told her that we were here to hopefully buy baby furniture and she told us that only 4 stores, out of like 75 that are in this mart actually have baby furniture.  I was immediately discouraged and wished that I would have called ahead to find out this information.  Normally, I would have done this but Shawn and I thought that surely a place this big would have a lot of options.  Out of the 4 stores, only one actually had a display of a crib.  The others had catalogs we could look in and order from.  Needless to say we were very disappointed and we actually asked one of the shops why more places didn't carry baby furniture.  She told us that their is such a high liability will selling baby furniture that insurance companies limit the amount of square footage they can dedicate towards cribs and the such.  She also told us that the premiums to pay or extravagant.  This made sense to us, but it is really a shame that people are so quick to sue which means that places like Babies R' Us literally have a monopoly.  The whole reason that Shawn and I wanted to purchase furniture from a true furniture store is because we wanted something that was going to last.  I have talked with other moms and their advice was to really invest in something that was going to have longevity especially if we are planning on having more kids after this one.  After we left the mart, we decided to stop at a nearby Babies R' Us in Hickory.  We had looked at their furniture before, but never with a critical eye for craftsmanship, etc.  After about 30 minutes of looking at all the collections we found one that we really liked.  The other great thing....every single piece of furniture was an extra 20% off!  The "bargain" gods were with me!  We left with a catalog and decided that we would go back to the Babies R' Us in Pineville, NC and make our purchase.  So, after lunch and an hour and a half ride back to Pineville we purchased the furniture for our baby!  One small downside, is that one of the pieces were not in their store nor was it in their warehouse.  However, the lady that helped us was incredibly nice and she gave us a coupon that will entitle us to the extra 20% off when the other piece comes in.  I am also on a call list, so as soon as that piece hits their door, I will be called.  They are also holding the other 2 pieces for us until it all comes in.  We will probably have it delivered for a small fee because the boxes are huge!  All in all, it was a successful day.  Pictures are below!


Verona Collection by Sorelle

Registry at Babies R' Us

With the holidays rapidly approaching some of our family has been asking us if we would like stuff for the baby for Christmas or do we need anything for our house, etc.  We decided that the best thing to do would be to go ahead and start a basic registry with stuff that we know isn't going to come and go in the store and is gender neutral.  Once we know the sex of the baby, we will then go back and add the themed stuff for the nursery, clothes, bibs, etc.   As I mentioned in my last post, I have been doing a LOT of research on the top rated products by consumer reports and other moms.  I figured that we would be in and out in an hour tops, I mean how hard could this be since we already did a lot of the work at home?  However, our "hour" registry trip turned into 2 1/2 hours.  I should have known better when I suggested that we stop for bottled waters at the gas station and some snacks beforehand.

Shawn, my sister Ashley and myself walk into Babies R' Us loaded with our spreadsheets, the baby bargain book, paper and pen.  We walked in and of course stopped into the bathroom before we even got started; this seems to be the norm lately.  We then went up front to the registry desk and sat down.  Their was a couple to our left that looked very relaxed.  They had no book, no paper, nothing.  Then it was us, loaded with equipment to make this process as painless as possible.  Lastly, a woman who walked up and was waiting to register (she did not look prepared either).  The employee who got our basic information and handed us our packet, which listed out things to register for, seemed as if she was on auto pilot and had no enthusiasm whatsoever.  While the employee was entering our information into the computer, I kept noticing the lady, that was waiting, checking out my book.  She apparently had not done any research because she filled out the paperwork and then we didn't see her again.  After a few minutes, the employee handed us our scanner and we set off.  We decided to start at the front of the store and moved down each aisle versus running back and forth all over the place.  Shawn was in charge of scanning while Ashley was in charge of marking things off and referencing the book if I needed her to look something up.  My job was to read off the brands that we had selected beforehand for each category.  The next clue that should have told us we were in for the long haul was the people who had a printed registry and looked absolutely bewildered.  They kept saying, "I just don't understand why their is so many different brands and types of pacifiers."  They were clearly guests to a shower and just wanted to grab something and get the heck out.  It is really something to see other people in a baby store.  You have the people who breeze past you with the look that says, "this is my second home."  Then you have the ones who, like I mentioned already, clearly just want to get a gift and leave.  Then  you have the types like us who are pregnant and trying to figure out what they really need for their baby.  Anyway, back to us registering.  It started off a bit rocky, but each section that we moved to got a bit easier.  Well, until we got to the strollers and car seats.  I knew that this was going to be the hardest area for us because I had lots of people tell me to push the different strollers around, see how easy it is to fold them up and how heavy they are.  With the car seats I was encouraged to hold it and see how heavy it was without the baby, how the grip fit in my hand, etc.  Hilarity ensued when we couldn't figure out how to get the snap and go stroller base to fold up and Ashley had to go ask one of the employees.  Then we got really excited when we found a stroller that matched the car seat and the pack and play!  We then realized that the high chair we wanted is also the same pattern.  We also had a great time in the health care aisle when we were trying to decide what butt paste to get!  It also came to a point where we just started scanning stuff and telling ourselves, yes our baby really does need this cute pacifier carrier.  I mean seriously when we were young our parents probably just threw them in whatever bag and hoped that they could find them when we were screaming our heads off.   

All in all, it was a successful trip, but we were absolutely exhausted when we were done.  I believe that we scanned 106 items and when we returned the scanner they lady said, "Wow, you all did a great job!"  Apparently all of our hard work paid off!

Second Doctor's Appointment - 11/09/11

This afternoon we had our second doctor's appointment.  It was exciting because we had a separate appointment for the sonogram part, so we got more pictures than the first time.  We also were able to see the baby a lot better and hear the heartbeat!  We then had the "doctor" part of our visit and they said everything is going great.  I measured at 12 weeks and 1 day.  All of the blood work that I had done at my first appointment came back negative and I learned that I am O+.  I also do not carry the gene for Cystic Fibrosis.  They did prick my finger to test my risk factor for Down Syndrome.  I have my next appointment in 4 weeks, but it is a doctor's visit only, no sonogram.  However,  2-4 weeks after that appointment I will be scheduled for my 3rd sonogram which will be able to tell us the sex of the baby!! 

I also wanted to share with you what is happening with the baby at 12 weeks.   realized today that unless you are reading books about pregnancy or receiving daily emails, one might now know what is going on developmental wise (Note, that the website I am getting this info. from uses "he" to generically refer to the baby).  The baby is now approaching 3 inches long and weighs about half an ounce. But the baby's teeny body sure has a lot of remarkable detail! This week, my little baby's face continues to take shape, with his nose and chin becoming more refined. And the baby now has 10 soft fingernails decorating his mini digits. As the baby's muscles start to bulk up, he's going to get busy stretching and kicking, although he's still too teeny for me to take notice. But if you were to touch my tummy, and could see his response, he'd probably be wriggling!  Also, the websites that I receive daily emails from LOVE to compare the baby to a piece of fruit.  So, at week 12 the baby is the size of a plum/lime.

Shawn and I will be attempting to create a basic baby registry this weekend, so I am sure that I will have some stories to tell Saturday night.

Who knew that buying a pacifier could be so difficult???

This is a two part story, but just stay with me because I am sure you will be in for some laughs!

Two weekends ago, Shawn, myself and my sister Cassie decided to step foot into Babies R' Us.  We just wandered up and down the aisles, just trying to get ideas and the such.  Well, who knew their was so much baby stuff out there!  I mean seriously 4 aisles of bottles is just ridiculous, but the 6 aisles of strollers and car seats and I was on overload.  We quickly exited and knew that we had a lot of research to do before we even thought about registering for anything.  I left feeling like I needed a baby registering 101 class.  Skip ahead a few days to these emails that I get from the bump.com on a daily basis.  These emails are very helpful and always have good articles to read, it shows me what type of "fruit" my baby is today and shows me my "to do list." (Little do they know that I already have about 15 lists going!!)  One of the "to do's" was to buy more books about being pregnant, having your child, etc.  So I click on the link and it shows me the top 5 books that have been recommended.  One of them I already have, "What to Expect When You Are Expecting" and the other 4 I do not have.  I weed through the ones that describe the type of books I already have, however their was one book that intrigued me.  It was called "Baby Bargains" and anyone who knows me knows that I can find the bargains!  I quickly hopped onto Amazon.com and purchased the book.  I received the book last week and spent the entire weekend learing about baby bargains.  I do have to say that the book looked quite daunting when I received it, I mean seriously it is 600 pages.  However, it is very well organized and basically tells you what you really need and what you don't.  It also grades every product and gives all kinds of charts and stuff.  After reading this book though (and marking about 300 of the 600 pages), I am seriously more overwhelmed and confused then when we walked through Babies R' Us!  It is kind of like opening a bag of jelly beans that has different flavors, colors, etc. and you have to pick through everything to find the ones that are the best.  To sum it all up, I have my 16th spreadsheet started that has everything we need to register for and then I am refering back to the book for specifics and cross-referencing it with my list. Whew! I feel like I am taking an algebra class all over again........it's time for some chocolate :)

Get Me Off This Roller Coaster!!

I am one week away from closing out the first trimester and needless to say, I can't wait!  I have been having severe nausea and really have only started feeling a bit better these past two weeks.  As expected, I come home most days exhausted and naps have become my best friend.  This part has been particularly hard for me because most of you know that I don't take sitting down very well.  I have not been able to keep up with most of my normal workouts and I have had my share of spending the nights laying in bed and hoping to not be sick.  Fortunately, the doctor has been able to give me some medicine that takes the edge of the nausea, but some days are still better than others.  Other than being tired, nauseous and fidgety the pregnancy so far is going well.  I don't drink much caffeine or alcohol and I don't like sushi or soft cheeses so I haven't had to give up too much as this time.  I have not had heartburn which I have heard from some of my pregnant co-workers that this is the worst.  We have our second doctor's appointment this Wednesday.  We are scheduled for a half hour with the sonogram specialist, so we hope to have more pictures to post this week.  We are also hoping that they will be able to tell us when we can find out what we are having because yes, you all know that I love to plan!

Baby's First Picture

We had our first doctor's appointment on Thursday, October 13th and we were excited, yet nervous as well to find out more about the baby.  This was an OBGYN that was highly recommended by my primary physician.  The nurse brought us back and was super friendly and talkative which really put us at ease.  Once the doctor came in, we were sold.  He wass absolutely wonderful and laid back.  He told us that the pregnancy was progressing very well and that our estimated due date was May 22, 2012.  He took the time to answer all of our questions and talked in depth about the blood tests that were in my near future.  We then had our first ultrasound and we could see the baby (only 1!) and see the heartbeat.  It was a very cool experience and it definitely made everything seem so much more real.  He handed us our first picture and we fell in love :)



Baby Anderson's First Picture



The Unexpected Anniversary Surprise!

On September 30, 2011 Shawn and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary and needless to say it was the one that would be remembered forever.........

Let me back up a few months ago.  Our family had been bugging us for quite some time about when we would start a family.  We kept telling them, "Oh, we just need a few pieces of the puzzle to fall into place and then we will know it is time."  Of course, no one particularly liked that answer and we always heard, "Well, their never is a right time."  However, Shawn and I had our own plan.  We knew that once I was in a salaried position, making a bit more money, and we had some debts paid off that it would be time.  In June, I was promoted to an Assistant Buying position at Belk and then in August, Shawn was promoted to Center Manager at his clinic.  Both of these promotions meant salary increases.  We were able to pay off Shawn's car and put in those hardwood floors downstairs that we have been wanting for quite some time. 

After dropping Cassie, my sister, off at college, we had a long drive back home.  We began discussing the future and more so when we thought we might be ready to start a family.  Shawn and I decided that it was the right time for us add to our family.

Skip ahead a few weeks to the weekend before our Anniversary.  I was at the hairdresser and we were talking about a bunch of things and I started to get very emotional.  I had been under a lot of stress lately and really didn't think much about it until she asked me if I thought I was pregnant.  Needless to say, I blew it off and I said, "No, I am not pregnant."  However, as the week to follow continued, I started to not feel well and of course the wheels in my head started spinning.  I decided that night before our anniversary to take a pregnancy test.  I didn't let Shawn know I was taking a test because I kept telling myself that we surely couldn't have gotten pregnant within the first month.  After I waited those long 3 minutes that the box tells you to wait, I saw 2 lines, but the second one appeared very faintly.  I quickly grabbed the directions out of the trash, this tells you how sure I was that none of this was true, and read the bold print that said one of the lines may appear fainter than the other.  At this point I was in shock and I ran downstairs and yelled outside to Shawn, who was cutting the grass, that he needed to come inside right now.  Of course, he thought something was wrong and came running inside.  I told him to look at the test and read the directions and then I told him to go buy 2 more tests!  He already had to run out to drop our dog off at my dad's because we were headed to Charleston the next morning to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.  He returned with more tests and I proceeded to take another one and it also came out positive.  We decided that I would take the other one in the morning first thing and see what it said.

The next morning I took the third test and surprise, surprise it also came out positive.  If you know the type of person that I am, I don't deal well with uncertainty.  So, I told Shawn that I really wanted to get in to see my doctor to find out if I was truely pregnant.  Keep in mind, we were supposed to be on the road at 8am to make the most of our long weekend in Charleston.  I called my doctor's office as soon as it opened and I couldn't get in to see my primary doctor, but I could see this other doctor that Shawn and I knew well.  The appointment wasn't until 10am, so we decided to go get some breakfast first.  Of course, I was nervous, but also not feeling well which only led me to believe even further that I was pregnant.  We stopped at McDonald's then went to walk around KMart and Petsmart until it was time for my appointment.  I had the joy of peeing in a cup and then waiting in the room (which seemed like an eternity) to find out the results.  The doctor finally came in and she was so excited because she knew us really well.  She told us that she didn't even look at the results yet because she just wanted to come in and see me and see if Shawn had come as well.  After the initial greetings she got on the computer and pulled up the results.  She then informed us that yes, I was pregnant!  I of course was still in shock, but we were both very happy and excited.