It's an Anderson Life

Growing Pains

2011-07-30T11:41:00.005-06:00

February 4, 2011, we lost the diaper. July 22, 2011, we lost the pacifier. I knew these experiences would be difficult - I didn't know they would be more difficult for me than my sweet baby girl. I mean little girl.. sigh. Sophie is quick to correct me these days.

"No, Mommy. I not a baby, I'm a Big Girl!" Generally followed by, "I can do it by myself" or "No! Let me do it!"

Every morning she joins me in my morning routine.

"I need lotion Mommy" and "Mommy, I has to have odorant too."

It's pretty awesome to see her learning, growing and discovering things on her own everyday. The hard part, for me anyway, is that everyday she seems to need me less and less. And eventually, hopefully a good 16 to 18 years from now, she won't need me at all.

I know this is a sign of being a successful parent, but that doesn't make it any easier. It's a bizarre feeling - I'm super happy that she's a social butterfly, a smarty pants and loves life, but part of me wants to snuggle her to death and never let go. I'm becoming the crazy, over-attached mom I never wanted to be. And she's only two!

Talking about her 19-year-old daughter, one of my good friends said, "You have to learn how to participate in their lives instead of controlling their lives."

I'm more than a decade away from that era in my life, but it's good advice. Especially for me, since I'm missing the baby days already.

Luckily, there will be plenty more firsts to experience with my little one. Along with losing the diapers and pacifier this year, Sophie has also had her first pedicure with Mommy and Gran and she has been to the big screen three times. She will finally eat something other than macaroni and cheese and her little conversations make me smile every day.

The happy moments definitely out-weigh the sad. I will always have sweet memories and a life to look forward to with my family. I cherish each moment with my baby chick and hubby and I feel incredibly blessed.

Two going on 20!

Anti-Foodie

2010-06-15T17:47:00.005-06:00

Realizing that toddlers are picky eaters, I still believe I have an extreme case on my hands! The tiny tot that resides in my house is demanding, stubborn and full of flavor!

I'm beyond the point of frustration. I'm standing at the gates of anti-foodie exhaustion. What the bleep am I to do? Maybe your input can help my sitch. But first, let's go over a little history here.

As a newborn our little tiny would not breast feed. For three weeks I tried to no avail, all the while pumping milk. After three weeks, an exhausted Mommy reluctantly decided to switch to formula after her supply started to dry up. At least Sophie would drink formula, although it was tough getting her to drink the minimum amount required each day.

At nine months old, the girl would eat anything that was pureed. Anything. It was a small success and I was happy. Though this made it even more difficult to get her to drink her 24 ounces of formula per day. But she had some chunk on her legs which made me feel like I was doing something right.

Finally in our transition to all solid food, Sophie decided she had an opinion. She started narrowing the foods that she would eat. Even if they were the same foods she had eaten previously in pureed form. And yes, I tried giving them to her again in pureed form... no dice.

So here we sit. Sophie's breakfast options are wavering at three, lunch options are virtually nil and dinner is down to three. We generally dice up what we're having for dinner in smaller pieces for Sophie's plate. And we've tried making a separate meal for her if we suspect she won't like what we're eating. In hindsight, that was a dumb idea. My toddler, unbeknownst to her, cannot thrive on strawberries and macaroni and cheese alone.

What's a Mommy to do? Any suggestions? Even funny stories about other toddler food tantrums would make me feel better about myself as a mom. :) I'll leave you with this cute pic for inspiration.

Picture of the Day

2010-06-01T11:35:00.003-06:00

Gotta find those sales!

Reading the paper with Daddy.

Hot Pink Is For Girls

2010-04-08T21:08:00.002-06:00

Maybe there has been some confusion among the masses lately regarding colors that little girls typically wear. I never thought I would be like this, but I’m getting pretty annoyed with people calling my daughter a “fella” or “little guy” or “handsome”. She’s such an obvious diva! Hence the pink, glittery clothes and the white, flowery sandals.

Today Sophie was dressed in something similar to what she’s wearing in this picture.

Specifically, she was wearing the same hat as in the picture, a pair of hot pink plaid pants and a t-shirt with glittery pink lettering on it. To complete her ensemble were a super-cute pair of white sandals with little flowers on the straps. Um, hello… if you lack the ability to notice this much detail in close range, you shouldn’t have driven yourself to the grocery store.

I realize my daughter has very fine, blonde hair that’s not fully grown out yet so I go to great lengths to make it very obvious that she is a girl. To add to my frustration (at other people), my little sweetheart is petite and has dainty features. So out of one’s 50/50 chance to guess the correct gender, why do they look directly at her hair and think, “Well, it doesn’t have shoulder-length hair, so it must be a boy.” And then they go on to say, “What a cute little fella you got there.” Forget that the “fella” is wearing hot pink from head to toe. Argh.

So then I wonder, “Do they really think I would dress my little boy like this”? That is, if she were a boy. Bunch of crazies.

Change of Heart

2010-02-09T14:00:00.005-06:00

If you've been around me recently, you would know that I'm pretty settled in to being the mother of one... and only one. However, something is happening. Something is changing in me. Is it my biological clock? Is it God? I don't know. But what I do know is I have this undeniable desire to have another baby... but just one more. Two kiddos would be the end of the line.

I'm not saying I want to jump in the bed right now to procreate. I'm just saying that the desire is beginning to fester. I think of many, many holiday seasons from now and I see Christmas mornings with more than one child tugging at my pj's to get out of bed. I see siblings running to find the first Easter egg of the hunt, and I see Sophie having a baby sister or brother with whom she shares a bond that only siblings share.

Maybe this is the culprit of my new found desires...

Sophie LOVES Josiah (for those who don't know, a baby boy that I keep during the day). He's a little bundle of sweetness... most of the time, and Sophie misses him when he's not here, even though her favorite words when he is here are "mine" and "no".

On the mornings when Sophie and Jojo go to Mother's Day Out, Sophie asks for him before we leave the house and she announces his name when we arrive at his house to pick him up. She kisses him at least five times a day and loves to give him hugs, pat him on the back when he's trying to burp, and push him in the swing when he's trying to sleep. All this to say, I think Sophie would love a little sibling. She'll always have Jojo, but if they get married then who would be her brother? Haha!

Word Girl

2010-01-19T21:52:00.004-06:00

Our Little is learning so many words so fast these days. She's a little parrot, spouting off cool words that she hears everyday. It's neat to hear her hear a word and copy it for the first time. Then over the next several days she perfects her new word.

Recently she's been picking up what I call command words, like "more," "milk," and "out". This confuses me because I assume that whenever she uses one of these words, she wants what she is requesting. However, when she says, "out" while in her high chair and I begin to remove her from the high chair, she grabs fistfuls of food like I'm depriving her of her meal and looks at me like, "what do you think you're doing lady!"

What's a mom to do? Though confusing at times, it's still precious to hear new little words come out of her sweet, syrup-kissed mouth. A new favorite of hers: "No!" That one is fun. Especially when it comes out with a southern drawl. Imagine a little Paula Deen yelling, "no" about twenty notches higher than her regular pitch and you've got my daughter.

On her vocab list as of today:
Daddy, Mommy, Nanny, Papaw, Grandpa, cracker, cookie, out, milk, more, I walk (the only word she uses "I" with so far), why, water, no, book, Jack, Mable, Jojo (for Josiah), home, bath. That's all I can think of for now, but a quite extensive list in my biased opinion.

Here's a fun picture of my little Word Girl in utter protest of coming inside on a cold winter's day. Daddy was outside hanging Christmas lights and she insisted that is where she must remain. She had no interest in being inside with Mommy even though Mommy was making yummy Christmas cookies. Daddy's girl.

Sophie is walking!

2010-01-11T11:41:00.003-06:00

I'm a little behind the times, but I still wanted to share this video from Christmas Eve. Sophie started walking all by herself like a big girl! And I caught it on tape! It was a perfect Christmas present for Mommy and Daddy.

... three weeks later to present time, Sophie's doing a great job walking. We took her to the mall yesterday and the girl walked through the whole mall by herself. Mommy and Daddy guided her direction, but otherwise, she did it by herself. So exciting!

Precious Moments

2009-11-12T16:20:00.003-06:00

Moments when I get to snuggle with my sweet girl are getting fewer and farther between. She's growing into a little toddler and she wants to be on the move most of the time she's awake. And she doesn't sleep in my bed, so I can't snuggle with her there either. Ever since she was a teeny-weeny, just two weeks old, we've been putting her in her crib to sleep. Most of the time it's great because she's used to laying down and going to sleep without any coaxing. The downside (for me) is that she sleeps alone with the exception of her blanky. If I try to lay down with her, it's playtime for her. Not sleepy-time.

So today when she wanted to sit on my lap and snuggle for a little while, I took full advantage of it. It only lasted about ten minutes, but I probably kissed her little head about 50 times. I have to get all my kisses in when I can, she doesn't sit still for very long.

I know she's growing fast and I want to soak up each precious moment I have with her. Speaking of precious... here's a sneak peek of what you may see on a Christmas card.

I'm so excited to see the pictures we had taken recently for Christmas. I do have the best photographer ever, so they should be great!

Sophie's First Birthday!

2009-11-04T14:29:00.006-06:00

Wow! Time has flown. Just one year ago I was experiencing the miracle of a new baby in my arms while trying to figure out this whole new motherhood thing. In this first year, I've learned that motherhood just happens. You can read books and take advice from other moms, but there are times when you're on your own with baby and you figure out how to do it. It being a mother. And you get this overwhelming sense of accomplishment that bubbles inside you. You just want to yell, "Look Mom, I did it! I did it all by myself! I'm a mother too!"

As the months go on, motherhood sinks in and becomes a natural feeling. Diaper bag inventory is written on your brain, feeding and napping queues become obvious, and you can read your child like a book. Making your way through the obstacle course that is your living room becomes your new aerobics class. And lullaby music through the baby monitor is your new coffeehouse jam.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't trade my little Sophie-bean for anything. It's been an ajustment this year, but I feel like I'm finally fitting comfortably in my role as a Mommy.

In my role as a party planner, I still need a little adjusting, but I think her parties went well this year. Sophie had two birthday parties - one small (we couldn't completely skip her actual birthday) and one big.

The first one was on the 30th. We had a super-cute strawberry cake with strawberry icing, topped with chocolate dipped strawberries. Can you tell what Sophie's favorite fruit is? We also had her favorite dinner - turkey tacos. We had fresh tortillas, ground turkey, cheddar cheese, black beans and avacado. Of course the adults had Sheldon's homemade salsa. Yum!

The second party was on Halloween! We had a baby costume party. Everyone was adorable. Instead of describing everything, I'll just let you see for yourself.

All of the gifts were awesome and Sophie had a great time opening them. She seemed to enjoy every bit of each party. I was so happy she didn't get cranky... I should have known, she's my little social butterfly.

Happy Birthday my little sweetheart!!

New Favorite Toy

2009-11-02T21:58:00.002-06:00

Sophie's great grandpa showed up at our house for Sophie's birthday party with a brand new red wagon. Sophie and I were in town shopping and when we got home and she saw her new toy, she was immediately drawn to it. She wanted to know how the door worked, how the wheels worked, and how the handle worked. She investigated everything about it and finally sat down in it ready for her ride.

As with all her other toys, I thought she would lose interest within a couple hours; however, four days later she's still lovin' it! We took Sophie on a walk in her new wagon and she sat contently for about 40 minutes while we walked around the neighborhood.

She sits in her wagon while I cook dinner. She sits in her wagon while I clean the kitchen. She sits in her wagon while I fold laundry. And tonight she wanted to be carted to her bedroom in style... in her wagon. Thanks Granpoppa Anderson! We love our new toy.

A parent's job is to monitor, right?

2009-10-21T09:43:00.003-06:00

With Sophie growing in and out of phases so quickly these days, I began to wonder when we wouldn't need to use a monitor in her room anymore. And then I thought, what would it hurt if we left it in there until she moves out? When she's old enough to know what the monitor is, I could just hide it under her bed. Yes, yes, this could work! I was starting to like my sneaky little plan until I realized I would be sending my daughter to college some issues. Possibly paranoia.

So I guess I'll be taking the monitor out of her room at some point, I'm just not sure when. The teenage years are when it starts to get interesting though...

First days with two babies...

2009-10-07T14:27:00.002-06:00

It’s been an adventure so far. Sophie is adjusting to having another baby in the house. Josiah is adjusting to having a curious little kid picking at him all the time. Sophie is learning the word “gentle”. Josiah is learning that the word “gentle” apparently means something other than gentle.

I’ve had all extremes this week. Both babies sleeping… ah sweet silence. Both babies screaming, one tugs on my leg while the other is in my arms. Both babies quietly playing and one baby awake while the other sleeps. When there is chaos however, it usually only lasts a short while. I’m adjusting to a new schedule and so are the babies, but it has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. My sanity is still in tact… at least for now.

Some improvements have been made. Monday, Sophie was totally put out that I was feeding another baby; but today however, she lay on her own pillow and fed herself her bottle while I fed the littlest one. One eye was always on Mommy though. Sophie still throws little fits when I’m holding Josiah, but they’re getting shorter so I’m hoping we’re making progress in that area.

Side note – this morning when Sophie was throwing a little “hold me, not him” fit, I realized that it’s naturally impossible to have babies as close in age as Josiah and Sophie are. There’s probably a reason for that.

No matter what happens during the day though, both babies are loved very much. And that’s why I can’t stop taking pictures of them! They’re so cute! Here are some of the ones I took this week.

There is chaos and there is peacefulness. At the end of the day we all had fun and we’re all exhausted, especially the Mommies.

No Tears

2009-09-18T16:06:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I dropped Sophie off at school (Mother's Day Out) and she didn't cry... at all. Not one tear. That's supposed to be a good thing, but Mama misses her girl. She's doing great though. This week was the third week of school for Sophie and she's come a long way.

On the first day of school everyone in the building clearly knew that the world was ending from the way my child was crying. It broke my heart. I had to walk away and tell myself that she would be taken care of and have fun. The second day the world wasn't ending, but the sky was definitely falling. The third day, a small little "wah" snuck out, but was quickly haulted once Sophie saw her new friend playing in the classroom.

So we're at the end of the third week and my sweet girl didn't even look back, even when Mama said goodbye. It's bittersweet. She's not afraid to go to school anymore, but it's one of the many times she'll let go of Mama in her life. That's what every parent wants - for their child to be independent, that doesn't make it any easier for the mamas and daddies when their babies leave. At least I still have 17 years before she's really on her own!

Our big girl is finding her freedom in other ways too. She finally has a tooth! She has been eating finger foods since she refuses to let Mama or Daddy feed her from a jar. This week she tried strawberries, cantaloupe, guacamole, cheese ravioli, and grilled chicken. All successes except the ravioli. Like her mama, Sophie's favorite finger food is bread.

We bought Sophie's first walkin' shoes this week. She's so close to walking! It's exciting and a little sad. My baby is slowly becoming a toddler. She loves her new "big girl" shoes. The first day we bought them I was changing her diaper and had to take them off. It struggled to get to diaper back on because she was fighting me to put her shoes back on. She gets this big smile when we have to put her shoes on to go outside. Here's a picture of her cute, new shoes. And some pictures of our cute girl.

So, um...

2009-08-15T20:48:00.004-06:00

I haven't had much motivation to write lately. I'm still looking for a teaching or writing position; however, I dread the thought of leaving my baby girl at daycare all day. Getting used to living on one salary instead of two (yes, I'm still getting used to it after five months) has caused us to tighten our belts and live on a budget, which in turn has caused a temporary spending freeze. Good friends moved to another city and more good friends are leaving the country soon!

On the upside, two beautiful babies were born this month to dear friends of mine and another is due any day now. My little girl continues to be full of surprises. And I'm still trying to make the transition from career-minded woman to stay-at-home mom, but I'm cherishing every moment I get to be at home with Sophie.

Here are some fun, recent pictures.

Sophie, just chillin' before her nine month photo shoot. Such a rock star.

Miss Thang loves to cruise around the couch and end tables.

Friend Ian holds Sophie's water for her. Such a nice little guy. We miss you!

Animal Crackers and Brand New Pampers

2009-08-02T15:10:00.004-06:00

That's what Sophie smelled like when I picked her up from the Y daycare last Thursday. It smelled so sweet to me. I wondered if she always smells like that and if I just don't notice it anymore.

I used to love the way her clothes smelled. Dreft detergent makes all baby clothes smell, well... like babies. But now that it's a constant chore in my house to wash baby clothes, I don't notice it anymore.

I try to imprint pictures in my mind to last forever. I don't want to forget what her silky, baby-fine hair feels like or how adorable her chubby little baby cheeks are. I want to remember how she sits on the floor studying a new toy with her little, nubby baby toes nestled behind her and how excited she gets when Mommy and Daddy play the "geeter" (get her) game with her.

My sweet little girl is growing out of her baby stages and soon she'll be a little toddler. She is loving sharing food from Mommy and Daddy's plates, she walks along furniture, and stands up any chance she gets. She can say "hi" and she waves at most people. The little bean is such a social butterfly. She loves to meet new people and go places. One day in the house and she acts as if we've kept her locked up for weeks, smiling from ear to ear when she sees her car seat or the stroller.

The girl had her nine month appointment on Friday. Her official weight was 15 lbs. 10.8 oz. Almost 16! I bet if she had her clothes on we could have made it to 16 lbs. She's 27 inches long. And she's full of energy. We had a hard time keeping her occupied in a small room while we waited for the doctor for an hour, but she did great. Especially when the lab person was taking blood from her heel for what seemed like an eternity... at least to Mama it did.

In nine months we've had some huge changes to our lives, but parenthood is pretty much second nature to me now. And I love it. Do I want more kids? Ask me in a couple years.

Stinky Summer School

2009-07-02T14:27:00.003-06:00

I miss Zumba! And my friends, and playdates, and shopping, and enjoying my time at home with my baby girl, and blogging! I can't wait for this class to be over... only eight more days and I'll be back! Woohoo!

Until then you probably won't see anything new or exciting on this blog, but you can check anyway.

Love you! Miss you!

All at once!

2009-06-14T08:17:00.006-06:00

For weeks Sheldon and I have been awaiting the moment when Sophie would take her first true crawl steps. Over a month ago she started moving by pushing herself backwards with her hands. Then she learned to pull forward. Her next feat was learning how to balance on her hands and knees. Once she got that down, she wouldn't stay on her knees for long. Her movement forward was more of an "army crawl" or some type of "fish flop". Or she'd wobble on her knees for a bit and then flatten out on her belly.

Early this week she took her first real crawl steps, two or three in a row! By the end of the day she was crawling across the room. Two days later she decided she could pull up in her crib on her knees. The next day she was standing in her crib!

As a mom I'm thinking, whoa! Too fast... you're learning way too fast. My little girl is growing up all in one week! Pulling up leads to walking and walking leads to walking right out of babyhood and into toddlerhood.

Some recaps from Sophie's busy week...
Once Sophie learned she could crawl anywhere in the house, mommy learned that there are way too many things that could harm baby in crawl's reach.

Sophie pulled the doorstopper cap off the doorstopper - Mommy took it away. Sophie pulled the doorstopper out of the wall - Mommy thought, "how did she do that?" and then took it away.

Sophie's perspective: Sophie helped Daddy clean the kitchen.
Daddy's perspective: Sophie pulled herself up to the dishwasher and banged on the dishes while Daddy cleaned the kitchen.

Sophie found an electrical outlet and was one millimeter away from sticking her pinky in one of the holes before Mommy bolted across the room to stop her.

Out of a room full of toys, Sophie found the one item that had an electrical cord attached to it and decided it would be fun to chew on the metal prongs.

Sophie crawled under one of our barstools and pulled herself up to standing position holding onto the legs of the barstool. She was so pleased with herself. She stood under the barstool, a little wobbly, grinning from ear to ear.

As for bumps and bruises... Sophie has hit the floor, an end table leg and the dishwasher door this week. It breaks my heart every time she falls. I don't know if I can handle her learning to walk!

Here are some pics of Sophie's successes this week:

Swingin' Good Time

2009-05-30T07:08:00.003-06:00

Our neighborhood has a cute little playground that I've been excited about using since I was pregnant with Sophie. It's not that big, but it's the memories of my parents taking me to the park when I was a child that make me want to experience that with my baby girl.

I remember my dad standing on the ladder end of a really tall slide telling me it's okay and that I wouldn't fall. I went down the super high (at the time, I'm sure) slide and that was the beginning! I was addicted to slide-riding. I had no fear of the gi-normous slide any longer partly due to the fact that my dad said I wouldn't get hurt and he knew everything.

Well, Sophie's not old enough to ride the really tall slide yet, but she is old enough to hold herself up in the swings! We went to the park on Thursday, camera in tow, and swung in the baby swings. She had so much fun. The first time I put her in the swings - maybe a month ago - she just scooched down in the swing making her little concerned facial expression. This week she was all wonder and smiles.

Here are a few of my favorites of the little chickity.

Who is Michigan?

2009-05-26T21:52:00.003-06:00

For about three weeks now different men have been texting and calling me asking the random, "what u doin'" and "whassup". When I reply that I don't know who they are, they ask me if I'm Michigan. I have no idea who this "Michigan" character is or why she (I assume she) is giving out my number to all these men.

My little theory is that Michigan is a fake name and some lady who wants to experience her wild side is going out under this name and then giving men her "fake" phone number when she departs...therefore leaving me to deal with all these poor guys calling for more...whatever.

The first guy who texted me told me that he must have left his "...wallet in the hotel room last night." He was nice enough to apologize for "getting the wrong number." "Phew," I thought. Thank goodness it's documented that it was a wrong number and my husband didn't happen to stumble upon that text! How would I explain that?

The next two guys, especially the last one, have insisted that I am Michigan. Neither apologized for getting the wrong number. Instead they continually call hoping that maybe some strange lady is actually answering Michigan's phone and that the true woman they were with will pick up one of these times. Ugh! So annoying!

Well, I am not moonlighting as "Michigan". And the woman behind the phone number that Michigan so freely gives out is getting tired of fielding her calls. So if you're Michigan, stop giving out my number! Find another "fake" number to give out.

Meanwhile, in my normal little life, my baby girl is growing everyday. She'll be seven months old on Saturday! Here's a picture of her on Mother's Day. My sweet girl.

Tired Momma's Dinner

2009-05-07T20:52:00.002-06:00

Sore from a body shaping class the previous day, scatter-brained from re-organizing a guest room, and tired from daily care-taking of a precious little girl, I find myself staring into the pantry wondering what I might eat for dinner at 8:30 p.m.

Chili? No, too much preparation. Ooo, an omlet! Nah...I would have to shred cheese. Yogurt raisins! Those sound good, but I can't just eat yogurt raisins for dinner. I know, soup would be perfect. Open the can, pour into bowl, microwave. Voila! After rummaging through the pantry for a few minutes I realize my soup must have disappeared into thin air. One last option - a lean pocket. Perfect! Two minutes and dinner is ready.

So that's what I had - a lean pocket and some yogurt raisins. For dessert? Two super-yummy chocolate truffles...my Mother's Day gift to myself. And I'm ok with that. I get to eat my dinner in my PJs relaxing to lullaby music through the baby monitor.

Before I finish off my turkey-cheese pocket and sign-off to wash bottles, here's a cute picture of my little cutie!

Parents' night out

2009-04-21T09:52:00.000-06:00

So many changes occur when two worlds collide. Our previous D.I.N.K. (double-income, no kids) world collided with Sophie’s world. Sometimes it feels like it’s only Sophie’s world and the independent-adult-do-whatever-you-want world no longer exists.

I love my daughter more than there is space on the internet to it explain how much I love her, but sometimes I want to creep back into D.I.N.K. world for a few hours. It’s like peeking behind a curtain while this other life is going on and thinking, “When should I go back in… during the long shower, during the night at the movies or during the long sleep-in on Saturday? Ooo, or maybe I could jump in during the evening out at the fancy restaurant!”

Last Saturday Sheldon and I got that chance to “jump in”. Thanks to our awesome LG friends, we were able to have a lovely dinner at 135 Prime. Everything was perfect. It was a slow-service (in a good way) meal, the lights were dim, the food was amazing, and the company…well, I’m in love with the company, so that was great too!

It was a much-needed peek into another lifestyle. I fully enjoyed the evening out with my husband and I also fully enjoyed coming home to my precious little girl. Life is good.

Can she talk?

2009-04-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

Two times this weekend, I was asked the same question by two different little girls. I found the answer obvious, but then I realized a child wouldn’t necessarily know the answer. Can she talk? And then after I explained that Sophie is too young to talk just yet, I thought that sounded weird coming out of my mouth. She “talks”. The better word would be “communicate”, but I really feel like Sophie already talks to me.

I know when she’s happy or sad or hurt or excited by her body language and her cries or giggles. I know what she’s thinking by how her eyes look at me. They tell me she wants me to pick her up, that she’s anticipating me tickling her, that she’s tired or she’s mesmerized by something new.

How neat is it that we get to “learn” a new person without them having the ability to speak? A mother knows her child inside and out before he or she can say what he or she likes or dislikes.

So if the question is ever asked again, my answer will be, “Yes, she just doesn’t use words yet.” Unless she is using words by that point…and then the answer will just be, “Yes,” in which case this will be a moot point.

Just one of my thoughts of the day…

Pretty Blues

2009-04-10T16:02:00.003-06:00

To our surprise our little Sophie-bean has the most beautiful blue eyes. Sheldon and I have brown and hazel eyes so we thought, naturally, our daughter would have brown eyes.

Still, a little hope remained in the back of my mind because both of our parents (one in each set) has blue eyes and their parents have blue eyes. The genes were there, but I figured brown eyes were always dominant. I felt like it would be silly to pray for my daughter to have blue eyes, especially since what I cared most about was that she was healthy and fully developed. Little did I know that God listens to the littlest of wishes.

Sophie is almost six months old and her blue eyes have just gotten lighter since her birth. I love them. Any chance I get I try to get pictures of my sweet girl's little face.

This week we took pictures in the bluebonnets. We got some good shots of the the bluebonnets and some close-up shots of Sophie's pretty blues.

Milestones

2009-03-02T21:49:00.009-06:00

So many milestones, so little time to record them! Sophie has been chuggin’ right along this month on reaching some important milestones. I know they’re probably right on schedule, but it seems like time is flying by. She’s growing up so fast!

Today was her four month well baby visit with Dr. M. Everything went well. She weighs 11 ½ pounds, is 23.5 inches long, and her head circumference is 16 cm. She’s in the 10th percentile for her weight and 25th for her height. She’s small, but she’s healthy and the doc isn’t worried.

I got several of my questions answered regarding starting the little bean on solid foods. So starts the exciting journey of introducing actual food to our girl. We bought some rice cereal and tried it tonight. Maybe Sophie will sleep all night! Fingers are crossed! Here’s how it went tonight.

What is that?

Eww! I don’t know about this new stuff. I think it’s the texture that bothers me. It’s like beans…(haha!)

Ok, fine, I’ll try it again.

Why must you always put that flashy thing in my face? I’m trying to concentrate here.

I guess this rice cereal stuff is alright.

The other milestone this past weekend was rolling over! Sophie rolled over all by herself – from tummy to back and to tummy again. She seemed a bit shocked when she rolled the first time. Arms were spread wide across the floor and eyes were wide open.

I didn’t catch her in the rolling motion, but here are some cute pictures after the fact.

Sophie’s also reaching for everything in sight and throwing little fits when she doesn’t get what she wants. It’s crazy! If it seems like I’m trying to cram all her milestones in one post, it’s because I am. She’s changing so fast I’m afraid these milestones will be outdated before I get a chance to blog again. My little punkin-head will be toddling around before long and all baby-ness will be lost!

I just put her in a 3-6 month size onesie today and it fit her! I was denying the fact that she was getting bigger. Apparently the neck of her onesies being stretched down to her chest when she stood up wasn’t a big enough clue.

Oh, and one more milestone (for Mommy at least) – Sophie rode in the grocery store cart without her carrier today! She sat in the kid seat in the grocery cart like a big girl. It helped that we had a “buggy buddy” – it’s a padded, fabric seat cover. It can be used in high chairs at restaurants also. It worked great and Sophie had so much fun grabbing for groceries I was trying to put in the cart. Sigh…

I want to lock all of these moments in my memory forever as vividly as I remember them today. Contrary to her stats today, my little Sophie-bean won’t be teeny-weeny for long.

A New Love

2009-02-18T22:28:00.003-06:00

Everyone will tell you that when you have a child it’s a love different than you’ll ever know. People told me that when I was pregnant and, honestly, I didn’t know what they were talking about. How could the love that I feel for my husband or my family be totally different than the love I would have for my daughter? How could it “feel” different?

Right after Sophie was born I couldn’t help but love this little person I didn’t know. It’s bizarre that this tiny little being that took up residence in the Anderson household filled my heart and I’d barely met her. I carried her for nine months, but it was the beginning.

It’s almost been four months and I’ve gotten to know the little princess that grew in my belly last year. In just four, short months I know that she will be independent, have a little fire in her personality, and she makes my heart melt when her smile turns her eyes to sparkling, blue half-moons.

And even though she spits up on me at least twice a day (seven times today!!), wakes up five times during the night for no apparent reason, cries when I’m not holding her, and makes explosive little presents for me to change several times a day, I love her more than I can explain.

And even though I have random, severe chest pains since I’ve given birth, I’m tired most of the time, I don’t have any time for me anymore, and I’ve recently learned of another “condition” I have due to the birth of the little bean, I would do it all over again just to have her in my life.

My house looks like Babies R Us exploded in it most of the time. I have words in my vocabulary that I didn’t know existed just a few short months ago. Instead of the morning Starbucks mocha, the 20-minute shower, and the opportunity to blog whenever I want to, things like the “Bumbo”, “activity gym”, and “Boppy” are the new daily necessities. But I wouldn’t change anything.

Even though I miss curling up with a book in the quiet of my home and being able to shop without considering the feeding schedule of a four-month-old, those are small luxuries to give up compared to the warmth brought into my life from my baby girl.

This new love in my life is definitely a love that I’ve never known.

Daddy's Girl

2009-02-10T12:31:00.004-06:00

Everyone says that Sophie-bean looks like her Daddy. I agree, but I was in total amazement when I saw this picture of Sheldon when he was three months old. Wow! Sophie is definitely Daddy's girl.

And this is Sophie with similar poses at two & three months respectively. Of course, she's more petite and feminine.

Camera Shy

2009-02-03T16:35:00.003-06:00

Saturday was Sophie's three-month photo shoot and Mommy was so excited...Sophie not so much. We bought two outfits for her and had a third wardrobe idea as well. The photographer was awesome and I'm so excited to see the pictures. The only downside to the day was that Sophie-bean decided that she would smile at no one. For an hour and a half we wore ourselves out shaking rattles and speaking in high-pitched tones to get the girl to smile. She was totally not interested. I think we got some good shots of her big, blue eyes though.

At the end of the shoot she got a little cranky. Five minutes in Mommy's arms and she was out. We decided to take some sleepy, lullaby shots for the fun of it. Apparently all she wanted was her beauty sleep because later that day she was all smiles.

Sophie's Daddy does a great job of making her smile, so the next day we took some pictures just to prove that she does actually smile when she wants to. I love the picture below.

The same day (Super Bowl Sunday), we took a picture of all the adorable little ones at their first Super Bowl! So cute!

Stuff and things...

2009-01-30T21:30:00.004-06:00

On KD's blog she asked what was going on in one's life this time last year. Well, apparently I was doing nothing. Here's the link to the post closest to today's date. It's titled, "At a Loss for Words."

This year is a little bit more interesting! We have a little angel to keep up with. She's been on an awesome schedule lately. Now that her little bottom is doing much better, she's been eating all her milk every three hours and sleeping through the night. She's also smiling more and squealing in delight. Sophie-bean is holding her little head up now with almost no wobble. Mommy is so excited that Sophie's learning and getting bigger, but also a little sad that she's growing up so fast! Before I know it she'll be 17 and engaged...ahhh! Do as Mommy says, not as Mommy does.

Two weekends ago we had some Mommy, Daddy, Sophie time. We watched Horton Hears a Who and Sophie wore her Horton onesie. It was the very first item of clothing that I bought her. She looked so 'dorable! The movie was also hilarious. One of my favorite lines: "Good luck with your illusional superiority." That's great, I plan to use that one.

I'm glad we got some rest in, because this weekend is going to be busy. Sheldon's grandparents came to visit the girl, Sophie has her three-month pictures tomorrow, and we're having a SuperBowl party on Sunday!

Sheldon is snoring next to me and refuses to go to bed unless I do (which is sweet, I guess) so I'll leave you with some more cute pictures of our little Sophie-bean.

Look Mom, no hands!

2009-01-10T15:43:00.005-06:00

Sophie has been making so much progress in her development – it’s amazing! But the title of this post is really for me. I survived my first week of truly being by myself in caring for my daughter! That’s one big, fat milestone for Mommy. Sheldon returned to the road this week – he was gone three days and two nights and I lived! It sounds like a simple task to feed baby and change baby’s diapers when they're dirty, but while each individual duty is easy, all of them together 24/7 for one person is challenging. Not to mention keeping the house in running order like washing dishes and bottles, doing laundry so clean burp cloths are available when needed, and cooking for yourself. On top of all that, Sophie made it to daycare on time and I made it to work on time! Go me! I salute all single parents out there. How do you do it?

While I was so happy that I was able to hold it together while Sheldon was gone, I was also so relieved when he came home Wednesday night. I knew I’d finally be able to get a night of uninterrupted sleep. He so kindly took the night feeding for Sophie-bean so I could catch up on my rest.

Speaking of Sophie-bean…she is such a great baby! Of course all parents know their baby is the greatest! I love watching her discover new things almost on a daily basis. In the past month she has discovered her hands and her feet. She can sit up with some assistance and coos all the time. And those little eyes just watch whatever you may be doing. You can tell she’s thinking about something…which raises the question, how do they think? If they don’t have a language yet, do they think in visual images or sounds? Hmmm….

This morning was fun because Sophie was in such a playful mood. We “talked” for an hour or so while she sat up. She coo’d and ga-ga’d just like she was saying real words. This is my new favorite picture of the little one. She was having a ball on her activity mat.

Yesterday was her two-month well visit to the pediatrician. It was scheduled a little late due to our travel during Christmas. Sophie is in the 15th percentile for weight (9 lbs. 14.6 oz.), 10th percentile for height (22.25 in.), and 50th percentile for head. No wonder everyone thinks she looks so little! But the doctor said that she’s grown at an average rate from her birth weight. She’s healthy, just a petite healthy.

The only concern is the hemangioma on her bottom. However, we have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist in Dallas next week. Hopefully he’ll have a solution to get rid of it faster. If not treated, hemangiomas generally disappear on their own after several years. Since Sophie’s sore is in a sensitive area, they may be able to treat it so it goes away faster. Fingers crossed! I can’t stand to hear my little girl scream.

Well, I don’t want to end on that note. So I’ll add another really cute picture!

Sophie's Adventures

2008-12-17T13:39:00.006-06:00

Last week Sophie visited San Antonio to be with Daddy while he was working. Sophie got to stay in a hotel room for the first time, go shopping with Mommy and eat at the Hard Rock Cafe! When Sophie wasn't eating or sleeping at the Hard Rock, she stared at an electric guitar hung on the wall. Hmmm...future rock star? Teen rebel?

Sunday was Sophie's first day to go to church...outside the womb. She did great. She got hungry toward the end of the service, but other than that, she was a sleeping angel. Here's the little girl all dolled up in her church dress.

And yesterday Sophie got to meet Santa! She slept through the whole thing, not even waking when she was taken out of her car seat or placed back in it. But it was fun! Here's Santa and the teeny-weeny.

Next week will be Sophie's first time in an airplane and in Alabama. She's visiting Nanny and Pappy Kilponen for Christmas. More fun pictures to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

A day of rest

2008-12-04T19:09:00.001-06:00

Sophie-bean gave me a little rest today. She’s been sleeping all day it seems…waking every three to four hours to eat. I’m happy to have the time to chill, but I’m a little worried at how much she’s been sleeping today. Then again, we were out all day in Ft. Worth yesterday. She could just be tired from that…or she could be growing…or she’s just a newborn who sleeps because that’s what they do. I’ll just stop worrying and be grateful that I had a day to relax a little, which came at a perfect time.

I was just wondering the other day when the SuperMom instincts kick in. Becoming a parent has been great beyond description and also exhausting. I can’t wait to hold my little girl after her naps and watch her little face light up when I talk to her. The downside is the recovery. My body still aches and I have chest pains randomly. I’m tired by 8 p.m. and it takes a lot of effort to fix my hair and put on makeup if I plan to leave the house. I look forward to the days when I have energy again to keep up with my little one. The downside is that she’ll be older and bigger and I won’t have my tiny little munchkin to snuggle with as much. So when she’s hungry at 2 a.m., I’ll remind myself that she won’t be this little forever and to enjoy snuggling with her while I can, ‘cause she’s so fun to snuggle with!

So back to why we were in Ft. Worth…Sophie has a little rash/sore thing on her bottom that the doctors were unfamiliar with. We were referred to a dermatologist in Ft. Worth who was able to help us. I was so excited that she knew what Sophie has. She also knew what treatment options we have and planned to do a little research to see what would work best for Sophie. Bottom line – it’s treatable and not permanent. Once Sophie has the treatment and the spots go away, the doctor said they won’t come back. Yay! That was such a huge relief. A weight was lifted from me just to hear the doc say it will go away and it won’t have any long-lasting effects on Sophie.

I can’t believe my little sweet pea is five weeks old already! Time has flown by! It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. And Christmas is around the corner.

I have to go for now to feed my Sophie-bean. Here are some more cute pictures of my little punkin.

Too cute not to post

2008-11-25T22:11:00.002-06:00

I was playing with my little munchkin yesterday and caught these cute pictures! Sophie has started smiling and it's so adorable. I had to share her cuteness with the world. Momma's sweet girl!

Adjusting to family life

2008-11-22T17:32:00.003-06:00

The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness. Everything is new to me. Everything is different. I couldn't have read enough books or gotten enough advice to prepare for the moment of becoming a parent. It's a scary thing.

So far I think Sheldon and I are doing a decent job. Sophie seems like a happy baby and she has gained weight since birth. She's also digesting her milk and sleeping, which I hear is a good thing.

There have been some bumps these first few weeks – hard decisions, hard situations to deal with, and some hard adjustments, but friends and family have really helped us get through it. We seem to be on a smoother path these past couple of days, possibly due to a routine and just getting used to our baby.

As expected, new experiences have impacted my life over the past few weeks.

The fear that motherhood brings. From day one since bringing Sophie home, I’ve been nervous that anything I do will somehow be wrong or I’ll accidentally harm her in some way. It’s such a big responsibility to care for a new human…why would anyone trust me with such a precious being?

Learning how to function on half the sleep I used to get. This one is harder than expected. I answer the little bit’s cries each night and try to keep up with daily activities as well. When I’m by myself, it can be overwhelming that the dishes need to be done, laundry has to be finished, and the house has to be picked up while the baby is napping. I’ve come to learn to take this one step at a time. I set one goal a day and don’t worry with the other stuff. It’ll get done eventually and most importantly, I need a nap too! This follows into my next realization.

Discovering that being home all day with a newborn doesn’t allow for much free time to get anything else done. I used to think I’d have a lot of free time being home with a baby all day. Wrong. Maybe that will happen when Sophie is a few months older, but for now she’s a demanding little bundle and I do good to get a shower some days.

Though it’s been a rough start, there are a few things I know for certain. I am so thankful for my understanding, supportive, loving husband. He has been so much help and is a great daddy to Sophie. I also cherish our little punkin-head Sophie. She’s a lot of work, but she’s also the adorable, sweet little girl I had hoped for and I wouldn’t change my mind for one second (ok, maybe one second, but not two) about deciding to start a family.

Here are some updated pics of our sweet girl:

Introducing: Sophia Kate!

2008-11-02T20:56:00.005-06:00

She's finally here!! We're so excited to present our daughter, Sophia Kate. Our little sweetheart gets more precious everyday. Here are some of her first pictures.

Happy Grandparents:

More to come later about my baby story. For now, I have to go feed my sweet daughter.

Shopaholic Mommy...and Daddy

2008-10-25T13:24:00.006-06:00

I am addicted to buying baby stuff! Especially clothes. And our little girl isn't even here yet. I don't know her size and how long or what time of year she'll be able to wear the clothes, but I can't stop. I estimate based on the average baby size and keep moving my little happy self through each aisle.

Last week Sheldon and I went to Target to get some last minute baby stuff and we ended up buying three more packages of really cute onesies. When shopping for another baby shower, I ended up spending more money on my little girl than for the other baby. And today, I went to JCPenney for a specific purpose (not to buy baby clothes) and we ended up spending more money on the most adorable clothes! In my defense, everything was 40% to 55% off! How could anyone resist?

Here are some pictures of today's purchases:

I think the little green dress is the most adorable Christmas dress ever. And it looks very "Sophie" to me. She'll be so cute in it! Both little Christmas sleepers are fleece and look so soft. All she needs now is a little red bow to match.

Sheldon picked out the white tennis-skirt-like dress. He's been looking for something that looks kindof sporty for Sophie. He wants her to look sporty when she goes to the gym with him. She'll be in the daycare, but she'll look ready to play on the court! I would give him a hard time, but I'm just as bad. I already bought Sophie a Halloween onesie and I don't even know if she'll be here by then. Again, in my defense, it was only three dollars.

I decided to throw in a few pictures of updates in Sophie's room. We finally found a glider that we liked and it was less expensive than most traditional gliders! We found it at a local furniture store. It's a leather glider/recliner and we can use it in other places in our house in future. I love it!

We also bought a little shelf to go next to the changing table to hold the wipe warmer and some breakable stuff, which I'm sure will be moved to higher ground when Sophie becomes a crawler.

I think we're officially done with the baby room. Sure, there are still things that I would like to have, but we have all the essentials. At least I think we do. I'm avoiding all stores now until Sophie's born so I don't spend anymore money until I need to. I hope she's born soon!

Less than a week!!

2008-10-23T08:07:00.003-06:00

It's Thursday morning and everything is still quiet at the Anderson household. Sophie has been a little jumping bean in my belly, which tells me she's still healthy but not much else. I had contractions again last night - these were definitely stronger, but nothing came of them. Or at least from what I can see.

Today is our normal appointment day, but the doctor's office couldn't get us in until Monday. I'm still hoping we'll have a little girl before then.

Though false labor is frustrating, it does serve a purpose. It's not like my body is just playing tricks on me for no apparent reason. The contractions I've been having are supposed to be helping me to dilate and making my cervix thin out or efface. This is a good thing. With all the contractions I've been having, I should be able to go into the hospital dilated to about a four and order my epidural right away. That's my wishful thinking anyway...it gets me through random contractions every day.

I've created a few projects to work on at home too to keep my mind off the "what day will be the day" topic. Yesterday I printed 176 photos of mine and Sheldon's trip to Cancun in 2007. I have all the scrapbook supplies ready to go and I have at least today (as far as I know) to work on it. And if I have longer than today, that's ok because I have 176 pictures to go through!

Even if Sophie holds on past her due date, I know there's an end in sight. Dr. B said he would schedule me to be induced no later than November 7. So at the most, I have two weeks before I get to meet our little girl! That's exciting!

Taking a Breather

2008-10-21T16:22:00.001-06:00

While I’m in great anticipation of our daughter to make her debut, these past two days have been nice. I officially started my maternity leave Monday, October 20. I’ve been able to sleep in, make breakfast, finish my thank you cards, and go to the grocery store without the mad rushing crowd of five o’clock. I also watched some favorite movies of mine and finished laundry.

I’m trying to keep myself busy to keep my mind off the reason why I’m not working in the first place. Since last Wednesday, Sheldon and I have been sittin’ on go. Wait…I didn’t post about last Wednesday. Let’s wind back the clock a little.

Wednesday, October 15
I woke up with some back pain and by 7:30 a.m., I was having contractions. Or at least what I thought were contractions. According to the book descriptions, that’s what I was having. We began timing them and they were about 10 minutes apart, but not really consistent yet. I also thought my water could possibly have sprung a leak. It wasn’t a steady flow, but I thought it was dripping.

So we call the doc. He says to come on in. We get there and all the normal pregnancy appointment procedures are done. Then the doc does a more “aggressive” check of my cervix to see how far up the baby is positioned, if my water did in fact break, and how dilated I was. Ouch! I know it had to be done, but ouch.

Once that was over, Dr. B said the baby was still quite high, my water hadn’t broken, and I was dilated to between a 2 and 3. He decided to put me on the contraction monitor to see if I was in fact having regular contractions.

The nurse concluded that Sophie was salsa dancing in my belly because once she got Sophie’s heart rate Sophie would do a little jig and escape from the monitor. It took about twenty minutes and three different positions to catch her.

The heart rate and contraction monitors were strapped to my belly for about thirty minutes. It did prove that I was having contractions, but they weren’t really strong and they were still about eight minutes apart.

Dr. B wanted to do an ultrasound to get an estimate of Sophie’s weight and measurements. I was excited to get to see her again even if it was in 2D. The ultrasound estimated that she was about 6 lbs. 11 oz., but the doc thought it may be underestimating a little. That’s still do-able for me! As long as she’s not on the brink of nine or ten pounds, I’m good.

So after all that, Dr. B told us to wait until the contractions were about four to five minutes apart and to make our way back to the hospital. He said to go eat some lunch, take a walk around town and he’d possibly see us that night.

That’s what we did. Sheldon wanted our little girl here so bad he had me eating spicy food and walking around Waco until about 7 p.m. that night. The contractions never increased in intensity and they stayed at about 7 to 8 minutes apart. When we got home that night, they abruptly stopped. Sigh…

The next day, Thursday, was our regular appointment. The doc checked my progress again, but this time not as aggressively (thank goodness). I had made progress. He said the contractions had caused me to dilate to a full 3 and I was 50% effaced. He last words were, “If I were a bettin’ man, I’d say she’ll be born before I see you again.”

Fast forward to today. It’s Tuesday, October 21, no baby. Dr. B has two more days to be right, otherwise, it’s a good thing he’s not a bettin’ man. I know Sophie will come when she’s meant to come, but I’m just so stinkin’ anxious after last week’s ordeal.

Sophie’s room is finished. All her newborn and 0-3 month clothes are washed. Blankets, burp cloths, receiving blankets, and sheets are washed. All furniture is together and in place. The guest room is ready for guests. Our dog Jack even got a new dog house so he doesn’t feel left out. We’re just waiting on our much anticipated new arrival.

I started having contractions again this afternoon. They’re about 10-15 minutes apart. We’ll see if they lead to anything or if I’m writing again tomorrow telling everyone my story about false labor and how much it stinks. Fingers crossed that it’s real!

Baby Needs

2008-10-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

After an inventory of our nursery stock and our registries, there are a few things we’re still lacking for Sophie’s arrival. We have about $100 in gift certificates to spend, but I’m not sure what we’ll really need out of our list of remaining items to purchase. So I’m enlisting the help of the moms and experienced aunts and “nini’s” in the blogger world!

Out of the following list, what should our top priorities be? As a note, I am planning to nurse. For how long – I’m not sure yet.

1. Breast pump
2. Newborn starter kit (bottles, nipples, storage bags)
3. Bath center (little bathtub for baby)
4. Sleep positioner
5. Baby health & grooming kit
6. Baby monitor
7. Diaper Genie
8. Wipe warmer
9. Glider/rocker and ottoman (this will probably just be an out-of-pocket expense).

Thanks for your help!

Quick Sophie Update

2008-10-02T15:41:00.002-06:00

Our doctor’s appointment was today. I pretty much expected the outcome, which is that I’m still dilated to one centimeter…sigh. I’m only 36 ½ weeks, but it would have been nice to get some exciting news about possibly having this little girl early.

Dr. B was in a bit of a hurry to get to labor and delivery, so our appointment was pretty quick. Here are the stats in Dr. B’s words:

Heartbeat: “Normal” (Sophie’s normal range is between 152 and 158)

Belly Measurement: “Right on target” (Probably 37 centimeters)

Cervix: “Long and dilated to one centimeter” (Dangit)

Good News: “Strep B test came back negative”

Bad News (for me): “I’d say she’s about 6.5 to 7 lbs.” (Eeek! At this rate she’ll be 9 pounds by Oct. 28!)

Sheldon’s response to the “bad news”: “Well, stop feeding her so much.” (Yah, like that’s an option).

Pikasso Masterpiece

2008-10-01T09:57:00.005-06:00

As mentioned on a previous post, one of my showers was held at Practically Pikasso. If you’re not familiar with the place, it’s a ceramic painting workshop. It’s a lot of fun to pick out what figure, tile, dish, or ornament you want to paint and slowly create your work of art. The staff there are really helpful and it’s a relaxing environment. A perfect place for a baby shower!

A couple of my brilliant friends came up with the great idea that we should paint Sophie’s name on tiles and hang them in her nursery. Each person at the shower would have a tile to paint and select what letter of Sophie’s name they’d like to paint. I selected the colors that would be used on the tiles and let everyone design their tile however their heart desired.

They turned out so great! Here are the before and after pictures of the tiles. Practically Pikasso fires the tiles after they’re painted in a kiln, so they look completely different as a finished product.

Here’s a few more shower pictures. Thanks everyone! We’ll have a keepsake that we’ll treasure forever!

Thirty-Six Weeks!

2008-09-30T09:40:00.003-06:00

We made it to thirty-six weeks and things are starting to change. The achy, pressure-like feeling is definitely present. It’s uncomfortable to change position from sitting to standing, standing to walking, or walking to sitting. I can’t bend over to reach anything successfully, squatting is required. Even then, it’s a challenge to stand back up without the support of someone or something.

I haven’t had any Braxton Hicks contractions yet. I wonder if I’ll have any at all. Sophie is starting to take up more room in my belly. I can feel her body resting against the inside of mine sometimes. It’s a crazy feeling.

I’ve been getting quick, occasional twinges of pain near the “birthing center.” I’m not sure if this is normal, if this is what dilation feels like, or is Sophie’s just kicking around in a sensitive spot. At our doctor’s appointment last Thursday, Dr. B said I was dilated to one centimeter and not effaced. He said if I progress this week, she may come early. But it’s hard to tell…wishful thinking! Everything else was normal, I gained another pound for a total of 12 pounds and my belly measurement was 36 centimeters – right on target. Sophie’s heartbeat was 152 bpm.

In this uncomfortable stage of pregnancy, there are a few things that I LOVE that make me and little Sophie more comfortable. Here’s a list of my favorite things…revised for my pregnant self.

1. Big, fluffy pillows
2. Soft, fuzzy blankets
3. Orange soda (totally a random craving I never expected)
4. TUMS
5. Stretchy pajama pants
6. Back rubs (this will probably remain on the list even after Sophie’s born)
7. My husband being at home with me
8. A cup of hot chocolate while reading a book to take my mind off of work and new parent anxiety
9. Blockbuster online movie service
10.Sitting in the nursery day dreaming of our little one’s arrival

Whirlwind Weekend

2008-09-28T08:00:00.003-06:00

Last weekend (Sept. 19-21) was so full that it took me a week to catch up! I was lucky enough to have two baby showers thrown by great friends. To keep Sheldon busy, he and his dad went to Ennis for the Fall National drag races for the weekend. He was happy, I was happy, it was a fun weekend!

Shower number one was held at work with all my friends at the COG. We gathered in our training room, which was decorated with white and pink decorations, balloons, and lots of gifts!

Shower number two was held at Practically Pikasso with friends and family. Everyone painted a ceramic tile with a letter from Sophie’s name on it. All the tiles spelled out Sophia Kate. It’s awesome! I’ll have pictures to come on that one. I want to show a before (firing) and after (firing) shot.

Between the two showers, Sheldon’s mom and I organized the nursery and washed all the newborn baby clothes, crib sheets, and blankets. Baby smell filled my house…probably from the Dreft detergent. The only thing left to do in the nursery is hang the wall décor and add the baby! I’m so excited that I haven’t thought about the pain to come, but the joy of holding our little one. That’s what will get me through the pain.

I’m sure you’d rather see pictures than read my babble…so here you go! Thanks to everyone who made last weekend such a great weekend for the new Anderson family. Thanks for all your generous gifts and talents in painting!

COG Shower:

Pikasso shower:

Thirty-Four Weeks!

2008-09-16T09:27:00.004-06:00

Wow! I’m almost there! Only six more weeks to go (fingers crossed). Sophie and I have had this talk…she should either be a week early or be on time, but there will be none of this tardy business. We’ll see if she listens or not.

I’m getting to the point where it’s tiring to be pregnant. I love, love feeling her move in there, but I can’t wait until I can see her. It’s getting harder to do some pretty simple tasks like getting off the couch or rolling out of bed. And I’m getting tired of wearing pants. If only it was acceptable to not have to wear pants or anything with a waistband to work. Wait, but then I’d have to shave. Ah…the dilemmas of pregnancy.

According to my web sources, Sophie should be somewhere between 18 to 19 inches long and weigh about five pounds. She’s definitely gotten bigger over the past couple weeks because her movements have changed from a bunch of fluttery movements to big, move-my-belly around movements. It’s so cool to watch my belly shift from one side of my body to the other. Crazy kid.

I had suspected that she may have dropped yesterday, but because I have never felt this feeling, I turned to the expert (my mom). She said when her babies dropped, it felt like constant pressure on her bladder and she could feel that the baby was really low. I feel some pressure in a lower area, but the bladder situation is still the same. We determined that Sophie probably moved into position, but hadn’t completely dropped yet. Sheldon had also come to this conclusion last night while we were trying to feel how Sophie was positioned. While we were feeling the belly, I think I felt Sophie’s whole bum in my hand! It was a crazy feeling. It felt like she “pushed off” with her hands in my lower abdomen and her bum filled my hand, which was resting on the top part of my abdomen. My whole hand moved up!

The time is coming! Speaking of which, we’ve moved forward with a few more nursery projects. Here are some pictures of the completed dresser. We took Sheldon’s childhood dresser, sanded it down, and painted it black. We also bought new hardware. It looks perfect!

The adorably cute pillows resting on top of the dresser were handmade by my friend Kris. She did an awesome job! She also made the curtains pictured. I may be a little biased, but I think I may have the cutest baby room ever created!

P.S. Thanks LN for suggesting toile! I love it!

33 Weeks!

2008-09-11T14:45:00.004-06:00

A day in the life of a pregnant woman at 33 weeks gestation:

- Grip the side of the recliner to sit up to turn off alarm. Rock back and forth until chair moves enough to allow feet to touch floor to get out of chair.
- Go to the bathroom.
- Get in the shower. Realize the tummy is blocking all vision of lower-half of body. Clearly, this is not a day to wear a dress.
- Throw up.
- Rub tummy hoping not to throw up again.
- Finish getting ready for work.
- Dread putting on clothes because of their restrictiveness.
- Put on clothes. Grr.
- Eat cereal with banana for breakfast. Healthy, yay for me.
- Waddle to car to drive to work.
- Half-way to work realize that apparently baby is still hungry.
- Stop at Starbucks (decaf people, it’s fine).
- Waddle in to work with cinnamon coffee cake and mocha in hand.
- Go to the bathroom.
- Turn on computer, begin working.
- Go to the bathroom (which requires gripping chair handles to stand up without grunting).
- Return to desk, get distracted and begin looking at baby stuff online.
- Start working again…20 minutes later.
- Go to bathroom.
- Go to lunch.
- Wonder what I could get for lunch that would be covered in peanut butter and still be nutritious.
- Go to bathroom.
- Realize when standing up, the “area” feels pressure. Wonder, “Did she really just kick me there?” Continue to wonder, “If my water breaks in the bathroom, would I realize it?”
- Return to work again.
- Realize bum is sore from sitting and decide to waddle around the office for awhile.
- Talk to co-workers.
- Go to the bathroom.
- Return to work.
- It’s 3:30 p.m. and hunger strikes again, eat snack.
- Return to work.
- The end of the workday is here, hooray!
- Go to bathroom.
- Waddle to car, drive home.
- Feel exhausted from such an obvious day of hard work. (It must have been all the bathroom breaks that caused the exhaustion).
- Make dinner.
- Eat four bites and become full.
- Try to wash dishes with belly smushed against the counter. Realize arms get shorter every day. Leave kitchen with “water ring” around front of belly.
- Walk into nursery and stare.
- Go to bathroom.
- Get end table (currently the night stand) prepared for sleep: includes glass of water, tums, cell phone, Kleenex, and glasses.
- Get comfy in recliner (since that is the current sleeping arrangement).
- Feel hunger strike again, but too tired to rock out of the chair to get up.
- Try to watch some TV.
- Randomly cry or become outraged.
- Go to bathroom.
- Fall asleep. Snore. Annoy husband with snoring. (8 p.m.)
- Go to bathroom. (12 a.m.)
- Get heartburn. (2 a.m.)
- Go to bathroom. (4 a.m.)
- Alarm goes off for another day of fun. (6 a.m.)
- Go to bathroom.

Tummy Tumbler

2008-09-08T10:00:00.001-06:00

Sophie seems like she might be at the peak of her movement this past week. I had read that babies’ movements usually peak around week 28, but it wasn’t so for me. Recently, she’s been moving around constantly in there. I don’t have a clue what she’s doing, but it’s fun to imagine her somersaults.

I do, however, know very well what her little movements feel like. It’s like a reverse massage chair. You know those awesome massage chairs they have in spas/salons? The ones they use when you’re getting a pedicure? Well, those little “massage fingers” that roll up and down your spine in the chair is what it feels like inside my tummy. It’s a weird, but fun feeling from the inside out.

A random note – I was walking toward the bathroom and passed one of my co-workers on the way. In the bathroom, I thought, “Man, I really want peanut butter.” And then I went on to think how I could go about scoring some peanut butter during lunch. And then I thought, “Why am I thinking about peanut butter all of a sudden?” And then the “ah-hah” moment occurred.

The co-worker I passed on the way to the restroom usually eats something peanut-butter related during breaks. She keeps a large jar of peanut butter in the cabinet in the break room. So when I saw her, I immediately associated peanut butter with her. And then the craving kicked in. And I still want peanut butter. Ha! That’s funny how the mind works. Anyone have any Reese’s? Or maybe peanut butter on bread? I would be willing to just eat it from the jar if that’s all that’s available.

Crazy Pregnancy Stuff

2008-09-04T15:53:00.000-06:00

In the middle of week thirty-two (!!) and things are starting to happen that people have warned me about all along. They didn’t happen earlier in my pregnancy, and so I thought I was just lucky…well, except for the morning sickness junk.

One thing you should know, don’t EVER be mean to me or look at me in a funky way because I’ll cry and then you’ll be sorry. I cry at everything. Sheldon told me he’d be in San Antonio this week for work (a normal occurrence at our household) and I thought I would have an emotional breakdown. Ok, I did have an emotional breakdown, hence my trip to San Antonio with him.

Sophie was bee-bopping around in my belly making it move from the outside and Sheldon didn’t stare at my stomach as long as I thought he should, so I cried. At the time it seemed very legitimate. It’s serious business in the actual moment, but later I’ll think, “Did I really cry about that?” I have to stick a compliment in at this point for Sheldon. He’s been really great at handling my mood swings. He can generally calm me down or make me feel better within the hour of my breakdowns.

Another fun thing that happens at this point in pregnancy is the inability to bend over longer than two seconds. For instance, the majority of my pregnancy has been in the summer. Summer = HOT in Texas. I love the water. The problem? I can’t go in public in a bathing suit without shaving my legs. If you’ve never been pregnant, have you ever thought about how complicated it would be to shave your legs while holding a baby on your lap? I never did. Waxing scares the crud out of me. I’m afraid I’ll go into labor from the pain of the experience. So unless you want to go swimming with Big Foot, you won’t see me at the local pool this summer.

In addition to not being able to shave effectively, there’s no way I can reach my toes long enough to polish them. I could just fling some polish in that direction and see if it splatters in a flattering pattern. Or I could make a pedicure appointment…yah, maybe I’ll do that.

Lastly for now, I finally have my appetite back, but I can’t eat that much. Grrr. I’ll want to order a giant bowl of pasta with an entire loaf of bread and salad for myself. I’ll be full with two bites of pasta, one torn off piece of bread, and three bites of salad. And the kicker? I’m hungry an hour later.

Is it selfish to say I want my body back? I’m so happy to be pregnant and be able to feel my little girl’s kicks and squirms, but I’m just so ready for her to be here! Only eight more weeks Sophie!

Sophie should be about 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long. BabyCenter says she already has toenails, fingernails, and real hair. Her skin is also becoming soft and smooth, and she’s fattening up for the outside world.

Belly Shots

2008-08-25T19:04:00.005-06:00

...of the maternity variety! I haven't been the greatest at posting maternity pictures, so I thought I'd post several at one time.

Here's 10 weeks again:

Same outfit at 30 weeks!

Red balloon!

Twenty-eight weeks right before Sophie's 3D ultrasound:

This is at 22 weeks at the beach in Florida:

And this is 18 weeks at the time of Sophie's 2D ultrasound:

Time has really flown by! At this rate, the next pictures you'll see will be of Sophie's cute little face. Only nine weeks left!

Thirty Weeks!

2008-08-21T08:08:00.000-06:00

Thirty weeks! I can’t believe I’m so close to the end of this pregnancy journey. I remember being so excited that I was pregnant when I first found out. I’m still excited, but the excitement has changed from being excited about new pregnancy experiences to being excited about finally getting to meet our little girl. I’m not to the point where I’m sick of being pregnant, but I am anxious to meet Sophie. I still enjoy her little kicks and nudges and part of me wonders if I’ll miss this when she’s born or if I’ll just be happy to have my body back.

One thing I did get back – my appetite! I can eat! That may not be such a good thing, but I’m happy I can expand my menu choices to include old favorites like chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes– yum-o! Since getting my appetite back, my favorite meals have been home-cooked or “downhome” recipes. I’ve been craving chicken and dumplings so bad! I can’t wait until my Momma is here to cook me some of that deliciousness. I’m not able to eat large portions though, which is a good thing. I can eat small amounts several times a day, so I think Sophie is pressing on my stomach. Another slight problem is increased heartburn. I knew this would happen, but it’s with everything! I’m avoiding foods with any kind of red sauce – spaghetti, pizza, salsa – but yesterday I got heartburn from eating oatmeal! I shouldn’t complain too much, heartburn is way better to deal with than constant nausea and vomiting. At least during that aspect of my pregnancy I was so excited to be pregnant that I was happy I was sick.

Sophie’s definitely getting bigger. Her movements are stronger and I can see her move beneath my skin! I thought this experience would be an alien-freaky-like experience, but it’s actually really cool. I find myself staring at my stomach hoping I’ll catch her moving. This morning she made one of the biggest movements I’ve felt up to this point and I was disappointed I didn’t get to see it. I was still laying in bed, in the dark with no glasses! But it felt really neat.

At this point in her development, Sophie should be about 16 inches long and weigh about three pounds. I feel so huge already, how can I handle her gaining four to five more pounds? And it’s getting pretty achy “down there.” How much more achy will it get when she’s her full weight? Enough scary thoughts for the day – I banish them from my head.

Other not-so-scary questions are when am I supposed to pack my hospital bag? When should we have the nursery completely finished and ready to go? All through my pregnancy these questions have just been dismissed in my mind as stuff one does at the end of the pregnancy – but I’m here! I can’t believe I’m here. Only 68 days left! Excitement! Anxiousness! Nervousness! Happiness!

No Crystal Ball

2008-08-14T15:06:00.000-06:00

Nobody gets a peek at the future. Why do you think we’re designed that way? Why do you think we’re not allowed to know how everything will turn out? Would it take all the fun out of life? Would it not allow us to learn from our mistakes?

These questions came up because I often think when making a decision, “If I just knew what the circumstances are going to be, I could make the right decision.” But all we’re left with to make important life decisions is what we already know about a situation and potential circumstances. To add to that, it seems that if we knew the future of some of our actions, we might change our minds about the decision if the path turns out to be too difficult, and we would never learn or gain what we needed to from a situation.

Have I completely lost you in my babble yet? The reason I was thinking about all this is because in my recent childbirth class, the instructor talked about the different ways to “help” along the birth of the baby. All of which included using one’s legs. I thought I was completely decided on getting an epidural, but if I go this route, I won’t be able to have control over what’s going on down there. For example, I wouldn’t be able to move onto all fours to shift Sophie’s position from posterior to anterior, the way she’s intended to come out.

However, I want to be alert, not groggy, and experience as little pain as possible when Sophie is born. That equation equals epidural. I’ve decided I don’t want any other kind of pain reliever because they generally just make one drowsy and “not all there.” I want to be completely “there” when Sophie’s born so I know what’s going on and I know what options I have if something goes wrong.

The part where knowing the future comes in is that if I knew how Sophie is going to be positioned, how long my labor will be, and how much pain I can actually handle, I could make the perfect decision for Sophie and me! Where’s my crystal ball?! I’m scared!

I just pray that I do make the right decision. But if I do have complications, the one thing that will get me through it all is knowing that I will have our little girl in my arms soon.

Tagged

2008-08-12T08:13:00.003-06:00

The Rules: Answer the questions using only one word. Then tag three others. I tag: whoever wants to respond.

1. Where is your cell phone? DESK
2. Your significant other? LOVING
3. Your hair? BLONDE
4. Your mother? SWEETEST
5. Your father? STRONG
6. Your favorite thing? HOME
7. Your dream last night? UNEVENTFUL
8 Your favorite drink? STARBUCKS
9. Your dream/goal? HAPPINESS
10. The room you’re in? SMALL
11. Your hobby? SCRAPBOOKING
12. Your fear? KNIVES
13. What do you want to be in 6 years? TEACHER
14. What you’re not? LITTLE (Haha!)
15. Muffins? CINNAMON
16. One of your wish list items? EUROPE
17. Where you grew up? MILITARY
18. The last thing you did? WORK
19. What are you wearing? CLOTHES
20. Favorite gadget? CAMERA
21. Your pets? FURRY
22. Your computer? NECESSARY
23. Your mood? RELAXED
24. Missing someone? FAMILY
25. Your car? NEW!
26. Something you’re not wearing? POLISH
27. Favorite store? BOOKSTORE
28. Like someone? YES
29. Your favorite color? MANY
30. When is the last time you laughed? MONDAY
31. Last time you cried? MONDAY

Little Night Owl

2008-08-11T12:58:00.000-06:00

Over the past few weeks, I’ve worried and wondered why Sophie doesn’t move much. I’ve recently discovered that she does move a lot, she just moves at night when I’m sleeping. I’ve never had a problem sleeping through most nighttime disturbances and apparently a baby wiggling around in my belly is not an exception.

Last night I woke several times due to an evil, pounding headache that lasted through the night. Sheldon offered to go get me some Tylenol late last night since we didn’t have any in the house, but I was certain once I fell asleep the headache would go away. I was wrong.

Even though I woke up four times last night to re-adjust hoping it would help my headache in some way and then discover after getting comfortable that I had to go to the bathroom yet again, I was happy to notice that Sophie was making all kinds of crazy movements. I’d get back in bed and lay there trying to figure out what she was doing, but her rhythmic movements would put me back to sleep.

Her little kicks and punches don’t bother me yet. I really enjoy feeling them, although some of them do stun me if she hasn’t moved in a while and she flips or makes a big movement I’m not expecting. I'm happy that I finally have my answer about her movement patterns.

That’s about it for now. Twenty-nine weeks tomorrow!!

Health Updates

2008-08-08T13:00:00.001-06:00

Monday I had my three-hour glucose test and yesterday was my 28-week doctor’s appointment. The glucose test went as well as can be expected. The syrup stuff they made me drink wasn’t too bad. I requested the orange flavor again, so it just tasted like Fanta orange soda. The only hard part was being required to drink 10 oz. of it in less than 5 minutes. I’m not a fast drinker. But I did it. The phlebotomist (blood-taker, vampire…) was great as usual. She only missed my vein one time, so I was stuck five times instead of four, but it really didn’t hurt at all. Sheldon was able to be there with me also so the time flew by.

I got my results on Tuesday. My doctor said only one of four of the test results came back abnormal, which means I DON’T have gestational diabetes (woohoo!), but could mean little Sophie may not be so little when she’s born. The doc said she could be slightly bigger than average. In my little mind that means, maybe she’ll come early (but not too early) and be average! It could happen. The doctor suggested that I eat less sweets and carbs. What am I supposed to eat then?! That’s my entire diet! Meat just doesn’t sit well with me and lettuce becomes less and less appetizing every day. Bleh.

So yesterday was my normal check-up. Sophie’s heartbeat was a strong 156 beats per minute and everything was normal. The doc is pushing me to find a pediatrician, so he set up an appointment for Sheldon and me to meet with one of the doctors. I really didn’t think I was that behind, I guess getting on the pediatricians’ schedules may be what takes so long…hmmm…I didn’t think of it that way until just now.

The only slight concern that I had was that at my 26-week appointment I had gained a total of nine pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy and when I weighed-in yesterday, I had lost two pounds. How that happened, I don’t have a clue. But my doctor didn’t seem to be concerned. He said Sophie is developing right on schedule, so as long as she’s good, then I’m good. So I guess I’m allowed to be excited that I’ve only gained seven pounds up to this point. I should be allowed to celebrate with chocolate and ice cream, but apparently that’s not allowed since I had one tiny, little glucose test abnormality.

Tomorrow is our first childbirth class. I’m a little anxious, but excited too. Maybe the thought of giving birth in about two and a half months will become more real. I really don’t have a clue at this point. I’ll update you after the class to let you know if I was successful in getting one. Wish me luck!

Twenty-eight weeks and 3D ultrasound!

2008-08-05T14:40:00.003-06:00

Ahhh! I’m only 12 weeks away from delivery…maybe closer! It’s so exciting! Time has gone by so fast because we’ve been so busy. Sheldon and I were out of town all last week with business stuff and this week our schedules are filled too. We haven’t made any more progress on our house/baby projects since my last post. Maybe we’ll be motivated this weekend to get some of the stuff done. It just feels like we have so much time, but we really don’t. If you count the weekends we have open to finish projects, there’s only about seven weekends left! Ahhhh! I only have seven weekends left to get my life in perfect order and become a perfect person so I can be a perfect parent! Ok, so that probably won’t happen, but I can try.

Fun and not stressful baby stuff to talk about is our 3D ultrasound! It was so neat to be able to see Sophie. Some would say we cheated, but I don’t care. I feel much better knowing that my little darling has all her limbs, fingers, toes, and all the other necessary body parts. She’s also cute to top it off…even with the orange hue in the pictures. Here are some of her candid shots.

We had the ultrasound done at Stork Vision in Fort Worth. They seemed like the best company according to my research. The room was pretty big and there were two leather sofas for guests to sit-in on the ultrasound if the couple wanted to include family and friends on the special day. We also got to watch the ultrasound on a 42-inch flat screen television. The only down side to the whole event was the lady doing the ultrasound. She wasn’t very enthusiastic about anything and seemed like she was trying to hurry through the ultrasound to get to the next person. Other than that, everything was great.

For an update on Sophie’s growth and development, BabyCenter says that she is about 2.25 lbs. and measures to about 15 inches in length. Her eyesight is developing, so she can open her eyes, she’s sporting lashes, and she may be able to see the light that filters through to her. Neat!

Nearing the end of twenty-six weeks!

2008-07-25T09:44:00.005-06:00

It’s amazing that I’m almost in the third trimester. Officially on Tuesday, July 29, I will be there! Where did the second trimester go? I’m happy where we are on our projects-before-the-baby-gets-here list so far. It seemed like so much to get done, but we’re moving right along.

Done:
Clean out garage – check
Reorganize office - check
Move guest bed into office – check
Paint nursery – check
Buy and put crib together – check

Register for baby stuff – check
Buy paint for dresser – check
Repair dryer plug in house – check

Remaining tasks:
Paint dresser – this weekend, fingers crossed
Organize baby gifts and place in closet and newly painted dresser – sometime this week
Buy filing cabinet for paperwork so it’s not all over the office/guest room

The rest of the nursery organizing tasks will have to wait until after the baby shower. But until then, I can relax a little.

I had my glucose test doctor’s appointment yesterday. Yay. I hate needles, so that’s why I’m wasn’t too thrilled about getting my blood drawn again. The appointment went pretty good though. The glucose drink wasn’t bad, it tasted like orange soda. The phlebotomist was excellent as usual. Generally people can never stick me on the first try, apparently I have bad veins for drawing blood, but she always gets me the first time. I just had to wait awhile for the doctor to get back in the office – he was called to labor and delivery and delivered a little girl! How exciting! He must really like his job because when he came in the room where I was waiting, he was in a really good mood. I guess everything went well with the delivery.

Anyway, back to my little girl – her heartbeat was a strong 150 beats per minute and my belly measurements were right on target. Everything seemed great, until…

I got a call this morning from the doctor’s office. They informed me that my glucose level was slightly higher than what they’d like to see. My level was 144, and they don’t like to see higher than 140. So I have to go in to get the three-hour glucose test. Joy. Hopefully everything will be fine though. The doctor said the first test could come back as a “false positive” essentially and the longer test will tell whether or not I have gestational diabetes. The blood test also came back showing me as slightly anemic, which means I have an iron deficiency. That’s an easy fix - I just have to take an iron supplement once a day.

So until my next glucose appointment, well I guess the rest of my pregnancy, I’m going to try to be a good mommy and eat whole grains and more veggies. I have no problem getting the carbs and dairy! I could eat cheese and bread all day. I’m wondering if the iron deficiency is coming from my disgust of lots of red meat currently. I usually love the stuff, but since I’ve been pregnant I haven’t been able to look at a hamburger without gagging. The only red meat I’ve been able to stomach is a small, lean steak, and I have to eat it slowly. Another habit to reduce, not cut out completely, but reduce is my chocolate and ice cream intake. I can’t get enough of it. I’ll have to limit myself to one small dessert a day…no comment on the current intake.

The good news is I’ve only gained nine pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy. So I have to be doing something right!

How’s the little one this week? Well, she’s bee-bopping around in there more often and it still amazes me that she can kick me at the bottom of my uterus and the top at the same time. Talented one, she is. Babycenter says that Sophie is almost two pounds and should be about 14 inches long. Her hearing is improving and she should be able to hear Sheldon now or anyone else I have a conversation with…which brought up the question – can she hear the person on the other line if I’m on a cell phone? The sound is going in my head; does it reach down to her little ears? Hmmmm…. She’s also inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid which helps with the development of her lungs.

The countdown begins! T minus 95 days!

Down to double digits!

2008-07-21T12:54:00.000-06:00

Wow! I can’t believe it’s already the middle of July and Sheldon and I are down to double digits in our baby debut countdown. It seems like February was just yesterday. We found out I was pregnant on Saturday, February 16. I remember the date well because we bought the fixin’s for a nice steak dinner that night, including a bottle of wine. I was curious as to whether or not I was pregnant, though thinking I probably wasn’t since the test hadn’t been positive the past four months we had tried and I didn’t feel as though I had any symptoms.

But I’d rather be safe than sorry, so I took the test that morning before Sheldon was awake. He didn’t know I had planned on taking it and was still snoozing at 5:30 a.m. when I crept out of bed wondering why I had the urge to go to the bathroom that early in the morning. I did the deed, thinking it just a formality before I could enjoy a glass of wine that night with dinner.

I turned away from the test for a brief moment, and when I turned back the result was displayed already! I WAS PREGNANT!! I was so excited I couldn’t stand it. I busted out of the bathroom, jumped on the bed and landed on Sheldon. He didn’t know what was going on. When I told him, he smiled a sleepy smile, said, “Yay!” and gave me a big hug.

Of course we couldn’t go back to sleep because we were both filled with ideas about our future plans and how that moment was the beginning of so many changes in our lives. Needless to say, that bottle of wine is still in our fridge, unopened. If anyone likes wine and thinks it may still be good, you’re welcome to it.

So here we are a few short moments later and we only have three months before we meet our little girl! She’s bee-boppin’ around in my belly while there are so many unanswered questions remaining in our new little parent brains. One thing we have no doubt about is that we love her so much already. We can’t wait to see you Sophie!

Mommy-mobile: The compromise

2008-07-18T08:48:00.003-06:00

We did it! We bought a new vehicle! Bye-bye big rig - hello little sweet, cute, fuel-efficient ride.

The background:
We had a 2002 Dodge Ram quad-cab pick-up truck. It was sweet. It made a lot of manly, macho noises. It had a grill guard. It was 4-wheel drive and lifted. It had big tires. And it had a big price tag when it came to gas and repairs.

Sheldon has fixed minor repairs on the truck for the past couple of months. Then the big-ticket repairs started revealing themselves. We put about $1500.00 into the truck recently, and Monday we had to take the truck in to the shop again. This time, it was going to cost $5000 minimum to fix the current problems, with the added bonus that the mechanic said that we would be better off just getting a different vehicle.

Even though I was willing to keep the truck because of its lower payment, I wasn’t willing to keep putting money into it along with the high gas price that came with it. So Sheldon started his search for a new vehicle while I was working.

The compromise:
The first time Sheldon called, he found a GMC Yukon Denali. My response: “Yeah, right. Babe, you do realize that we’ll be caring for three people in a few months and we’ll have to be able to afford to drive the vehicle.” No dice for Sheldon.

The second time Sheldon called: “I found a Chevrolet quad-cad pick-up truck.” The payment was only slightly less than double what our truck payment was. My response: “Seriously, can you please look at something that is slightly more fuel-efficient? Like a Honda. Can you go look at the Honda dealership?” Sheldon’s response: Pause. “I guess.”

The third time Sheldon called: “What about a Jeep Grand Cherokee? I’m test-driving one right now. I’ll bring it by your work.” My response: “I’ll look at it, but I didn’t like it last time I drove one.” After driving it for a while, we both weren’t too impressed with the Jeep for the price the dealership was asking.

My response: “Will you just go take a quick look at the Hondas?”

Sheldon: “But I have to have something to pull my boat.”

Me: “Ah-hah! I knew that’s what you were looking for. We don’t even own a boat.”

Sheldon: “I’m going to buy one next summer.”

Me: “Who knows what will be happening next summer. We may buy a boat, we may not. What I do know is we’ll have a little girl that we’re supposed to take care of.”

Sheldon: “I know. I’ll stop by the Honda place.”

The fourth time Sheldon called: “I just drove by the Honda place. The Elements aren't too bad.” My response: “Aren’t those the ugly, boxy-looking cars?” Sheldon: “Yah, but you’ll have to see it. It’s actually pretty nice.”

So long story short, we looked at the Honda Element after I got off work. We drove it and an Accord. I LOVED the Element. I never thought I would say that, but I do. Sheldon liked it because it was still sporty-looking and not completely van or sedan-looking. We both liked the bonus of fuel-efficiency and Sheldon was happy about the Element’s ability to tow up to 1500 pounds. We could possibly own a small boat.

So here it is - our fun new car. Anyone want to go for a ride?

Twenty-five weeks!

2008-07-16T13:19:00.002-06:00

Only 15 weeks left! I can’t believe we’re so close to meeting our little Sophie. My belly is definitely a ball-like shape now. (Pictures to come soon). It’s getting more difficult to find a comfortable sleep position and I have sciatic nerve pain pretty frequently. But I’m happy that we’re closer to the due date and we’re getting our house baby-ready.

The most fun part about being pregnant at this point is feeling Sophie wiggle around. I wait for those moments, and when they happen I can’t help but smile. Some of her movements are strange though – I can’t figure out what she’s doing. It feels like her whole body moves across my abdomen sometimes. Other times it’s a steady, rhythmic kick, like she’s practicing ballet or something. I’m sure we’ll have an interesting little person on our hands in October.

Speaking of having a little person in October, we’ve almost completed our registries. We have one at Target and one at Babies-R-Us. The Target registry should be complete. On the Babies-R-Us registry we’re just missing the crib mattress, I think. Both registries are available to be viewed online and most items can be ordered online as well. For you mothers out there, if there’s something that I seem to be missing, please let me know so I can add it to the registry.

While we’ve been getting ready for baby at home, Sheldon and I have also been talking and thinking a lot about what my job will look like after the baby is born. Will I be home full-time and quit work? Will I work from home? Will I work part-time?

It’s funny what emotions impending motherhood stirs up. I’ve had a strong desire or feeling that I should be at home with Sophie for longer than just maternity leave from work, but I wasn’t sure what that was going to look like until recently. I’ve worked at least part-time since I was fifteen – from babysitting and bagging groceries to my current job at the local council of governments. I made it a goal to finish college before getting pregnant because a career has always been important to me. Now this nurturing, mother-like feeling has snuck up on me and I don’t know what to do with it. I feel like I may morph into a Martha Stewart, Mary Poppins blend, and I’m okay with it.

On the other hand, I feel like if I quit work, I’ll be giving up something I’ve worked so hard for. Like I’ll lose momentum in my career-life and I won’t be able to get it back. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not working my dream job or anything, but it’s a good job that gives me a lot of valuable experience. I also have the fear that I may not enjoy being home 24/7 without any adult interaction, especially since Sheldon is out of town about four days a week for work.

So I think we’ve come up with a solution and I’ve already received approval from my boss. I will be working part-time after I have Sophie. My hours will also be flexible. I’ll be required to be in the office a few hours a week, but I can also work from home. I think it’ll be a nice fit. I’m really excited that I have a great boss and I work for an organization that is willing to work with me. Everything sounds good on paper right now - I hope it actually works out that way!

All of that to say and I didn’t hardly mention the reason for all these changes. Sophie should be about 13.5 inches long and weigh about a pound and a half now. BabyCenter just says she’s gaining more fat and hair this week. She’ll be here soon!

Paint Sophie's Room: Check

2008-07-13T15:00:00.003-06:00

Yay! One project down, plenty more to go. We picked out the room colors last week and decided this weekend would be a good time to get started on the baby room. We painted one wall a dark pink, or in Disney colors, "Snow White's Song," and the other three walls are a beige-peach color or "Fluff-n-Stuff."

On Friday Sophie's room was cluttered with boxes of diapers, toys, clothes and a crib still in its box. Today it's painted with fresh new colors and ready to be put together. Our next big project is to re-finish Sheldon's old dresser so I have somewhere to put all her cute little outfits!

Here are some before and afters of the room.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

After...

Twenty-four weeks & a strong kicker!

2008-07-11T15:54:00.002-06:00

It’s so exciting to feel Sophie’s kicks every day. It used to be pretty random, but by now I can feel her moving around pretty frequently. With her movements becoming stronger, I was looking forward to the day when Sheldon would be able to feel her little bumps.

And he finally did! Laying around on the morning of July 5, Sheldon had his hand just resting on my belly. I told him Sophie was moving, but he didn’t seem too thrilled about it because every time before he wasn’t able to feel anything. So he left his hand on my stomach, but he wasn’t poking or prodding around trying to feel anything, like he usually does.

All of a sudden she kicked right under his middle finger. “Did you feel that?!” I asked. At the same time, almost before I got the question out Sheldon said, “Oh my gosh! I felt that!”

I imagine she was making a move that looked something like this…

It was really neat to be able to share that experience with him. It’s hard for me to imagine having a living being inside my belly, so I know it must be even harder for Sheldon to imagine it. Being able to feel the kicks is like confirmation that I’m not just gaining weight in one concentrated area, and that we’re actually going to be parents in about 109 days!

According to BabyCenter, Sophie should be about twelve inches in length and just over a pound in weight. Amazing! It also says her brain is growing quickly and her taste buds are continuing to develop. That must be why she LOVES it when I eat sweets. I can tell, she’ll be a sweet girl.

Farewell to Our Sweet Lady

2008-07-10T12:36:00.004-06:00

(Lady front, Jack back)

One of our sweet little girls, Lady, died Monday night. She was one of our two puppies (I say puppies because they’re our babies, not because they’re actual puppies. They’re both about six years old.) Lady was our golden retriever, lab mix. We got her when she was about six months old at the Humane Society in San Angelo. She had been abused and was initially afraid of Sheldon.

She finally warmed up to us in a few months and her little tail started to wag. It was the beginning of a fun six years with her. We got Jack, our husky mix, when Lady was starting to lighten up a bit. They became inseparable. Even when the little devils escaped from our backyard (on several occasions), they were always found together. They never left each other’s side.

Lady’s eyes always gave her away. She couldn’t speak human language, but I’d know what she was thinking most of the time. She had deep brown eyes and golden eyelashes. One movement of her eyebrow and you’d know if she was annoyed or happy. When she had done something wrong she’d put her head down, but her eyes would look up at you and she would bat her eyelashes slowly hoping you’d think she was really cute and no longer in trouble.

Our little Lady seemed really depressed when we came back from vacation at the end of June. We thought she’d snap out of it once we gave her more attention, but that wasn’t the case. She stopped eating and she would barely move all day long. Sheldon tried to feed her dog treats, ham from our fridge, and soft dog food. She wouldn’t go for any of it, which was unusual.

We let her stay in the house at night, and we’d have to carry her outside in the morning because she refused to move. We noticed her nose was dry and she stopped drinking water also. We thought we’d try taking her for a walk because she’d always get really excited about walking.

We took the leashes outside and she actually got up and was wagging her tail waiting to be leashed. Her eyes looked so excited, but her body wasn’t following. We walked out to the driveway and we passed two houses when she stopped. She wouldn’t budge.

After 15 minutes of trying to coax her into moving, we decided that wasn’t going to work so Sheldon carried her back to our backyard. This was Friday, July 4th. We tried to call our vet on Saturday, but they weren’t open their usual hours because of the holiday weekend.

Monday morning Sheldon was able to get Lady in to see the vet. After a series of tests, the vet called Sheldon in the afternoon to let him know that Lady had a pancreatic disease and had a 50/50 chance of living. However, the vet said if she responded well to the IV they had her on, she would have a good chance of making it.

Around 5 p.m. I called to get an update on Lady. Sheldon said she was responding well to the IV, so she should be fine overnight. I decided not to go see her.

The next morning around 7:30 the vet called to tell Sheldon that Lady didn’t make it through the night. Our little girl was gone.

I was devastated. Though it’s hard to lose a pet, I’m thankful that she died peacefully on her own, and Sheldon and I didn’t have to make the decision to put her down.

We were both scheduled to leave town Tuesday at noon for work functions – Sheldon in Galveston and me in Austin. Jack was taken to a boarding kennel where at least he would be with other dogs while we were gone and we wouldn’t have to worry about him.

What’s amazing to me about dogs is their sense that something is wrong, or new, or changing. The morning the vet called Sheldon Jack went to his side and started whining. At that point, I didn’t even know Sheldon was on the phone with the vet, so I hadn’t been given the news yet, but Jack knew.

With a new baby on the way, we can’t even think about getting another dog right now. I hope Jack will do ok by himself. I guess we’ll have to spoil him even more and enjoy the time we get to spend with him.
(I’ll post a picture of Lady soon).

On Cloud Nine

2008-07-03T14:45:00.002-06:00

Sheldon (a.k.a. Sophie’s Daddy) came home today from San Antonio with gifts for me and the little one. As soon as I saw the bag it was in, I was speechless. He picked the most perfect diaper bag ever…and it’s Coach!! I’m so excited I can’t even type! And he picked out the cutest little clothes from Carter’s. They are one of my favorite baby clothing lines. The best part of it all – it was a total surprise.

Here are some pictures of the happy momma and her spoils.

Crazy busy two weeks! (Twenty-second and third weeks)

2008-06-30T15:56:00.004-06:00

It’s been crazy at the Anderson house for the past two weeks. We just returned from our vacation to Alabama and Destin, Florida last Friday. We were in Alabama celebrating my parents’ 25th Wedding Anniversary! They made it 25 years! That’s exciting to me because there are so many marriages that don’t make it that far anymore.

Anyway, it was a great party. My Aunt Vicki, Sheldon and I decorated the hall the night before the party. I had made many of the arrangements from out of state, so I was a little worried how everything would come together, but everything worked out perfectly. The wedding cake was beautiful, the flower arrangement was perfect, and Sheldon the chef cooked a lovely meal of hamburgers and sausages! (My parents request was for a cook-out – they didn’t want anything too fancy.)

After the party, my parents, Sheldon and I headed to Destin, Florida to the Henderson Park Inn, a bed and breakfast on the beach. Beautiful! I loved it! The water was a perfect tropical blue color and the sand was white and soft. The bed and breakfast provided a gourmet breakfast each morning, a chef-prepared bag lunch each day at noon (that you can pick up anytime you want), and free bottled water, soda, and candy bars stocked in the mini-fridges around the inn. Oh, and they also served homemade cookies and lemonade everyday from noon to two! Who would ever want to leave this place?! Not to mention each room has its own private balcony, a huge bathroom with whirlpool tub for two and a comfy king-size bed. Ahhhh…

Sadly, we had to leave on Wednesday. My parents stayed through Friday. Lucky. We arrived in Waco at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, just in time for my doctor’s appointment. We were able to find Sophie’s heartbeat right away – a strong 148 beats per minute. The doctor said everything else looked good and sent us on our way. I’m supposed to have the glucose test appointment at my next visit. Fun stuff.

This weekend was nice, but didn’t provide much rest. After being away for a week and realizing we only have an estimated 120 days until Sophie’s debut, we decided it’s about time to start clearing out the soon-to-be baby room and making space for the new furniture and fun baby stuff. We were successful in moving stuff from one room to another, but we have a whole list of other projects that need to be completed before we have our little bundle to take care of.

I don’t feel like we’re too far behind though because we’ve already ordered the crib, picked out the paint colors for the walls, and started our registry (though it’s not finished yet). I have a feeling that every weekend until go-time in October will be filled with one project or another. Life won’t be the same anymore, but it’s a good change.

I have more to fill you in on, but I’ll stop for now. Here are some fun vacation pictures to enjoy!

Twenty-one weeks and counting

2008-06-17T13:34:00.003-06:00

Today little Sophie is 21 weeks (gestational age). Only 19 more to go! Time is flying by and Sheldon and I have barely just bought the crib! Pretty soon we’ll have a little girl who will be taking all of our time, so we’ll have no time to clean out, organize, decorate…or do anything else.

Sophie’s kicks have become more frequent and stronger in the past couple of weeks. I can pretty much feel her every day now, but not for very long periods of time. It’s a weird-cool feeling. It’s nothing that I can even remotely explain. You mamas out there will know what I’m talking about, as for everyone else just try to imagine the feeling. It’s like a light flick on your skin, but coming from the inside of your stomach. Or a gas bubble without the end result. Or like a rubber ball rolling on your skin, from the inside. Whatever the feeling, it makes me smile when I feel it.

We still can’t feel or see her little kicks from the outside yet. I’m looking forward to that day when my belly moves by itself and I can see Sophie’s little body changing position. I’m sure that’ll be another weird-cool experience.

Since my belly has grown considerably in the past few weeks, I find myself belly-gazing a lot recently. When I’m riding (not driving…haha) in the car or thinking about something at work, instead of staring off in the distance, I’ll stare down at the bump that is my stomach. I still can’t believe there’s a little living, breathing human in there. It’s amazing.

Speaking of the bump, here’s a recent picture of the growing belly and some friends from work.

Oh, BabyCenter says, "Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now."

Celebrating the half-way mark!!

2008-06-10T12:47:00.002-06:00

My baby’s half-baked! Haha! Just kidding…but she really is to the half-way mark on her pre-birth development. I’m so excited I can’t stand it. I have 20 more weeks to go and I already want to meet her. But I’ll be patient and give her time to finish be created.

Sheldon and I decided to celebrate the half-way point by making a trip to Austin in search of the perfect crib for our little girl. We found it! And we bought it! But we don’t get it for another week or so. Apparently, Babies-R-Us’ definition of “this item is current IN stock” means the item is in stock in the warehouse, which is up north somewhere. So we’ll have our perfect crib in about 7-11 business days.

Here is a sneak preview…

We also threw in a little treat for the mom-to-be and went out to eat at a Greek restaurant. Soooo yummy! I’ve been craving Greek food for at least a month now and sadly the closest Greek restaurant to Waco closed several months ago. The place in Austin we went to is called El Greco and it was near UT, so it was kind of an artsy area which was fun. I indulged myself in all the tsatsiki sauce I could handle and the fresh pita bread and baklava weren’t bad either.

Back to the baby stuff, we also picked out the crib bedding set we plan on registering for and I broke down and bought the fleece blanket that goes with the set. I couldn’t help it, it was so cute! And I have to have something to hang over the edge of the crib.

(This is the crib set we're planning on getting. It's little ladybugs.)

Sheldon also picked out a little dress for little miss Sophie. Of course I had to buy it because Sophie’s daddy picked it out. It’s a little cream-colored corduroy dress with light pink polka-dots. The back is button-up and the little buttons are pink, heart-shaped buttons. So cute. I don’t have a picture of the dress, so you’ll have to wait until Sophie is wearing it on her birthday this year.

And last but not least…Sophie’s full name will be Sophia Kate Anderson. (Pause for “aw’s”). I know, it’s so cute, isn’t it?

Nineteen Weeks - Almost half-way there!

2008-06-04T15:02:00.000-06:00

I can’t believe I’m almost half-way through my pregnancy. I don’t even think I’ve grasped the concept of being pregnant yet. I stare down at my belly in awe, wondering what our little girl will look like when she makes her debut. I also like to poke at my belly because it feels so weird. It’s like a large water balloon has permanently attached itself to my stomach, but I don’t “feel” any different in my abdominal region unless I poke the outside of it.

I see the pictures from the ultrasound, but it’s still hard for me to believe that the little person portrayed in the pictures is actually a living, breathing, being inside my stomach! It’s so crazy. I’m not sure how one is supposed to “feel” when she’s pregnant. I feel all the side effects – like my whole body is falling apart – but I don’t feel the baby as much yet. So I guess that’s what I’m waiting for. I’ve felt Sophie’s “flutters” and I’m ready to feel her really move!

BabyCenter says that my baby’s sensory development is “exploding” and her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. It also says that she should be able to hear my voice now! I hope she doesn’t pick up on my off-key singing voice when I’m jammin’ out in my truck.

The Reveal!

2008-05-28T19:55:00.004-06:00

So we had our ultrasound yesterday afternoon around 4 p.m. I was so anxious all day and couldn't concentrate on one bit of work. By the time we got to the clinic, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would come through my chest. I was also wiggling back and forth in my chair trying not to think about how bad I had to use the restroom. For those of you who don't know, before an ultrasound the patient is instructed to drink 24 to 32 oz. of liquid (not soda) an hour before the appointment...and not use the restroom until after the first part of the exam.

To add to my anxiety, it had just started storming when we arrived and the power was flickering on and off. Awesome. All I could think is that I've waited this long and now we'll have to reschedule! I didn't want to! I wanted to know so bad that everything was ok with the baby...and it would be nice to finally know the gender.

So we get back to the exam room and the technician tells us that her computer is really sensitive and has gone off three times during the past hour because of the storm. She asked us if we wanted to chance it or reschedule for another time. Reschedule?! Of course we decided to chance it. Even if we didn't get through the whole exam, I thought I'd still be able to see that the baby was still in there and doing ok. (I'm a worrier, if it wasn't obvious). Who else would think their baby suddenly disappeared somewhere in their womb?

Anyway, the screen was turned away from me during the exam, so I didn't get to see the first 45 minutes of the baby!! Sheldon was lucky and was facing the screen at the foot of the bed I was on, so he got a really good show. He said the baby was moving all over the place. Apparently that's what took the technician longer than usual because she had to catch the baby at certain angles and snap the picture before "it" moved again.

Forty-five minutes later, I got see my little one in action. The sonographer went over all the body parts...including the genital area! She confirmed that BabyA is a...

GIRL!!

We're so excited! We would have been excited either way, but it's so exciting to know what we're having. I can't wait to get started on the nursery now that I know I'm expecting a wee little baby girl.

We shared the gender with everyone through little baggies full of Jelly Bellies. What we did was hide the little tag that said the gender (pictured above) in each of the little baggies tied with ribbon. Everyone had to open their baggie to find out the gender. The baby pictures on the outside of the baggies were colored in blue and pink so it wasn't given away at first sight.

It was so much fun to watch everyone open their little bag. Those are memories we'll have forever. Thanks to everyone that has shared in our joy and excitement. It's great when we can share our experiences with our awesome bunch of friends!

It’s almost ultrasound time!

2008-05-27T13:08:00.001-06:00

As I sit writing this, I only have two hours until I find out the gender of our baby! I’m so anxious I can’t stand it! I’m hoping everything medically is good and that our little one is not modest…at least not today.

I’m also 18 weeks today. I can’t believe it’s already been 18 weeks. In two weeks, I’ll be half-way to the finish line. It’s crazy to think that Sheldon and I will be parents. Not that I’m scared to be a parent, it’s just weird to think that we’ll have a little one that’s all ours in a few short months. And I haven’t even begun shopping/researching for baby stuff!

We were supposed to clean out the baby room this weekend to get it ready for new baby furniture, but we decided to have fun instead. Going to the lake sounded like a better idea. It feels like we have all the time in the world, but I know fall will be here before we know it.

My belly has already changed a lot in eight weeks. The pictures below show me at 10 weeks and 18 weeks respectively. I recently read that the baby grows from 5 oz. (18 weeks) to 1 lb. (23 weeks) in five short weeks! That’s amazing. I better start working on my maternity wardrobe!

Oh yeah...I'm 17 weeks!

2008-05-23T07:56:00.002-06:00

I know, a little late. My 17-week mark was actually on Tuesday, but I don't seem to be on my normal schedule these days anyway.

What has happened this week? Well, I feel like my belly has definitely gotten noticeably bigger this week. I wonder if that’s what they mean by “popped”. I suddenly can’t even fit into my old underwear without them rolling down. Even my stretchy pants are stretched to the max. I didn’t think I’d have to buy maternity workout clothes, but I guess that time is soon approaching.

I also have more energy, which is exciting. I went to the grocery store, cleaned out my fridge, and did laundry this week! (Note – I wouldn’t even clean out my fridge when I wasn’t pregnant. It was strictly Sheldon’s job for fear I would gag and eventually throw up because of the smells of rotten food.) I’m not sure what was different this time.

Speaking of throwing up, I did that one day this week too. It was a random morning sickness day. Those have pretty much gone away except for when something – a smell, food, whatever – doesn’t sit right with me. Gross.

And my oven/stove is back in use! I can actually cook again without losing it. I thought that would never come back. Goodbye fast food dinners, hello home-cooked meals…ok, semi home-cooked meals, whatever works.

So what’s up with the baby? Here’s what BabyCenter says, “Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.”

Oh, and we get to find out the gender of our little one Tuesday afternoon! Any predictions?

What triggers your thoughts about someone?

2008-05-21T07:54:00.000-06:00

Sheldon has been out of town working for three weeks straight, excluding weekends. However, since I’m one part of a couple and not yet a family, it gets a little lonely when I’m at home or running errands that I normally would do with him.

Certain things pop out that remind me of him – things I normally wouldn’t notice if he’d been around. Yesterday I was at the grocery store (yes, by myself…scary!), and I saw a hot roll mix that Sheldon uses to make fresh cinnamon rolls. My mind went back to all the times Sheldon has been standing in the kitchen early on Saturday mornings wearing his pj pants and slippers rolling dough on the counter top with flour everywhere.

Rounding the corner of the aisle, there stood the fresh meat counter. Sheldon turns up his nose at pre-packaged steaks and heads straight for that counter every time he’s in the mood for a good steak. Proud that he has picked the perfect steak with the perfect seasoning, rub or marinade and we’re off to fire up the grill.

So what triggers memories/thoughts of your loved ones? Mine seem to be food-related, but in my defense I was at the grocery store and I’m pregnant. There’s always the rumbling muscle car or motorcycle that flies by and takes me back to when Sheldon and I were dating.

Tidbits & Thoughts at 16 Weeks

2008-05-15T09:57:00.001-06:00

I admit I’m a little late in posting my sixteen-week blog post - but only by two days. Life has been hectic lately.

Last week I had another rough day of “morning sickness.” Friends at work were sympathetic and gave me crackers with a cute note attached, flowers, and a Pregnancy for Dummies book. Does this stuff every go away?! I’m getting tired of it, but on the flip side I do have a lot more energy now than I had during my first trimester. It also reminds me that there’s a healthy little one growing inside me. And the presents made me feel better.

It’s fun to be at the point in my pregnancy that family is starting to get excited. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath during the first trimester hoping everything would go well. So far everything has been moving along according to schedule. Hearing the heartbeat at 13 weeks was definitely a milestone.

Our next milestone is being able to see the baby again, but this time in a more human-like form! Our ultrasound appointment is scheduled for May 27. I can’t wait. I want an updated picture of our little guy or gal. And…we’ll get to find out the gender of the babe! I’m not completely sure what our little one is, but I’m leaning toward girl for some reason. We’ll see if I’m right. Sheldon thinks it’s a boy, but that’s just because he wants a boy to be able to play in the dirt with.

BabyCenter says, “At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.”

15 weeks down, 25 to go. Whoa! Was that a kick?

2008-05-06T14:13:00.004-06:00

Today marks 15 full weeks in my pregnancy. Woohoo! I’m feeling a lot better, I have more energy, and I’m ready to move on in the second trimester. It hasn’t all happened over night though. I’ve slowly been gaining energy back over the past two weeks or so and morning sickness strikes every now and then, but not every day as in weeks six through 11. Ugh. I’m glad those days are over.

In other big news, I’m pretty sure I felt an actual kick today! Obviously, I’m not quite sure what a baby kick feels like from the inside since this is the first time I’ve been 15 weeks pregnant, but it seemed like an obvious baby movement. I was sitting quietly in my chair at work snuggled in a blanket (because the air conditioning is freezing!) and I felt a very distinct “bop” from my lower belly region. It surprised me so much I jumped in my chair! What a neat feeling. I know I’ll probably not enjoy it so much when it’s keeping me up all night in my third trimester, but for now it’s still really cool.

According to the BabyCenter.com baby size slide show, Baby Anderson is the size of an apple this week – hence the apple picture. Here’s what the Web site says about Baby A’s growth.

“Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to ‘hide the goods.’”)

Fun at the Grocery Store

2008-05-05T13:22:00.001-06:00

Friday evening Sheldon and I decided that we wanted to grill out for dinner. However, we didn’t have any food at the house. Problem – this would require a trip to the grocery store. I knew that each time I would go into the grocery store, I'd get deathly ill. Ok, maybe not deathly ill, but pretty close. I can’t stand all the smells mixed together. Yack.

We were already in town because we had just finished watching “Baby Mama” at the theatre – it’s hilarious by the way. We decided that Sheldon would run into the store and grab dinner while I waited in the car.

Six minutes later, my bladder felt like it would explode. I couldn’t hold it any longer! I’d have to go in to the store to use the restroom. Kicking myself for not going to the bathroom at the theatre, I got out of the car and headed in the store.

Once in and feeling much relieved, I decided I’d just stay. It would be more exciting than sitting in the car for the next 20 minutes or so. Bad idea.

By the time I found Sheldon, he had picked up organic chicken breasts, corn on the cob, stuff for cornbread, and was looking for low-fat sausage because I wanted biscuits and gravy in the morning. Yum! While walking down the aisle to get biscuits, I noticed chocolate and vanilla Jell-O pudding snacks that looked delicious. I had to have them. This is out of the ordinary for me because 1. I never eat pudding, and 2. especially not pre-packaged pudding.

Ok, not so bad, I’m pregnant, right? Then, moving through the frozen food I discovered that Pepperidge Farm makes the BEST coconut cake. That purchase was a must. And then, there was a lovely coupon that gave a free quart of ice cream if you bought a frozen pizza. Who can live without frozen pizza and ice cream? Not me!

Just before Sheldon corralled me to the checkout line, I grabbed some Drumsticks (a.k.a. heaven in a cone, more commonly known as sundae in a cone). How could I resist them? They’re the perfect combination of chocolate, ice cream, peanuts, and cone. On the way to the checkout, I discovered Pomegranate Italian soda. I had tried it at a friend’s house before and suddenly had to have that sweet, tart, carbonated taste once again.

Short of taping my hands to the grocery cart, Sheldon was able to contain me long enough to get through the checkout line and into the car. Drumstick in hand and on the road, we both decided it’s probably still not a good idea for me to go to the grocery store!

Blog Poll

2008-05-01T12:19:00.001-06:00

Having two blogs seems to be a difficult task for me. It’s hard enough to find time to write on one blog, let alone two. So, I thought I’d ask my blog audience what you think about combining my two blogs (baby blog and regular blog) into one simple blog about my life.

Thoughts about combining the blogs:
-It’s hard to separate what’s baby-related and what’s not baby-related these days, so it may be simpler to have just one blog to talk about my current life experiences…baby included.
-I don’t have the patience currently to learn how to use a new blog site to its fullest potential. I get frustrated when I have to downsize my pictures on my own program before posting them on the site. Blogger.com does this for me. It’s also easy for me to post HTML coded items on my Blogger site.
-I like the design of my regular blog and it’s easy to change if I choose to.

Thoughts about keeping the blogs separated:
-It’s nice to have a blog specific to baby stuff, but it seems that recently I’ve been posting about baby development info from BabyCenter.com.
-I like that I can put my own picture in the header, but that’s about the only feature I understand.
-Um, I have nothing else to support this decision.

So, tell me what you think! I might humor your suggestions. :)

Where o where has my little brain gone…

2008-04-22T15:00:00.002-06:00

I’m losin’ it. I don’t know what has happened to my brain. It’s here one minute and completely checks out the next. Let me give you a recent example.

In my line of work, I organize meetings for grant applicants within my council of governments’ region to give presentations of their grant projects to a committee. This committee scores the grant projects based on certain criteria. I turn in the final rankings from those scores to the Governor’s Office. The Governor’s Office then decides what projects get funded based on the rankings from each region. So, it’s pretty important to get stuff right when organizing/facilitating these meetings.

This morning was our last scoring meeting of the year. I double-checked all the to-do’s, got my information together, and checked with our administrative assistant to see if we were missing anything. She said everything was ready, but I still felt like I was missing something. I went into the meeting room to make sure everything was set up properly and sat down to go over the presentation I was giving. This was at about 9:15 a.m. The meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m.

At about 9:40 a.m. I realized that I had not contacted the other presenter!! They had no clue they were supposed to be here in 20 minutes to give a presentation on their grant project. I had committee members driving in from 50 miles away to attend this meeting and I hadn’t notified the presenter!!

I rushed to my desk, frantically looked up the grant applicant’s phone number and prayed they would be able to make it with such short notice.

Luckily for me, the applicant was able to make it by 10:30 a.m. – which wasn’t a problem because we were able to move the agenda around and the committee took care of some other matters before getting to the presentation. However, I still feel like a giant a**.

Here’s my apology letter to the applicant.

Dear (applicant),

I feel like a giant a**. This is not normally how I do business, so I’ll blame this incident on the baby who is apparently sucking brain power from me in order to continue developing his or her brain. Apparently this stuff happens during pregnancy, so please excuse my mind’s absenteeism during the next six months.
Sincerely,

Jill

Ok, that’s not what I wrote, but I really wanted to. Isn’t it easier to blame it on someone else, even if they aren’t “technically” present to defend themselves? This is what I really wrote.

Dear (applicant),

Thank you for making such an effort to be here this morning. I sincerely apologize for not notifying you of the presentation time and date for your grant project in a timely manner. Generally the applicant is notified at least a week in advance...

And it continues on in a professional fashion. Hopefully they don’t completely hate me. Everything ended well, and it was the last scoring meeting for the year, so I’m home-free until next year!

A Short Note

2008-04-21T14:49:00.003-06:00

Until I can figure out how to put the "baby ticker" (located on the right side of this page) on my baby blog, it will be housed on this blog. I've discovered I don't have the patience to learn how to use a new blog site. Wordpress.com seems a lot more complicated to use than Blogger.com; however, it does have some fun stuff like making one's own heading and being able to view recent comments without much effort.

On another short note, my heartbeat appointment is today at 4:30. Yay! So I should have an update on how that goes this week. Stay tuned!

Sweet Announcement

2008-04-14T15:12:00.003-06:00

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new bit of my life. I’ve been a bit pre-occupied with another blog site that I haven’t announced…until now. It’s http://babyanderson08.wordpress.com/ - yes, I’m pregnant! We wanted to wait to tell the world until at least 12 weeks…and that time is here.

Sheldon sent me a sweet reminder today. I had no clue that he was planning to do this, so it was a nice surprise.

It’s just too pretty to eat…yet.

Working Woman’s Beef

2008-02-12T16:11:00.000-06:00

It seems a little ridiculous that I would be required to stay in one spot for eight scheduled hours each day if I don’t have any work at that current moment. Is it the temptation of freedom that keeps bosses around the country from allowing their employees to work flex time?

Some weeks I’m swamped. I can’t even make time to chat with co-workers. But other weeks, I have maybe two or three hours’ worth of work to get done. Then what? I sit in my little grey cubicle (some of you have heard this before) and stare blankly at my computer screen while clips of the movie Office Space run through my mind. Women are known as multi-taskers. It drives me crazy that I have no task, let alone enough tasks to multi.

If assigned work is completed and employees are happy, then what is the problem? No one would have to worry about being ten minutes late or leaving early from work. No one would have to worry about being back to work at exactly 12:59 p.m. because they signed out at 11:59 a.m. for lunch. And employees wouldn't bolt out of the office at 4:59 p.m. sharp because they’re sick of staring at their computer screens in their grey cubicles!

I understand that some positions require a schedule, such as teachers and doctors. If doctors didn’t have set schedules, their work would never end; and if teachers didn’t have set schedules, our society’s education would be doomed. However, someone in my position, who has a contract with duties to fulfill within the year, can easily set a schedule to get said duties completed. No one would be doomed.

I’m just saying that some employers should at least give this “flex time” idea a test run for a year. If not that, then fiesta! We should adopt the European work style. Mandatory four weeks vacation per year (minimum), two to three hour lunches each day, and a relaxed time policy, such as, “I’ll be in around 8-ish tomorrow morning.”

Now that my 15 minute daydream break is up, I should get back to staring at my e-mail wondering what I can make-up to work on next.

Note – Notice that I didn’t write any blogs from January 5 to February 8. This means I was swamped at work and didn’t have time for my 15 minute daydream session. I do work…just not when I don’t have anything to do. Please resist the urge to judge.

At a Loss for Words

2008-02-08T14:16:00.000-06:00

Literally. I’ve been wracking my brain for things to write about. I’ve got nothin’. Things are normal and on-track. While that’s nice for a change, the situation doesn’t lend to interesting life stories. It would really stink if nothing ever went wrong in life. I would be so flippin’ bored all the time. Not that I want anything to go wrong, I should probably stop talking. The mishap fairies will find me.

Anywho, it’s finally Friday!! I get to sleep in tomorrow…kindof. I’m scrapbooking, which is always fun, so I don’t mind waking up early for that. And Sunday I plan on being a bum. It’s necessary to get re-charged for the working world on Monday.

Next week is Valentine’s Day! Anyone have any special plans they’d like to share? Sheldon claims he got me a present yesterday. I say “claims” because he told me that he got me Dish Network with DVR. What? That’s a man present. He’s just justifying adding a bill to the pile without having to include me in the decision. I’m on to your little plan! I think for Valentine’s Day I’ll get him a diamond heart necklace. Ooo, or some bookshelves for the living room. Yeah, sounds good to me.

Compulsive Hoarder?

2008-01-03T16:15:00.000-06:00

I read this interesting article about how people who are disorganized may have a mental illness. The link is below. I know I made organization one of my resolutions for 2008, but I doubt I'm plagued with a OCHD (Obsessive-Compulisive Hoarding Disorder).

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/health/01well.html?no_interstitial

People who suffer from this illness are known as "complusive hoarders." Is this ridiculous or am I just out of touch with all the disorders out there? Apparently if you're disorganized, you're also overweight and your life is in shambles. I just want somewhere to put my shoes and mail when I walk in the house!

I thought I would read an encouraging article about organization and it made me paranoid about everything else! Crazy.

It's the New Year Again

2008-01-02T16:39:00.000-06:00

Time for those pesky little resolutions that always come up around this time of year. There's the standard - eat healthier, make lifestyle changes, diet - whatever you want to call it. But this year I also have a resolution that I've never had before. I will organize my life. It sounds simple enough. I'm not sure why I never thought of making it one of my resolutions in previous years.

Yes, by this time next year, my whole house will be completely organized and everything will have its place. Okay, that may be expecting a little much, but I do have a plan of action on how I will solve my clutter problem. I already have closet storage and front door entrace organizations ideas dancing in my head. Target and IKEA, here I come!

Although resolutions hang over my head at the beginning of each new year, I do like the idea of a fresh start. Whatever mistakes I may have made last year are classified as learning experiences and I can start new this year. Whatever bad things happened last year are in the past and new beginnings will be in place for 2008. All the good things that happened are imprinted in memories and pictures and tucked away in scrapbooks for my grandchildren to see one day.

I'm looking forward to making more memories in 2008. I hope everyone has a great year!

Not-So-Virgin Eyes

2007-12-26T14:59:00.000-06:00

“Ah! Shield my virgin eyes,” said the red-faced teenager watching a saucy scene from a movie with her parents in the same room.

I used to joke about shielding my virgin eyes from the TV screen every time a kissy-romantic scene would show. Or every time an inevitable sex scene would commence. Even though most of the movies are good at hiding the parts that shouldn’t be shown on television, they’re also good at making the scene an emotionally charged, intense moment.

After being out on my own and married for eight years, I’ve become slightly desensitized to the stuff they show in movies and on TV these days. I thought that I had a pretty good feel for “safe” movies to watch and own.

What I’ve discovered is this – if you think you know a “safe” movie from a “not safe” movie as far as sexual content, language, and violence, watch said movie with your grandma, and then make your judgment.

I was so embarrassed on Christmas Eve when I watched The Holiday with Sheldon’s grandparents in the same room! I’ve watched the movie twice before with Sheldon. I never felt embarrassed, uncomfortable, or red-faced while watching it. But viewing the movie with people born in the late ‘20s made me realize how much sex was actually in it.

Way past “not safe” and into the category of “raunchy” is 40-Year-Old Virgin. One word – ew! I wasn’t just red-faced, I wanted to put a bag over my head and crawl under the couch cushion to avoid looks from the elders. And I didn’t even pick the movie out! I claim no fault of my own. But I was still embarrassed.

I still love The Holiday and I won’t stop watching it with my husband, I just won’t watch it with children, elders or horny teenagers. I’ve learned two things.
1. Maybe watching current TV series and movies has changed what I consider to be appropriate over the years.
2. Always check the rating before watching a movie with family.

On a side note, a new movie I’d like to see is The Bucket List. No, I don’t know what the rating is, so if you’re a child, an old person or a horny teenager, don’t ask to accompany me. I’ll probably get embarrassed.

Happy Movie Viewing!

Juan's Home!!

2007-12-05T15:30:00.000-06:00

As requested, the photos from Juan's return home from Iraq. We love you Juan!

Thanksgiving in Alabama

2007-11-29T11:00:00.000-06:00

I know all of you are on the edge of your seats waiting for the Alabama Thanksgiving pictures to be posted. So here they are!

We had so much fun! Down-home cookin', family and laughter make the perfect Thanksgiving holiday.

My First Poem!

2007-11-16T12:24:00.000-06:00

A little background - I've always been scared of writing poems. Since I was in elementary school the idea of writing something that had a pattern or a rhyming scheme just scared me. I just wanted to write what I wanted to write and that was that. I've since decided that I should give poetry another try. My muse? My husband and wanting the feeling that I've overcome a long-time obstacle in my writing. So here it is! (Please keep the constructive criticism to a minimum.)

To my "Forever & Always"

I love the way I feel when I'm wrapped in your arms so tight,
It's like you're protecting me from the world with all your might.

Your smile always brightens my day,
And reminds me how I love you in every way.

The perfect Saturday morning chef,
Your pancakes, biscuits, and burritos are the best.

When you kiss my forehead, my toes start to tingle.
And I feel as happy as jolly 'ol Kris Kringle.

What on Earth would I do
If I had to live my life without you?

I love you more as each passing year goes by.
I'll be with you forever my snuggly, teddy-bear guy!

-Jill

A few of my favorite things...

2007-11-12T15:20:00.000-06:00

...I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad....

Holiday to-go cups at Starbucks
The smell of coffee
Baking cookies
The warmth and coziness of a house filled with loving friends and family
Snuggling with Sheldon on Sunday mornings (was that TMI?)
Watching traditional Christmas movies with family
The smell of a new book and the silky feel of its pages
My mom's voice on the other end of the telephone line

In the Spirit of Giving Thanks

2007-11-08T21:18:00.000-06:00

The holidays are fast-approaching. Commercials have flooded the TV screen promising the best sales around. The baking aisle at the grocery store is jam-packed and the shelves are empty. The weather is cool, and I got my first holiday-themed Starbucks cup of the season today filled with a creamy eggnog latte heated to the perfect temperature. I love the holidays!

As I sit curled up in my warm house, in my jammies, with a cinnamon candle glowing in the background and my husband next to me watching a good movie, I can't help but be thankful for everything around me. I'm looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in Alabama with my family. This holiday used to just be merely a day when we ate lots of food. Of course, as a child, I was more excited about Christmas and what Santa had in his big bag of gifts for me.

Now, as I've grown older, Thanksgiving has become the holiday I look most forward to. It has a certain innocence about it. People aren't wearing costumes or expecting gifts. It's just about family and friends. It's just about being thankful for all the blessings in our lives.

And it's not only when everything is going great in our lives that I enjoy Thanksgiving. Even during the hard times in our marriage or economically, I still enjoyed the holiday because it always reminded me that my life is still filled with blessings. It was in those times that I became even more grateful for friends and family.

So as the holiday nears, I look forward to spending time with the people that mean the most to me (LG included!) and diggin' in to those sweet potatoes!

Is Nothing Sacred?

2007-10-18T15:07:00.001-06:00

I walked into the office bathroom this afternoon for my routine afternoon pit-stop and as I hastily walked toward my usual stall, I heard talking. But no one was in the “lobby” part of the bathroom and one of the stall doors was closed. Someone was sitting on the loo talking on her cell phone!

I had to go potty so bad! What do I do? Should I go? Or should I wait ‘till the call is over? It would be pretty embarrassing for someone across the globe to hear me tinkle, even if they don’t know who I am.

Then I thought, “You know what? Their fault! If they don’t want their friend, co-worker, relative, whatever to hear me tinkle then they shouldn’t be talking on the phone in a public restroom!” So I went. And she began rushing to get off the phone once she heard it hit the water. And she started talking louder to cover the sound.

I thought it was pretty funny. Sorry, person on the other line. If it was you, I needed to take care of business and I was in the proper location for doing so.

Spontaneity

2007-10-15T08:17:00.000-06:00

Where did it go? Since when did I feel so guilty about calling in to work when I’m not really sick? Lately I’ve wanted to take a random day off from work just to be with my husband and do stuff we don’t normally have time to do anymore…like go bike-riding in Cameron park.

One morning last week I woke up and decided I didn’t really want to work that day. I asked Sheldon if he wanted to call-in and we could play hooky all day. We could go to the movies, take the dogs for a walk, we could actually cook a good dinner - not just frozen meatloaf and ready-to-eat mashed potatoes. After lying in bed discussing our schedules with each other for ten minutes, I decided the moment was gone and if it was going to take this much effort to get him to agree, I might as well just go to work. I would feel guilty all day anyway.

The way I see it, most employers don’t pay their employees for the sick time they don’t use. I have plenty saved up. It wouldn’t hurt to take one day every now and then. So why the guilt-fest? Today for instance would have been a perfect day to skip work. It’s raining! I could have laid in bed in my jammies watching the rain fall. But no, I have a meeting this morning I would feel guilty missing and I have to get several items in motion for the rest of the week. Not to mention I’ll be out of town next week for a conference, so I should probably make sure I don’t have anything due next week.

At least I was able to spontaneously decide to write a blog post before beginning my week. Hopefully all is not lost and I’m not completely an adult yet. I’d like to enjoy a few more years of spontaneous activities I can blame on being young.

Meet My Hubby

2007-10-12T13:09:00.000-06:00

1. Who is your man?
Sheldon
2. How long have you been together?
Married seven years
3. How long did you date?
dated 7 months, engaged eight months
4. How old is your man?
26
5. Who eats more?
It depends what’s being eaten.
6. Who said "I love you" first?
He did.
7. Who is taller?
Sheldon, by an inch and a half.
8. Who sings better?
Me.
9. Who is smarter?
Depends on the subject.
10. Whose temper is worse?
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say me.
11. Who does the laundry?
I do.
12. Who takes out the garbage?
Sheldon.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Me.
14. Who pays the bills?
Me.
15. Who is better with the computer?
I’m better with the software on the computer and he’s better with the hardware and figuring out what’s wrong when it’s not doing what I want it to do.
16. Who mows the lawn?
Sheldon.
17. Who cooks dinner?
Pretty much me, unless I specifically request he make dinner and I provide the recipe and ingredients.
18. Who drives when you are together?
Generally Sheldon, unless I feel one of my control-freak panic attacks coming on, then I drive.
19. Who pays when you go out?
Sheldon.
20. Who is most stubborn?
MOST stubborn would probably be me, but Sheldon’s tough competition. He’ll do anything to avoid an argument though.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?
I generally have to force Sheldon to admit that he’s wrong.
22. Whose parents do you see the most?
Sheldon’s….sigh
23. Who kissed who first?
Isn’t that supposed to be mutual? We both went in at the same speed.
24. Who asked who out?
I asked Sheldon out as “friends,” he eventually asked me to “date” him.
25. Who proposed?
Sheldon, right next to me on a bench in a gazebo on the river walk…in San Angelo.
26. Who is more sensitive?
It depends – Sheldon for teasing, me for everything else.
27. Who has more friends?
We have about the same amount.
28. Who has more siblings?
Me, definitely.
29. Who wears the pants in the family?
We each share a leg.

Typical Military Brat

2007-10-01T15:50:00.000-06:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Yankee

5% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Why is crime so fascinating?

2007-10-01T14:24:00.000-06:00

Let’s play Jeopardy.

1. Extreme paranoia that someone will enter the house clothed in black from head to toe, hide in the closet for 24 hours, then attack when everyone is sleeping peacefully.

2. Checking the door locks fifteen times within a five minute period before bed.

3. Try to change up my daily routine so stalkers won’t know my schedule, therefore knowing when it’s the perfect time to strike.

Anyone know the answer? What are the reasons why Jill shouldn’t watch crime shows anymore? That’s right!

Last week I watched the premiere episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY. I love those shows, but every night after I watch them, my paranoia gets worse. I have nightmares, I freak out if I hear one little noise like Tigger running across the floor or ice falling from the ice maker, and I drive Sheldon crazy with my imaginative stories of who could be in our house and what they could be doing if he doesn’t go check the front door one last time.

The CSI episode I watched was especially gory too. It seems like those shows are just getting worse as far as showing as much murder detail as possible goes. One of the people who were murdered on the show was embalmed while he was still alive! Ew! What will the writers think of next?

The Criminal Minds’ murderer was a security guard. Talk about not being able to trust anyone. I’m already borderline rude to men I don’t know just so they won’t show any interest. And the security guard used a knife. Ick! I hate knives. I don’t even have anything sharp enough in my house to do the job. It’s BYOW (bring your own weapon) if you’re coming to my house. Not that I’m inviting anyone to come over.

Oh, and another show I watched a couple weeks ago was about a fake fireman that would start small fires in apartment buildings so he could get women to open their apartment doors. They thought they were being rescued! How does one avoid that?! Thank goodness I don’t live in an apartment, because I think I’d know if someone started a small fire in my little house.

So, with all that to say, I really don’t think I’ll be watching crime shows anymore. Even though I love trying to figure out who the killer is and seeing all the creative ways the writers come up with to kill someone every week for several seasons, I’ll try to avoid the temptation to watch the really intriguing upcoming episode of Criminal Minds.

I’ll just have to settle for Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman or Weird Travels on the Travel Channel. They can’t be that scary, right?

Gift from a Stranger

2007-09-20T09:07:00.000-06:00

Just when I’m about to lose hope in the kindness of humanity, that feeling is washed away by someone who goes beyond just to brighten someone else’s day.

I was wearing on of my favorite bracelets the other day and the stand-in receptionist from a temp agency complimented me on it. She looked like a woman with a great sense of style with her manicured ‘do, fitted grey suit, and perfectly matching grey hoop earrings. I said thank you, happy to receive the compliment, and went about my way. As I passed by the receptionist desk later that day, she mentioned how she has a great anklet that would go perfectly with my bracelet.

“Oh, really?” I said. “Neat.” I mean, what else are you supposed to say to that? “Great, would you like to borrow my bracelet?” She then went on to say how she has two of them because she thought she lost the first one, so she bought another one just like it.

“Nice, one for each ankle,” I laugh.

“I’ll bring the other one up here for you when I get a chance,” she said.

I said okay and went about my day thinking that people say stuff they don’t mean all the time, so I’ll probably never see the anklet. I mean, why would someone take time out of their day to take something to someone else they hardly know. How would they remember the next day? Why would that make the top of their “things to do” list?

The next day I had completely forgotten about our conversation. Our permanent receptionist was back and I was busy facilitating a class. Around 10:30 a.m. I was called to the front lobby. The administrative assistance said the receptionist from the temp agency was looking for me.

“Why?” I asked, not having a clue why she would be looking for me.

I walked to the front lobby and there she was holding the anklet, still in its packaging. She reminded me of my stylish grandma. Her hair was perfect, her fancy rhinestone flip-flops matched her turquoise shirt, and she held her wallet and the keys to her Cadillac in her other hand.

A smile beamed across my face as I tried the anklet on. It just so happened that I was wearing a skirt. I proudly wore my anklet the rest of the day.

I said thank you and she, happy with her gift, rushed off on her way to finish the things on her list to do the rest of the day.

Love for Home Cookin'

2007-09-12T15:45:00.000-06:00

Recipes like sweet potato pie, pecan crusted fish, and chive butter filet mignon make my taste buds quiver with excitement. I’ve discovered that most of my “free” internet browsing time is consumed by searching for recipes. I’ve spent hours reading about how to beat egg whites until “soft peaks form” or how to make chicken or fish taste like they’re fried when they’re not.

I’m not sure why this new obsession recently emerged. I used to dread going through cookbooks to find new recipes. The first years of my marriage, our dinners included spaghetti, tacos, and chili. It was easy, it was from a box or jar, and it didn’t take much time. Two years later Sheldon and I were sick of eating tacos and spaghetti every week. I guess I’ve learned to love trying new recipes.

The new addition to my already over-stacked baker’s rack is Paula Deen’s “The Lady and Sons” cookbook. It’s southern, down-home, comfort food. I’ve been waiting for cooler weather to use this book.

Others on the new-cookbooks-to-get list are Weight Watchers cookbooks – Simply the Best: All American and Take Out Tonight. Both have excellent recipes that taste like real home cookin’. I know this because I’ve tried a few recipes from a friend’s copies of the books. One recipe I spotted today is Coconut Bread Pudding with Chocolate Sauce. Yum! Who wouldn’t want to try that?

A challenge I’ve tried to overcome is cooking for two. I have all these wonderful recipes and no one to cook for. No big family Sunday dinners going on at the Anderson’s. No pitter-patter of little feet, or big feet for that matter. And if I did have family to cook for, I wouldn’t have time. Between work, school and volunteering, I don’t have much time left in the day.

But I’ll hold onto my many cookbooks in hopes of one day fulfilling my taste buds’ pipe dream.

Boys Will Be Boys

2007-09-07T13:15:00.001-06:00

Dad, Sheldon and Cody posing with the dune buggy they just fixed.

Cody fixin' to ride.

Sheldon gettin' ready to ride.

The Biker Boyz - Sheldon, Cory, and Mark.

There's something about machinery and engines that attract boys and men. Even from the young age of two, boys make crashing and booming sounds with Tonka trucks while girls hum and dance around with their dolls.

I give Sheldon a hard time about his car, a 1971 Chevrolet El Camino, but I know he loves it. And I love that he loves it. He likes to tinker with stuff. He would be perfectly happy working on his car all day. When he can't work on his car, he dreams about how he'll customize his bike so windows will shake when he rides by. Among his list of other toys to eventually own are a boat, a 4-wheeler, and a dirt bike.

Girls need girl time, this is why I love Girl's Night. Boys need boy time too. Sheldon got to do that this past weekend and he had a lot of fun. He rode over 160 miles around Central Texas on his bike with his friends and no worries in the world. Everyone needs to ride free once in a while. I'm glad he got his chance.

So, when's the next Girl's Night?

I love this time of year

2007-09-06T15:26:00.000-06:00

It’s just barely September, but I’m already excited about the upcoming holidays. I love ‘um. I love ‘um all. My house already has its fall touches in the living room, dining room and kitchen. I have my pumpkin decorating patterns picked out and I’ve already made plans for Thanksgiving. My Christmas tree is still in its box, but there’s a designated spot in our new house for it to sit and be lovely.

There’s even a cool breeze today, a hint that fall is on its way. Warm clothes, happy faces, and stomach-warming goodies are what draw me to this season. I love to bake, so I couldn’t wait to get out my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe and fill the house with the aromas of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.

I don’t have a fireplace, but sitting on the couch enjoying holiday movies with an apple-cinnamon-scented candle will work just fine. Favorite movies of the October through December holiday season include: Ghostbusters I & II, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, The Grinch that Stole Christmas (both the Jim Carey and cartoon versions), and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Most of all I enjoy all the family and friend get-togethers during the holidays. I feel a fall fondue party coming on!

Laughter Makes Life Fun

2007-08-31T12:54:00.000-06:00

I like to laugh. It lightens the mood, brightens my day, and is essential to a healthy life. When picking out movies, I pick romantic comedies or just comedies. I like to quote movies like Finding Nemo, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Wild Hogs.

I like books with happy endings and sit-coms. Two of my favorite sit-coms are Frasier and Friends. The new show coming out this fall, Back to You, looks fun. I also love Last Comic Standing. You can preview one of the comics below from this week’s show.

My family grew up laughing together and I hope to enjoy the same kind of silliness with my children. My sisters and I picked on each other and we learned not to take anything too seriously. My memories of living at home always come back to something we all laughed about. We laughed at my dad’s hair as a little tweed stuck up in the back of his head during church or when Brittany said “Excuse me” to Darth Vader as she walked into KFC. (Darth, a life-size sticker was stuck to a glass door. Britt thought he was leaving KFC).

Everyone needs a little comedy in their life. I can’t wait until the next time I laugh so hard my stomach muscles hurt or I blow coffee from my nose from a friend’s dry comment.

Until then, live, LAUGH, and love!

Last Comic Standing - Jon Reep - Final 4 Performance

2007-08-31T10:31:00.001-06:00

Super-long catch-up-on-my-life post…

2007-08-27T13:06:00.000-06:00

Whew! Where do I start? There are several topics to cover here, so I’ll just divide them into sections.

House
Sheldon and I recently moved into our new house last week. Yay! After battling with a title company for five days to get stuff done they should have had done several weeks prior to closing, we finally got the keys to our home on August 22 at 4:30 p.m. The original closing date was set for August 17, which is the day we had to move from our old house.

Luckily, we have great friends that opened their houses to us. We weren’t homeless for five days – that was a blessing. During the first two of the five days, we had our stuff still in the old house with plastic over it because painters were re-painting the entire house. Our dogs were at a friend’s house, and our poor cat was at the old house wondering why we had abandoned her. By the third day, we were able to move our stuff into a moving truck and park it in front of our new house. We had expected to move in the following day; however, the title company didn’t get their information straight yet again. So, our stuff sat in front of our new house for two days.

The afternoon of Wednesday, August 22, the title company received several very mean phone calls from my realtor, the seller’s agent, my husband, me and my “attorney.” Forty-five minutes after my “attorney” called, we had the keys in our hand. Heehee! “Attorney” = brother-in-law who is a partner in a real estate company. He’s talented in professional BS.

After an exhausting weekend, we have about half of our stuff organized. Boxes still litter the living room and kitchen, but we’re making progress. I love our house! I can’t wait to get everything in its place. Until then, Tigger will have fun scampering through all the newspaper and boxes scattered on the floor.

Baby
We were almost 10 weeks pregnant when I miscarried on August 10. I had to have a D & C on the same day that I found out we lost the baby. The surgery went well and I recovered pretty quickly. I’m lucky to have a great doctor.

The most frustrating part of the whole thing is that no one can tell me what went wrong. My blood work was fine and all the other tests the hospital did came back as normal. The doctor told us that there was nothing we could have done to change anything and that the baby was probably not developing correctly.

Sheldon and I have finally come to terms with it. We’re told we will be clear to start trying again in three months if we want to. We’ve had many conversations about when to start trying again. First Sheldon wanted to wait about a year because he wasn’t sure how I was handling it. After assuring him I was fine and I’d like to try again as soon as we could, we decided to start in exactly three months. Then after several conversations on the long drive to San Angelo this weekend to pick up our new refrigerator, we decided we’ll let nature take its course. No ovulation tracking or obsessing over getting pregnant. When it happens, it happens.

I’ll be less likely to freak out if it doesn’t happen on the first month again and I won’t stress about it so much. To comfort myself I have to believe that the miscarriage occurred for a reason. I don’t know that reason, and I may never know it, but I know that God is taking care of us.

One odd comment to add – the night that I knew I was probably miscarrying, Sheldon and I watched Bruce Almighty on TV. It’s a goofy movie, but it has a good point. It might seem like God is picking on you, but we don’t see the big picture like God does. I know he’s always taking care of us even though it doesn’t feel like it at times.

Career
It’s been crazy as usual at work. The more I dive into my work, the more I want out of this line of work. It’s all politics and paperwork. So, I decided to go through an Alternative Teaching program at a local community college.

Teaching has been in the back of my mind since sixth grade. I even majored in the elementary teaching for two years in college. Somehow I would always talk myself out of it. But after working for the government for so many years, I’m ready for something more creative and fun.

I have to take one class this fall and I can start looking for jobs in the spring. I’m nervous and excited. I currently teach 2-year-olds in Sunday school and they’re a handful. I was a TA for my sister’s fifth grade class and I taught sixth grade AWANAS one year. Each time I’ve had an opportunity to teach I’ve really enjoyed it. I think it’ll be fun to have my own classroom. Plus the big bonus of having summer off!

That’s about it for now. Hopefully my life has settled down a little bit and I’ll have more time to write blogs!

Simpsonizing is Fun

2007-08-14T10:02:00.000-06:00

My Sentiments Exactly

2007-08-01T13:58:00.000-06:00

I read this cute story in, believe it or not, Senior News. I’m sure others agree with me that at some point you’ve dreamed of just being a kid again. With everything going on right now in my life, it’s nice to remember summers when I was a child.

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an eight-year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald’s and think that it’s a four-star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer’s day. I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colors, multiplication tables and nursery rhymes, but that didn’t bother you because you didn’t know what you didn’t know and you didn’t care. All you knew was to be happy, because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset. I want to think the world is fair. That everything is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again. I want to live simply again. I don’t want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive when there are more days in a month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, mankind and making angels in the snow. I want to play with my pets and my days of imagination to last forever.

So here are my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401(k) statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this further, you’ll have to catch me first because,

“Tag! You’re it!”