when last we left her....

so, in true amber fashion, i have been terrible at posting pictures. so i decided to make it up to you in one shot. here is our ultrasound catalog. :) this first one is very early (5 weeks)....more lizard like than human.

getting bigger! here is our 11 week....

we got this one taken at the hospital at 20 weeks...she is looking more like a baby now! look at that big noggin!

look at how pretty she is!!!! this one is from today at 26.5 weeks. :)

in true girly fashion, she got tired of us poking around today and turned her back to us and went to bed. :)

i can't believe i am making this little chickadee. she is so cute already! and she has been bouncing around all day as if to say "mommy! i'm so excited you get to see me today!"

aaah!!! i'm going to be a mommy very soon! :)

oh yes....i am nesting! literally AND figuratively.

Well, we decided that we would put off nursery/baby stuff until after the holidays were over. So, with christmas vanishing in the rearview mirror and new years on the horizon, let the "nesting" begin.

If you had told me a month ago about this "nesting" phenomenon, i would have just brushed it off and forgotten about it, as i seem to forget about basically everything these days. But, girlfriends, let me just tell you....it is the most bizzare feeling.... now, when we moved into our new house, i got that itch that women get....the one that makes us beautify our homes, organize, personalize our spaces....

but this is just. so. different.

this nesting business feels more like an undeniable gravitational pull....a pure biological NEED to get things done and ready for baby. it is all you can focus on, all you can think about. i know it is still so early, i am only 27 weeks pregnant (6 months...going on 7) and i realize that i have plenty of time before the nugget's arrival, but logic isn't really applicable when this feeling sets in. you just have to go with the flow and get things done....or go insane.

so, on sunday, J and my father in law painted the nursery a lovely shade of light blue (much like the color behind the tree decals above) while i went shopping and bought a dresser for the baby. this week, the nursery furniture will be delivered, and i ordered most of silly little decorations for the baby's room.

we are excited, and i can finally relax a little bit....well...maybe after the furniture comes. :)

the pics above are some little snippets of my nursery "theme" and things i bought...

One more, just because it's such a cute picture. :)

yaaaaay for baby bellies!

Popcorn bellies!

My belly has officially popped, so i thought i would update you on my recent belly pictures. :) they are a little blurry, but we will take some more on christmas. Look at how damn cute i am! i can't get over it. :)

From our house to yours, enjoy your holiday!! :)

we cuddled. :)

Baby Anderson

Welcome Kylie Elise Anderson! She was born on a snowy night.... 8lbs 6oz and 21 inches long!
And she's beautiful! Enjoy the photos. :)

it has been a year?? really???

yesterday marked our 1 year wedding anniversary, and i can hardly believe that it has been a year since our family and friends gathered to share in a day that took years to plan and ended far too quickly.
so, in true anniversary fashion, we went out for a special dinner at Peppercorn's Grill in Hartford. we spent two and a half hours enjoying a deliciously decadent dinner, and being all cutesy and romantic. then home to cuddle and look through our wedding albums and remember the day.

i know i could never say it enough, but i am so blessed. there are hardly words for the amount of love i have for this boy, and it grows by the day.
my life is better with him in it, and he has made me a better person just for knowing him. i am so fortunate to be going through these good times and these bad times with him, and i can't wait to see what kind of father he will be, and what kind of mother he will challenge me to become. he is the cheese to my macaroni. :)

:)

rebuilding

hi.
so, i am still home and out of work until tomorrow. J and i are working on getting my stamina back up so i won't DIE when i go back to work. yesterday i actually got dressed, put shoes on AND left the house. it was a miracle.
so today, i have a few things to do so that i will be able to walk the length of the unit when i get there.
recovering from being in the hospital is like a full time job. it's insane.
but on a lighter note, i feel better. no more pain. no more constant uncomfortable-ness. i am just tired, worn out, and my lips are slowly returning to their pre-allergic reaction state. finally.
so, things are looking up.

home, sweet home.

hi.
i am home.
i am exhausted.
absolutely, utterly exhausted.

they told me that the fibroid in my uterus is causing me this incredible amount of pain as it has outgrown it's blood supply and is spasming (or dying?).
i think it's a bullshit answer because they can't figure out what is wrong. so, after being in the hospital for 4 days, i am home. and now i am having an allergic reaction to something. my lips are all swollen and it looks like someone punched me in the face. bizzare.
anyway.

i'm going to eat dinner.
for all the NPs out there....does that sound right????

hartford hospital

here is a very quick update:

during the housewarmng party, i was admitted to the hospital because my OB thought i was having contractions. as it turns out, i wasn't and was discharged that night. i missed the whole party. :(

i was admitted to hartford hospital yesterday morning in excrutiating pain to rule out appendecitis vs. bowel perforation vs anything else as equally traumatic.
i am still there, and am probably staying the night again. i am in tons of pain and am on loads of drugs, thank god.

the baby is fine though. no worries about her.

ok. i need to go sleep off this dilaudid.

!!!!!

it's a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!

i totally knew it!!!!!!!!

also, justin fiiiiinally got to feel the nugget move in my belly!!

exclamation points all around!!!

today is a good day. :)

i'm exhausted from all the excitement!!

ok. bye.


p.s. we are keeping the name a secret. :) so you will have to wait!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

we find out the gender of the nugget today at 4:00!!!!! :) we can't wait!!!!

then we get to pick our name!!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

and design the nursery! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

and, most importantly, we get to see if the baby has all 4 of its heart chambers. lol. :)

stay tuned!

whose body is this anyway?

i am going to pat myself on the back.
i have done an excellent job of getting myself healthy. i've worked very hard to get where i am physically, and more importantly, where i am emotionally. i have learned more in the past three years about nutrition, health, and weight loss than anyone i know.
for the first time in my life, i feel healthy.
i know that i can and will do better. i still have more to learn, and i am still working on it.

but...

why is it that the moment people find out you are having a baby, your body isn't your own anymore?
why do people feel the need to tell me that i am eating too little, or too much, or not the right foods? or that i'm not exercising enough?
why do people criticize my prenatal vitamins, or try to tell me that my doctors are wrong about the way they are managing my care?

who are you? who are you to tell me what is best for me? who are you to decide how many grams of protein i need a day, when you don't even know how many grams of protein YOU need? who are you to decide what types of patients i should or shouldn't take at work?

what it is about being pregnant that makes people suddenly put in their unwanted two cents?

i'm pretty sure i'm an educated gal, and am doing a fine job of growing this little babe. don't worry about me.

i just don't get it.

a new president

i am happy.

but i don't like to talk politics. i don't believe i should talk excessively of things i know little about.

but i am happy.

and am excited for january.

A Home is the Perfect Nest!

Attention please.....

Come celebrate our new home and growing baby!


Who: you! (unless i don't know you, then please don't show up)
When: Saturday, November 15, 2008 3pm for family, 7pm for friends. :)

No gifts. :) but if you wanted to bring something to munch, be my guest!

p.s. blog stalkers are invited too. :) bring JB.

hysterical pregnancy part 2

yesterday morning, i got out of bed (as per usual these days) to put an end to the feeling of my bladder splitting open from the pressure.

as i get back in bed, J says to me, in a very excited tone of voice and a big cheesy grin, of which i still can't understand...

"honey!!! your butt is getting roundy-er!!!"

pause.

"what?!?!?! what do you MEAN my butt is getting ROUNDY-ER??"

i look at him incredulously, wide eyes blinking hard, mouth gaping...

panic strikes....
"i mean....honey....i LOVE it when you have a roundy butt! i missed your roundy butt!! maybe your butt is absorbing roundy-ness from your thighs....i mean.....i didn't mean that....oh....shit."

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

WHO SAYS THAT TO THEIR PREGNANT WIFE????

i'm never getting out of bed again.

a hysterical pregnancy?

this post goes out to my favorite blog stalkers....you know who you are.

sista friend has told me of your incredulous response to me feeling nugget movement. i would just like to clarify that i am 18 weeks tomorrow. she got it wrong.

i had been feeling nugget movement since about 13 1/2 weeks, but didnt believe that was what it was until a week later. at this exact moment in time, it is bouncing off my uterus like a cheerleader on pop rocks and red bull.

also, i would like you to know about my first official pregnancy-induced hysterical breakdown.

let me set the scene:

i was starving.
all i wanted was tortellini with this delicious left-over marinara sauce from Joey Garlic's in Bristol (amazing restaurant if you haven't visited it yet). upon getting out of work, i call my darling husband and ask him to make me dinner. i was so hungry that i swear nugget was gnawing at my insides. as i am pulling the delicious sauce out of the refridgerator, it slips from my fingers and splatters all over me, my pants, my feet, and the freshly washed kitchen floor.

i immediatly burst into hysterical tears and justin had to come out to clean me up, take off my pants, and find me new marinara. yes, i know it was ridiculous behavior, but J scolding me for thus previously stated ridiculous behavior was not helpful and was completely unnecessary.

i think that i am entitled to occasional ridiculous behavior when i am carrying his cheerleader of a fetus.

seriously.
i'm suprised we've made it this far without me breaking down like tammy faye.

sleepy veil

if i had blogged earlier today, i would have posted that i think that i have emerged from my baby-induced constant state of exhaustion and sleepiness. i didnt require 20 hours of sleep a day anymore....i was functioning better....my "placenta brain" had seemed to lessen and i could remember small tasks that i had wanted to do....

and then, as i was studying tonight for a PALS (pediatric advanced life support) recertification class, i feel dead asleep. not just "wow, i'm so bored, i can't keep my eyes open" kind of sleep. dead asleep. snoring asleep.

the only thing of any value that i got accomplished today was waking up in time for the 11am appointment for the tv repair man. and i went out for lunch.

as i type, i slowly feel the veil of exhaustion clouding over my brain.

*sigh*

when does this part end?

the other day i had to go to the store for the unimaginable...the unthinkable.....

i had to buy maternity clothes.

it was slightly depressing, as i have been working SO very hard to fit into smaller clothes now for the past 2 years, going "up" a size was difficult for me to do.
thankfully my sista friend was there to help and remind me that it's ok when there is a baby in the belly.
so, i went to Old Navy and got a cute pair of maternity jeans (sarah is jealous that there are jeans with stretchy waists and wants to buy some too) and two very cute sweaters.

so now i can actually sit in my jeans without having to unbutton them, and i can keep warm during these cold Connecticut days!

when i actually get a noticable baby belly (noticable other than to me and J), I will post a pic. :)

and the beat goes on....

a patient of mine recently died. after her death, our bereavement committee called in a program called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS), which is basically a photography donation program. Local photographers come in and donate their time to these grieving families and take family portraits and professional photographs of the baby. I know what you're thinking...

"Gross...who would want to see a dead baby?"

But, for many of these families, the only photos that they have are of their sick child covered in tubes and wires. This program gives them a beautiful gift (free of charge), and allows them their first (and last) family portraits, stunningly retouched.

so, after checking out their website, (stupid thing to do at work, i know!), i starting realizing that most of those little nuggets were born prematurely, or with undetected birth defects.

let's just say i went into overdrive. and i might have had a little meltdown. those mommies were told everything was fine, and they could feel their little nugget moving around inside of them just fine.

so, on saturday, i noticed that i hadn't felt my little nugget move. or sunday. or monday. so i had another little freak out, and had another nurse try to find its heartbeat at work last night with a special machine called a doppler.

it took us awhile, but we found it. beating strongly and the baby was swooshing around in there. now i can relax again, for a little bit anyway.
of course, now the baby is bouncing all over the place again, as if to say "you doubted me??" Maybe it was just a little sleepy for a few days?

anyway, that's my story. Only 3 more weeks til we know if we can pick our boy name or our girl name! :)

sarah zips up. brrr.

PICU Harvest Party

Me and a few other people organized a PICU Harvest Party for the unit, and here are some photos to prove that we had a fun time.
There were corn mazes, snacks, punkins, race cars, and a whole lotta kids there. :)

the nugget.

so, now that a majority of the people in my life know, i might as well spill the beans.

i'm pregnant.

i am 15 weeks along. yes, we're finding out what it is. we find out November 13th. we will NOT be finding out earlier than that. so don't ask. and don't rub my belly. it's not a baby belly, it's just my fat roll. and while we're at it....absolutely do NOT, under ANY circumstances remind me of how i "better get my sleep now because once that baby comes i won't be getting any!"

if i hear that one more time i might stab someone.

if you are finding out the good news from this blog, i'm sorry. there really just isnt any way for me to tell eeeeeeeveryone and thus must rely on extraneous measures. hence, the blog.

we found out the day before we went to see the house, and the next day bought the house. it's been a busy 3 months, but a good 3 months.

now i can keep people updated on baby-type things. :-D

i will post soon with other FAQs.

is your refridgerator running???

because mine isn't.

it hasn't been since we moved in.

Sears finally got off their lazy asses and came out to fix it.

instead of fixing it, they told us it was dead.

now we have to buy a new fridge.

we have no money.

therefore, we won't have a fridge, i have decided.

the end.

sleepy merlin

Merlin was helping me pack. and he looked exactly how i felt at that time. so i snapped some pics. :)

here, kitty kitty

do you know that warm, cozy, fuzzy body feeling that you get after you get out of a late-night hot shower or bath? i currently have that feeling every second of every day. which means that i literally feel like i am about to go to bed every second of every day. i think that i could sleep every second of every day. a few weeks ago i slept for 20.5 hours out of a 24 hour period. it is my greatest accomplishment to date.


i forgot to mention a funny story, which isn't as funny as when my sista-friend tells it. but alas...
sarah had come over to help us finish packing the night before we moved out of the apartment. i was feeling especially exhausted and lightheaded, so needless to say, she WAS doing all the packing. anyway, she dropped a toaster and it landed on my cat, and in true cartoon-ey fashion, merlin leapt up, grabbed onto sarah's leg as though he were climbing a tree, and sunk his sweet little kitty teeth into her shin. she screamed, i screamed, merlin (and the other kitties) ran and hid for the remainder of the evening. sarah carried on for hours about cat scratch fever and bloodloss, calling her friends and taking photographs for our future lawsuit. she was ridiculous. she demanded i put him down. i laughed in her face. she left with a belly full of pizza and a phone full of incriminating photographs.

anyway, come the next morning, moving day, sarah shows up with a mild fever, works through her pain, and puncture wounds and gets us settled. at 8pm that night, she finally decides to show me the bite...i don't know WHY shy waited so long to show us....but it had manifested into a fullblown cellulitus, she was febrile and sweating buckets. all i could do was laugh. anyway, trips to the MD showed that she had an infection in the bone and was started on antibiotics. she was a mess. and of course, wouldn't let me live it down, as though merlin and i had secretly planned it all out.

i think she learned her lesson.
she shouldn't drop toasters on cats.

:)

the aftermath....

Well, moving day has come and gone. i wasn't feeling well, so the boys did eeeeeverything while i sat around and told people what to do. the first few days were rough, but thankfully my mom and sister came by and helped to unpack and rearrange. i haven't unpacked my camera yet, so i have no pictures to share of the house. but hopefully i will soon.
so far things are good. it's so different coming home to a house insead of an apartment....i can't really say how....it just feels so different. like it's actually home. and i can actually MAKE it a home. i like it. :)

as far as other things go...things are good. i feel better, not so sick all the time. and i have lots of things to look forward to. :)

by the way, this episode of grey's is ridiculous. i can't even stand it.

yaaaay!!

we officially own the house, and spent all of yesterday cleeeeeeeeeeaning and fixing the small things that needed to be done. J and my dad changed the locks, while sarah and i scrubbed ridiculous amounts of dirt off of the floors and windows. i won't say that i like the housework...but i WILL say that it is a completely different feeling when it is your own property. there is a certain level of pride in it....even sarah was picky about the window streaks!
today J and Dad are putting up a screen door for the front door, while i stay at the apartment and pack, pack, pack. if anyone is bored, i am taking time donations. :-D or lunch. i'm stahhhvin!

ok, back to work! we'll be in the new house next saturday. :)

soooo...
sorry for the lack of blogging. i've been immersed in buying this house. but there is good news!!! we did our final walk-through tonight and everything looks fantastic! the closing is tomorrow at 2:30, and then we are immediately going to our new home so that justin can carry me over the threshhold! haha. :)
we are uber excited. this weekend will be a mish-mosh of cleaning the new house and packing furiously so that we can move officially next weekend. and then we can focus on other things. :)

like babies. :)

grrr

i'm crabby.

we're back from aruba. let the stress begin! i don't even know where to start with moving. ugh.

i'll do an aruba update later. i need to get on with my crabby self.

shout out

this is an official early birthday shout out to my laowra, for i will be MIA in aruba (hopefully not with a scary dutch arubian guy who wants to throw me over the side of his boat).

have a very very very happy birthday my lady. :)

muah!

update:

sooooo
the inspection went just dandy. nothing wrong. just minor stuff that daddies and husbands can fix. ;)
aaaaaand, financing stuff went through.

we close september 4th!! :)

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

p.s....

p.s.....this is where we will be next week. i'll have my phone for emergencies only, including texts...it is ridiculously expensive and i am now officially broke.

off to aruba for sun, sand, those palm frond huts, and snorkeling!

don't worry...i'll bring the spf. ;)

OOPS...

so, it has been an eternity since i have posted. my apologies. but, there really aren't many of you who read this yet, so it's all good.

since we last spoke, we have gone to boston and visited with marist girls, drank sangria with blair and matt, worked a bazillion hours and bought a house!!

oops, we bought a house! it's adorable. tomorrow we will finish the financing stuff and the inspector comes. we are very excited!

here's a little sneak peak....we should find out soon when the closing will be, and i will keep you posted.

this week has been exhausting!!!

wonderfully, deliciously exhausting! :)

thievery

i'm not sure why, and i absolutely cannot explain it....but every time i see one of those DunBar armored guards carrying out large sums of money from stores or restaurants, it takes everything in my power to NOT try to steal their loot. everything. i have to force myself to stay where i am as i watch them saunter by with their little loaded guns. it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual treasure, but i always wonder if they would shoot me dead. would they shoot me? would they reaaaally??
anyway, i know it's ridiculous.
i just can't help myself.

freckle party....

let me just say, i had the most fabulous day.
it was the first day in i-don't-know-how-long that i didn't have a plan, and had nothing to do.
my mom, my sista-friend and i went down to a favorite RI beach, laid out in the gorgeous sun all day, dipped our adorable pedicured toes in the ice water, watched very small children dig very deep holes, ate (delicious) turkey sandwiches, and ended the day with a slice of pie at Mystic Pizza.

this love of the beach thing is a fairly new thing for me. i have terrible childhood memories of singed flesh and blisters galore. but today, with the help of good ol' banana boat SPF 30 (applied liberally every 2 hours, of course), i managed to throw a fantastic freckle party, and the aloe wasn't invited.

a good time had by all. i'm taking my sun-fatigued freckles to bed.
goodnight. :)