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.